Healthcare Analytics Firm Upgrades from Zix: Streamlining SOC 2 & HIPAA Compliance with Virtru
IT Manager
By analyzing which low-cost drugs work better for specific conditions, this healthcare analytics company delivers substantial savings to its clients—one of which being a New England state government that recently projected to save $50 million in its first year of implementation.
Given the sensitive nature of healthcare data and the need to comply with strict regulations, this Virtru customer required robust security solutions that protect information without impeding their fast-paced operations. After evaluating their options, the organization selected Virtru as their data protection partner.
The Result
With Virtru, this healthcare analysis firm can:
- Enable seamless, secure communications both internally and with external healthcare partners, PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) partners, and members
- Simplify compliance efforts for SOC 2 and HIPAA through robust data protection that "just works"
- Protect sensitive information like PHI and credentials without creating friction for end users
- Collect sensitive documents securely from vendors and partners through customized secure workflows
Replacing Zix & Passing Up on Paubox to Effortlessly Protect PHI
In the healthcare space, managing sensitive protected health information (PHI) is a daily requirement. For this org, the ability to securely share this information with clients, members, and partners is crucial to their operations and compliance obligations.
Prior to implementing Virtru, the organization was using Zix for encrypted communications, but found the solution cumbersome for their team.
"Having to remember to put in the subject line of email, like the keyword phrases that cause the encryption action to happen... That was cumbersome and just not very user friendly," explained the organization’s IT Manager.
The IT team evaluated both Virtru and Paubox but ultimately chose Virtru for several reasons:
First, they acknowledged the importance of truly protecting their data beyond using basic TLS encryption, which was already included in their Gmail at no cost.
Second, they valued Virtru's comprehensive security controls. For example, the ability to revoke a message sent to the wrong person proved essential for limiting potential HIPAA violations.
Third, they appreciated the simple, sophisticated user experience and level of customer support that Virtru offered.
As the organization progressed through SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance processes, they needed a solution that would enhance their security posture while maintaining operational efficiency.
"The sales process, the customer support process was much better with Virtru," the IT Manager added, "and the product is visually better. It's just more user friendly. It's more secure. And we're really happy with it."
Virtru Email + Secure Share: A Seamless Security Experience
The organization’s IT team implemented Virtru for Google Workspace and Virtru Secure Share, creating a comprehensive security solution that integrates directly into their existing workflows.
"It's been very easy to use, very seamless even for weird use cases," said the IT Manager. "It's even more customizable and user friendly than I was expecting it to be. And I was expecting a lot."
For the company’'s clinical pharmacy team, Virtru provides essential protection when communicating with PBM partners and members. "Anything that involves PHI, they're using Virtru for," the manager noted. On the IT side, the team uses Virtru to securely transmit sensitive credentials like AWS access keys and other proprietary information.
What sets Virtru apart is its ability to integrate effortlessly into their Google Workspace environment.
"I like how Virtru will flag emails that I'm sending and say, 'hey, this contains certain texts that might want to be encrypted. Are you sure you don't want to encrypt this?'" said the IT Manager. "Having it live within Google within Gmail is just really easy."
The implementation process was remarkably smooth as well.
"I've done a lot of software implementations and this was pretty seamless," the IT Manager shared. "People have just been using it. It's been like out of sight, out of mind. It just works sort of, you know, like Apple."
Innovative Uses of Secure Share
The business has found Virtru Secure Share particularly valuable for collecting sensitive information from vendors. IT created an innovative workflow combining Google Forms with Secure Share to conduct vendor security assessments. By including a Secure Share link within their survey form, vendors could securely submit sensitive documents like SOC 2 reports and penetration testing results.
"It's just a good collection vehicle for that type of content," explained the IT Magaer. "People on the other side like that are submitting things through Secure Share, they like to have the sense of control when they can watermark things, they can make things expire... customers like the ability to feel like they're sharing something securely and having control over some of the settings."
Simplifying Compliance While Enhancing Security
Maintaining compliance with healthcare regulations is non-negotiable. As they work through their SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance processes, Virtru provides a crucial layer of protection.
"Having a secure email and file sharing platform that works well is a huge part of that for sure," the manager emphasized.
"There are a lot of things in IT and security where you can say you're doing something, but unless you're actually doing it, it's meaningless. And the SOC 2 auditing process, we can't just cut corners. We have to do what we say we're going to do, because we're being checked on that."
Recommendation: Stop Trying to Figure Out TLS and S/MIME. Use Virtru.
“Stop beating your head against the wall, trying to figure out TLS and S/MIME, and email encryption, and just use Virtru. It makes it seamless, easy, and the price is good enough to make it totally worth it. Just be done with it and move on to something else."
By implementing Virtru, this organization has established a foundation of security that supports their compliance requirements while enabling efficient, frictionless communications with their healthcare partners and clients.
This allows them to focus on their core mission: helping organizations find the most effective medications at the best prices, ultimately driving down healthcare costs through data-driven analysis.
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