Massachusetts Health Data Consortium

Gaining Operational Efficiencies While Managing Google Docs

Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDC) selects CloudLock for Google Apps for control and visibility of documents stored in their cloud file server

The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium is a not-for-profit organization established in 1978 that creates, promotes, and supports collaborative efforts to improve health and healthcare using health data and health information technology. MHDC is a trusted, neutral, content-knowledge leader that supports initiatives to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of healthcare.

Being an innovator in the healthcare field and its use of Technology, the organization recently retired an old Exchange environment and migrated to Google Apps.

“As a not-for-profit organization we are constantly looking for efficiency and agility in the way we run our operations. Migrating to Google Apps and adopting cloud technologies enables us to stay lean and efficient,” said Ray Campbell, MHDC’s Executive Director & CEO.

The Problem

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MHDC recently retired a legacy Microsoft Exchange system and migrated to Google Apps. As an organization that fosters collaboration between employers, purchasers, insurers, government agencies, health policy makers and consumers to achieve its goals, MHDC needed a way to ensure they had the visibility and control they needed for their data stored on Google Docs.

“Adoption for Google Apps has been going extremely well for us as all of our employees are using Google mail, Calendar and Docs. As for using Google Docs, in just a few months I have seen tremendous growth from just a few documents to hundreds,” said Brian Kelley, IT Manager for Massachusetts Health Data Consortium.

With the adoption of Google Apps and the rapid growth of the documents created in Google Docs, Brian quickly realized that he needed the administrative tools to effectively manage and control the documents created in the cloud file server.

The CloudLock Solution

Once enabling CloudLock on the MHDC domain, the IT Manager quickly had the visibility into his organization’s Google Docs is at his fingertips.

“I really like the dashboard view in CloudLock. It is a quick and easy way to identify exposed documents and correct document access rights,” said Kelley.

As a Google Marketplace application built on the Google Apps Engine, the product installs in seconds and provides immediate value. Some of the key features include:

• Visibility of all documents in the domain, their exposure levels and sharing settings
• Full control of document permissions (add or remove collaborators, change ownership, and change collaborator access rights)
• Transfer ownership of documents from one user to another (in bulk or for a single file)
• Monitor and receive exposure alerts – get email alerts with newly exposed documents and changes in permissions

Consolidating to a File Server in the Cloud

Google Docs is an affordable enterprise-class platform with unique collaboration features that allow organizations to migrate from on-premise file servers to store their documents in the cloud. MHDC is no exception; with Google Apps fully adopted, the majority of new documents are created and shared within Google Docs.

“As a nonprofit organization with limited funds and resources, we now have an affordable solution that users love, and with CloudLock for Google Apps, I have the administrative tools and controls I need to support my users effectively,” said Kelley.

MHDC is also planning further consolidation of technologies by migrating the documents they store on box.net to Google Docs. CloudLock’s access management capabilities will help IT make sure these documents are placed in the correct collections and are not overly exposed.

Support for HIPAA Compliance

Many of the documents that MHDC generates and collaborates on with hospitals and other health care providers must comply with HIPAA. After migrating to the cloud, MHDC had an additional challenge to make sure that the protection of these documents met HIPPA compliance regulations.

“Auditing the security of our files stored on Google Docs is key to our business,” said Kelley. “Using CloudLock for Google Apps, I can have similar – if not better -protection of my data stored in the cloud, and I can make sure that MHDC continues to comply with HIPAA.”

A Google Apps Marketplace Application Running on Google App Engine

CloudLock for Google Apps, is available directly on the Google Apps marketplace and runs on Google App Engine. This ensures that all meta-data collected and all application processing remain within the same SAS70-II certified environment that supports Google Email, Calendar, Docs and other applications.

As a marketplace application the product is easy to install, uses OpenID for single sign-on and SSL for all communications.

Free trials are available at http://www.cloudlock.com