HP Introduces Data Privacy Services

HP announced a new suite of IT services designed to help organizations protect and manage sensitive data while helping to reduce risk, improve life cycle data management, and manage compliance with new and existing federal regulatory requirements.

Dubbed “HP Data Privacy Services”, HP said it launched the new offering to help U.S.-based healthcare organizations align IT practices with the HIPAA Omnibus Rule.

As part of the new services offerings, the tech giant will help customers manage and protect sensitive data, including the secure retention and sanitization of hardware components, active or retired, that may contain personal health information.

“Healthcare and consumer financial information organizations are concerned with security threats that increase the risk of unauthorized access to personal data, or jeopardize the integrity of this information,” HP explained in a statement. “Organizations must also meet strict compliance requirements for global data security laws and regulations with heightened enforcement and increased penalties. These laws and regulations include the United States’ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the European Union’s Data Protection Directive and India’s Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011.”

With an HP Technology Services support professional assigned to each customer for advice on data privacy, HP offers the following services as part of the Data Privacy Services suite:

Data Removal – The HP Data Sanitization Service provides the on-site resources and tools to ensure data cannot be reconstructed or retrieved from upgraded hardware and servers, or return-leased equipment. HP specialists provide customers confirmation of data removal, verifying that all sanitization procedures have been performed in accordance with predefined criteria.

Data Protection – To control sensitive data, HP offers two services that reduce security risks and ensure privacy compliance:

• HP Defective Media Retention (DMR) enables customers to maintain and control disk media and data in the event of a disk malfunction. An HP support agent will diagnose the problem and dispatch personnel to the customer site with a replacement disk or part.

• HP Comprehensive Defective Material Retention (CDMR) enables customers to retain data from components that fail, regardless of where it resides when the failure occurs.

Asset Recovery – HP Asset Recovery Services offer customized enterprise wide plans for tracking assets — from packing and shipping to processing, resale and recycling — helping customers manage potential risks, as well as optimize opportunities associated with surplus IT equipment.

“Continued automation in the healthcare environment and broader access to patient information are expanding the risk of costly data breaches,” said Lou Berger, vice president, Services Enablement and Readiness, Storage, HP. “HP Data Privacy Services ensure that organizations have the necessary infrastructure support to help them protect and optimize sensitive data, while accelerating business innovation and complying with data security regulations.”

HP Data Privacy Services are available globally. Pricing varies according to geographic location and service customization, HP said.