Disaster Recovery
HIPAA mandates duplicate copies of patient files including imaging studies
HIPAA mandates Disaster Recovery solutions, or duplicate copies of patient files, including imaging studies; therefore a second/redundant storage system should be deployed. In information technology, a backup refers to making copies of data so that these additional copies may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. Since a backup system contains at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage requirements are considerable. Organizing this storage space and managing the backup process is a complicated undertaking. However, there are several accepted, effective, and time-tested options available. DICOM Distribution can offer a variety of Disaster Recovery methods customized to meet your needs today and in the future.
Managing the data repository
Regardless of the data repository model or data storage media used for backups, a balance needs to be struck between accessibility, security and cost. These media management methods are not mutually exclusive and are frequently combined to meet the needs of the situation. Using on-line disks for staging data before it is sent to a near-line tape library is a common example. The following is a list of the wide variety of options available through DICOM Distribution to customize a backup system that can be readily deployed and easily maintained.
On-line backup storage is typically the most accessible type of data storage, which can begin restoration within milliseconds. A good example would be an internal hard disk or a disk array such as a RAID 5. A Storage Area Network (SAN) is an architecture to attach remote computer storage devices (such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes) to servers in such a way that the devices appear as locally attached to the operating system. This type of storage is very convenient and speedy, but is relatively expensive. On-line storage is vulnerable to being deleted or overwritten, either by accident, or in the wake of a data-deleting virus payload.
Near-line is a term used to describe an intermediate type of data storage that represents a compromise between online storage (supporting frequent, very rapid access to data) and offline storage/archiving. Near-line storage is typically less accessible and less expensive than on-line storage, but still useful for backup data storage. A good example would be a tape library with restore times ranging from seconds to a few minutes. The near line storage system knows on which volume the data resides, and usually asks a robot to retrieve it from this physical location into a drive where the data can be read or written.
Off-line storage is similar to near-line, except it requires human interaction to make storage media available. This can be as simple as storing backup tapes or CD/DVD’s in a file cabinet. Media access time can be anywhere from a few seconds to more than an hour.
To protect against a disaster or other site-specific problem, many people choose to send backup media to an off-site vault. The vault can be as simple as the System Administrator’s home office or as sophisticated as a disaster hardened, temperature controlled, high security bunker that has facilities for backup media storage. Sending backups off-site ensures systems and servers can be reloaded with the latest data in the event of a natural disaster, accidental error, or system crash. Sending backups off-site also ensures that there is a copy of pertinent data that isn’t stored on-site. ASP models are available for off-site storage with a range of fees and services customized to meet your volume and accessibility requirements.
In the event of a disaster, the data on backup media will not be sufficient to fully recover. Computer systems onto which the data can be restored and properly configured networks are necessary too. Some organizations have their own data recovery centers that are equipped for this scenario. Other organizations contract this out to a third-party recovery center. Note that because a DR site is in itself a huge investment, backup is very rarely considered a preferred method of moving data to the DR site. A more typical way would be remote disk mirroring, which keeps the DR data as up-to-date as possible.
Again there are several options:
Here are our Solutions...
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- 24/7 LEAD Customer Support
- 200 Years of Medical Experience
- PACS, RIS, CR etc. supported all from one lead company.
- Fully Dicom and HIPAA Compliant.
- Proven technology that is working in Hospitals, Imaging Centers and Clinics
- Reference Account
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For more information, please contact 877-434-2661 or email info@dicomdistribution.com
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