eBridge Solutions Blog

More than half of businesses DON'T have a formal data retention plan

More than half of businesses do not have a formal data retention plan, creating massive recovery problems due to the over-retention of information, according to a new report by Symantec.

The study, entitled 2010 Information Management Health Check Survey, reveals some shocking figures. Only 46 percent of the 1,680 global businesses asked had a data retention plan in place, meaning that most businesses lack formal procedures for addressing the storage of data and when, if ever, it gets deleted.

87 percent believed such a plan should allow them to delete unnecessary information, but 13 percent would rather not delete anything, even useless material, at all.

The research also found that 75 percent of backups have infinite retention or are on “legal hold”, meaning that they can potentially never be deleted, creating a nightmare situation for those trying to sort through backups to restore a system to a usable state or to regain specific lost information. 

The study found that one in six companies archive information indefinitely. It also found that 25 percent of data that is backed up is not needed and should not be retained, since it hogs space and makes accessing essential information more difficult.

The report discovered that there was widespread improper legal hold practices, with 70 percent of companies performing legal holds using backups, 25 percent preserving an entire backup set for legal holds on files and documents, and 45 percent of backup storage being used for these legal holdings.

If that were not enough, it also found improper backup, recovery and archive practices were rampant. 51 percent prohibit end-user archives, but 65 percent report that end-users archive material anyway when not permitted. 49 percent use backup software for archiving, even when it's not designed for that purpose.

The consequences of these improper practices are manifold, including high storage costs, long backup windows, excessive recovery times, increased litigation risk and inefficient electronic discovery, none of which a business can dismiss lightly.

Reposted from Techeye.net on August 5, 2010

eBridge Solutions and MD&M East meet

eBridge Solutions is taking NYC by storm! Well, maybe not by storm, but we are getting some traffic at the MD&M East medical manufacturing show here at the Javits Convention Center. The show highlights medical device manufacturers and complementary services - like eBridge's web-based document management system.

As usual, the problem is that every attendee and vendor is a candidate for our web-based document imaging solution. Some have heard of document management before. Some are currently scanning to their hard drives. Most are interested in learning more about how our scanning solution can help keep their manufacturing plants, labs and consulting companies paperless.

Many attendees have been asking how eBridge Solutions meets Title 21 CFR Part 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which deals with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines on electronic records and electronic signatures in the United States. Part 11, as it is commonly called, defines the criteria under which electronic records and electronic signatures are considered to be trustworthy, reliable and equivalent to paper records. And our answer is yes, we can help you comply.

Help because just as with HIPAA, eBridge Solutions give you the tools to make you compliant, but the day-to-day practices of your employees really determine how compliant your company is. Sorry, it always goes back to how well you know the regulations affecting your industry and how you use the tools you're given.

For more information or to sign up for a demo of eBridge Solutions, visit us online at http://www.ebridgesolutions.com/ today.

Audit trail is a powerful feature in document management systems

Almost every document management system I've run across has document audit trails built into their software. eBridge Solutions' audit trail automatically records the date and time a document was added to a customer's electronic file cabinet. It also records the user ID of the person who added it.

In addition, every time a user looks at the document, makes a note on it or edits an index value, that action is recorded along with the corresponding user ID.

Why is this important, you ask? Well, it's the date and time stamp and ongoing string of recorded events that will allow you to legally prove (if you are ever taken to court) that the document was added on a certain date and has not been altered in any way since. It can be considered an original document.

It is also useful if you want to look at the productivity of your employees. The date and time stamp follows them through eBridge, so you could easily see how many documents they've added or accessed during a specific time period. This feature is invaluable when multiple employees are continuously accessing and modifying files within the repository.

By making the audit trail an automatic, real-time feature, the second a document is added, opened or edited, the audit trail is updated with no effort on your part. Can you do that with your paper files? Would you want to? Give eBridge Solutions a try if you aren't already using our award-winning document management system.

Document management and radiology

I write today from BEAUTIFUL (but windy) Colorado Springs, Colorado. The site of the 2010 Radiology Summit. When I haven't been hiding in my room trying to stay warm, I've been exhibiting, lunching and speaking with radiology practice managers and the medical billing professionals who support them. One thing is certain, there are plenty of options available to radiology pros when it comes to storing their paper files.

1. They can store documents in files and file folders in their offices.
2. They can store documents they don't access often or merely need to retain for seven years off-site in a storage facility.
3. They can add documents to their electronic health record (EHR) system, if there is a document management module.
4. They can scan and store all of their paper documents in an online document management system (like eBridge Solutions).

After speaking with several folks here, most people agree with me that option FOUR is the best. Why?

Storing paper files anywhere (home, office or off-site) can come at a tremendous cost. The price for lost office space (the files keep growing), running back and forth to find the file you need and putting paper at risk for theft or disaster are ALL real concerns for business owners.

Adding documents to an EHR system can 'trap' a physician in an EHR system they aren't happy with or cannot afford. And, what if that EHR system goes out of business? Then what? Or what if the documents are stored in a proprietary format that doesn't work in other systems? Well, they have a real problem.

Adding paper (and electronic documents) to a document management system like eBridge Solutions makes the most sense for so many reasons. Not only are clients free to work with any EHR or billing system, they can also integrate their documents with accounting, HR and other systems with a hot-key. In addition, they can store more than just medical records in a document management system. Contracts. Invoices. Resumes. Anything can be stored and kept separate from other documents -- but for one low cost.

Make sense? I think so. Now I'm going to grab my windbreaker and see who else I can get to agree with me...

Alleviate Your Fears in Finding Secure Online Document Storage

If you are looking into web-based document management agencies, but are concerned about putting your most important and confidential documents in the cloud, we wanted to remind you of one thing: Our top priority at eBridge Solutions is SECURITY.

It's for this very reason that companies like Allstate Insurance (they approved us in August, 2006) and thousands of other private, public and government businesses and agencies have put their trust in eBridge over the nine years we have been in business.

Throughout those years we have continued to raise our standards in security measurements to meet the tough compliance demands of our clients. eBridge Solutions is certified to be in compliance with such regulations as the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPPA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), Federal Information Processing Standardization (FIPS) and the Government Information Security Reform Act (GISRA). 

To ensure your data being transferred via the eBridge cloud is safe, Secure-Socket Layer (SSL) v3(TLS) - the industry standard security protocol for encoding sensitive information - has been implemented by eBridge for mutual authentication, data encryption and data integrity. Your data stored in eBridge is AES-256 Block CBC encrypted, meaning only you and your clients have access to those files (if you give them access). 

Your data is also backed up in real-time in separate data centers in Tampa, FL and Atlanta, GA. Both data centers house redundant web and database servers - fully configured with all software and data - so that in the unlikely event of a failure of any of the data centers, the backup data center will be available. Other security measurements include off-site data backups, access and event monitoring, passwords and physical security that is monitored 24 hours a day.                                 

If that wasn't enough to convince you that your documents are safe with eBridge, contact one of our sales representatives who can elaborate on each security measurement. Visit our web site to register for a free online demo of eBridge Solutions.

Document management can help keep reporters out of your dumpster

There is a right way and a wrong way to manage your confidential records. Let's start with the wrong way.

The wrong way is to keep files with social security numbers and credit card information in an unlocked file cabinet. Or in the dumpster behind your office, like these folks from the city of Middletown, Ohio. Read how citizen's confidential information ended up in the wrong place by clicking here. 

eBridge is working in many government offices across the nation. The RIGHT way to manage documents like the ones in the article would be to scan them into an online file cabinet and then hire a shredding company to come ON-SITE and shred those documents IN FRONT of someone.

Our web-based document management system is much more secure than a traditional file cabinet. User IDs and passwords are required, so only certain people have access to certain documents. In addition, if information was compromised, our audit trail would tell you exactly who, what and when. A metal cabinet can't do that!

So again, there is a right way and a wrong way to manage files. eBridge is the right way. If you aren't already using eBridge Solutions, call or sign up for an online demo today!

Document Management can keep auditors out of your office

One of our current client's favorite features of eBridge Solutions is our index-level security. He is in the financial services industry and he gets annual audits. Each year, prior to the event, he sets up his auditor with a user ID and password and then restricts by index level what documents he can see.

If he needs to see applications, for example, our client gives him the right to see applications, but not certificates. Or, he can allow them to see both. This means the auditor doesn't need to come to the office anymore. He can log in remotely, find the documents he needs, print them out and he's all set.

It saves travel and, more importantly, the stress of having an auditor in your office for three days.

If you work in a regulated industry, a web-based document management system can do more than get you organized. It can make your auditor's life easier, which in turn, will make yours easier, too.

This is why business records need to be disposed of properly

In the past few weeks, I've found several stories about businesses who have thrown paper files into garbage cans instead of destroying them correctly. The first one is out of Indianapolis...

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/region_1/Hotel_mishandling_delicate_docs_20090306

The second one is out of Shreveport, Louisiana...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090317/NEWS03/903170314/1062

Both of these stories show how easily paper documents can get into the wrong hands. eBridge Solutions' customers scan and store their paper files online and then shred them OR find a reputable document destruction company to shred the documents for them. It is critical to remaining compliant with HIPAA and Red Flag rules.

HR File Record Retention: Every Business Has Them

Do you know how long the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires your company to keep relevant records?

How about ADA? ADEA? FMLA? FLSA? Do you know what these acronyms even stand for? Let alone how long the documents need to be retained for?

If you're not sure, you're not alone. These are just the Federal anti-discrimination laws. There are still State laws out there as well. But, let's look at these to start:

Under CRA of 1964 and ADA, records must be kept for one year from when the record was made or the action taken, whichever is later.

Under ADEA (age discrimination), certain records (e.g., employee age, rate of compensation) must be kept for three years, and other records for one year (e.g., resumes).

Under FLSA, certain records must be kept for three years (e.g., rates of pay) and other records must be kept for two years (e.g., work and time schedules).

Under FMLA,the basic record retention period is three years.

So, if you have 100 employees (or even 10), the amount of paperwork you are required to keep is tremendous. Do you have enough file cabinets in your office to properly maintain those records?

What if there was an easier way? Well, there is. It's called document management. Specifically, web-based document management. With this tool (from eBridge Solutions, of course), you can scan and store copies of these paper files online. No more filling up filing cabinets. No more hoping that you've kept all of the paperwork you are required to keep.

As applicants move through the hiring process, simply scan in each piece of paper they submit. Or, even better, print electronic copies of e-mail correspondence, resumes and more right into your document management system without printing and scanning.

Don't get caught without the appropriate paperwork! Save everything! eBridge Solutions makes it easier than ever...