HighSide - the HIPAA-compliant Slack Alternative

If your organization handles protected health information (PHI), HIPAA-compliant file-sharing applications are required. Businesses and healthcare organizations utilize file sharing to quickly share, control, and safeguard sensitive information saved in the cloud. Businesses and people that demand extra storage capacity and the ability to access information from anywhere would benefit greatly from such apps.

However, not all applications of this nature are equally ideal. For businesses that deal with HIPAA compliance, it's vital to use a platform designed for HIPAA compliance specifically. File-sharing and collaboration platforms used by healthcare organizations need to be as secure as possible, eliminating the risks that come with using unsecured platforms like Slack to exchange Protected Health Information. This is where HighSide.io comes in.

Let’s break down what HighSide is and then share our review of this new file-sharing and collaboration platform.

What is HighSide? 

HighSide (also known as HighSide.io) is a fast-growing firm that uses patented technologies to enable secure collaboration and distributed data access controls. HighSide's range of technologies enables enterprises to participate safely in a distant first world thanks to a distributed private root of trust encryption protocol. Teams have access to a modern encrypted communications and file sharing platform, including audio, video, text, and files, thanks to their zero-trust technology. HighSide simplifies security and compliance while eliminating shadow IT risks and dependency on insecure communication routes.

Since 2015, Highside has been creating apps and software that consumers in the healthcare industries and sectors want to utilize, and security and compliance professionals want to install. HighSide has operations in the United Kingdom and Argentina, as well as a worldwide headquarters in the Washington, DC metro area.

What does it mean for HighSide to be HIPAA Compliant? 

Providers, caregivers, patients, and healthcare professionals may all benefit from HighSide's healthcare-focused and HIPAA-certified software. HighSide is basically a collaboration, communication, and data-sharing platform. HighSide, which is available on both desktop and mobile platforms, makes PHI data sharing simple to collaborate on. The technology integrates WhatsApp-style texting and Zoom-style video conferences to keep medical teams connected and patients and providers interested. HighSide also comes with HIPAA compliance out of the box, which is uncommon considering this level of security is an expensive add-on with other similar platforms. With HighSide's SecureDrive, you can store and share PHI while still providing your team with HIPAA-compliant Dropbox-like document sharing.

To better understand what makes HighSide HIPAA compliant, it helps to understand the security protocols and processes their software uses.

HighSide Security 

To start, HighSide’s technology protects Protected Health Information. Any information that might possibly identify an individual that was generated, utilized, or released in the process of delivering healthcare services, whether it was a diagnostic or treatment, is considered protected health information. PHI might include an individual's past, present, or future physical health or condition. It also safeguards payment and financial data pertaining to healthcare services.

Zero Trust architecture is one of the technologies used by HighSide to secure PHI. Zero Trust is a cybersecurity technique that secures a healthcare business by completely removing implicit trust and confirming every stage of a digital connection. To protect modern environments and enable digital transformation, Zero Trust is based on the principle of "never trust, verify first," and it employs strong types of authentication methods, specific network segmentation, lateral movement prevention, Layer 7 threat prevention, and least-access policies. Traditional security measures are based on the archaic notion that everything inside a company's network should be implicitly trusted, which led to the development of Zero Trust. Users, especially hacker threats and malicious insiders, are allowed to move laterally and access or exfiltrate vital data once on the network due to a lack of granular security limitations.

By concentrating on data, workloads, and identification, a Zero Trust approach may help healthcare companies provide access more effectively. It is a data-centric, workload-first design that provides good visibility as well as security.

Why does a file sharing and collaboration software service need to be HIPAA Compliant? 

HIPAA-compliant file sharing allows doctors to safely share files with their patients as well as their colleagues. Only authorized users have access to files, communications, and health information. The user just composes their messages and attaches a file to transmit to the recipient if they are permitted. File sharing solutions encrypt all data with industry-grade security both at rest and in transit to add an extra degree of protection and comply with HIPAA rules.

Health professionals may communicate photographs of test results, X-Rays, injuries, and insurance information with the capacity to send files. Providers must transfer information in person without a HIPAA-compliant file-sharing solution to avoid fines of up to $50,000 per occurrence.

Integrating a HIPAA-compliant file-sharing solution into a clinic saves hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and reduces the price burden faced by patients. Patients' release is further aided by secure file sharing, since consultations and home visits may be requested and planned online from the comfort of their own homes. Patients can transmit updated information or files to doctors to ensure that their treatment plan is followed correctly.

Most importantly, using a secure file-sharing system to send information allows physicians to make faster and more accurate diagnoses. Because of the enhanced communication, therapy may be given in less time, resulting in a faster recovery.

Who is HighSide designed for? 

Healthcare, hospice, nursing, and pharmaceutical companies use HighSide's E2E encrypted collaboration technology. HighSide's major purpose is to enable PHI data storage and sharing, as well as HIPAA-compliant individual and group messaging, HIPAA-compliant encrypted phone and video chats, and sensitive and proprietary data storage. HighSide is a HIPAA-compliant collaboration platform for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. As a secure alternate for Slack, we highly endorse this platform!