EAST GREENWICH, R.I., July 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of his new series on key information technology issues for CIOReview, Tom Basiliere, CIO for Provant and its parent company Hooper Holmes (OTCQX:HPHW), has written an article on data security and database architecture. Provant is a national health and well-being leader that works with organizations across all industries to improve members’ whole-person health.
In the article, Basiliere discusses the ever-increasing emphasis on safeguarding sensitive data from both exposure and loss. As Basiliere points out, every organizational level must be vigilant: Top level security is essential to a company’s survival, and no one solution can ensure complete protection.
SOC2 and HiTrust certification are good benchmarks of an organization’s commitment to security; they compel companies to assess and improve their processes and infrastructure. Basiliere, however, encourages organizations to take an even stronger defensive position by building data security into the planning and creation of databases and applications.
In his article, Basiliere examines two types of data: Data that is linked to an individual, and data that is intrinsically valuable. He calls for organizations to rethink the way they structure databases and applications, including when to use logical versus physical separation of data, and how to minimize the need to access data points that create identifiable and, consequently valuable, information.
With his deep experience in IT and wide-ranging, confidential data, Basiliere fully understands the need to integrate security into the development process. As CIO for Provant and Hooper Holmes, Basiliere has built an IT team that includes experienced senior-level data security professionals. The team conducts sophisticated architecture assessments as part of the software development cycle, effectively building safeguards into the systems from the outset.
In acknowledging the difficulty of protecting data, Basiliere recommends five takeaways:
- Get educated.
- Talk to your peers, go to a conference, listen to a security podcast.
- Spend some time and money on security architecture.
- Look for independent outside help but don’t defer responsibility to them.
- Ask your application, database and infrastructure teams a simple question: “Is our data secure?”
If your organization is considering well-being program for your workforce, contact Provant at Connect@ProvantHealth.com for more information.
About Provant
Provant, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hooper Holmes, Inc. is a leader in comprehensive workplace well-being solutions with a growing, global presence. Provant partners with employers and brokers to improve member health and productivity and support healthcare cost management. Provant touches millions of lives by delivering customized well-being strategies and services on-site, telephonically and digitally, utilizing advanced data management technology. www.ProvantHealth.com