UH notifies 7,100 patients of stolen hard drive with personal medical information

University Hospitals has sent letters to more than 7,100 patients letting them know that their personal medical information may have been exposed when a hard drive was stolen from a third party vendor's car in August. (Bill Gugliotta/The Plain Dealer)

As an IT expert specializing in IT data protection and disaster recovery, it's infuriating to read about debacles like this.There is absolutely NO EXCUSE; this is very basic IT 101. United Computer Group recently completed a very successful operating system upgrade for a different local hospital. As a result, their patient data and their reputation will not be compromised. It is imperative, and I strongly encourage UH to quickly do their due diligence. 

Drive stolen on August 8th, data from 19 computers, taking their time to determine exact information on the drive, NOT encrypted. Now engaged with an IT Security firm? Do they think this was a "random" act? A lot of questions here and plenty of blame to go around. So much for HIPAA.

After I fired the IT person(s) responsible, I'd recommend speaking with Cleveland, OH based Jurinnov jurinnov.com

Compliance for Healthcare Organizations is the LAW. Find out more at vault400.com.

Jim Kandrac, Founder and President
United Computer Group, Inc. 
ucgrp.com

Great story in the November issue of IBM Systems Magazine about International Fidelity Insurance Company. IFIC weathered Hurricane Sandy with a sound H/A solution, provided to them by Maxava business partner, United Computer Group, Inc. Without its DR solution, IFIC would have lost three full days of work, equating to around $2 million in revenue. Click here to read story.

High Demand for Cloud Backup and DR Drives Growth for United Computer Group, Inc.

Businesses across the nation still relying on tape backup to protect their data are quickly realizing they are on borrowed time. For many companies, migration from tape backup to secure cloud backup and disaster recovery has moved from the back burner to the number one business priority. As the demand for cloud services continues to grow, companies are making heavy investments to gain market share.

The public cloud services market is forecast to grow 18.5 percent in 2013 to total $131 billion worldwide, up from $111 billion in 2012, according to research firm Gartner, Inc. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), including cloud compute, storage and print services, continued as the fastest-growing segment of the market, growing 42.4 percent in 2012 to $6.1 billion and expected to grow 47.3 percent in 2013 to $9 billion.

Cloud advertising continues to be the largest segment of the cloud services market, comprising 48 percent of the total market in 2012. Gartner predicts that from 2013 through 2016, $677 billion will be spent on cloud services worldwide and about half of that will be spent on cloud advertising.

This shift in thinking comes as no surprise to United Computer Group, Inc. To support its fast-growing cloud backup and disaster recovery business, VAULT400, United Computer Group, Inc. recently invested in an additional $1M of infrastructure. Likewise, UCG partner BlueBridge Networks recently announced a $6 million investment in technology to build the best network and facilities possible.

Some of the biggest challenges businesses are facing are compliance, effective utilization of cloud, high availability and uptime. Companies looking to manage these issues find cost effective solutions with IBM i Solution Edition for VAULT400 cloud backup and disaster recovery. By selecting the IBM i Solution Edition for VAULT400, organizations gain significant IBM i pricing benefits, and an easy-to-manage cloud backup and disaster recovery solution that delivers a low total cost of ownership.

James Kandrac, President of +United Computer Group, Inc.  discusses niche marketing: interview at 2013 IBM PartnerWorld conference in Las Vegas

Jenson USA Rolls with VAULT400 Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions from United Computer Group, Inc.

“I have peace of mind knowing that our data will be there when we need it. Current copies of our data are now stored in three locations. We don’t have to move disks around and we won’t have a bad disk or bad tape take us by surprise. The addition of VAULT400 Hardware DR was a natural next step for us. ”
-  Jeff Bolkovatz, Director of IT

Whether you're pacing traffic, pounding down a trail or setting a new track speed record, cycling is without question, a healthy endeavor. And on the subject of health, US bike sellers rang up $6.1 billion in sales in 2012, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association. And equally as impressive, 18.5 million bicycles were sold through bike dealers and mass merchant channels, says the Bicycle Manufacturers Association. By year-end, an estimated $1.1 billion in used bicycles were sold through bike shops, mass merchants, sporting goods stores and other retailers, bringing the total size of the bicycle business to $7.3 billion.

One prominent bike merchant, Jenson USA has been serving a large share of the cycling market since 1994. Jenson USA, founded by a competitive racer, is a leading online, and brick and mortar marketer of bicycles, parts, accessories and apparel, head-quartered in Ontario, California. Read more.

Introduction to VAULT400 Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery

UCG's VAULT400 backs up an entire organization's business-critical data to our secure data centers, while supporting all platforms and databases. Data is encrypted and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for immediate online recovery. Great little video!

Learn more by visiting the VAULT400 Resource Library.

+United Computer Group, Inc. has provided a wealth of downloadable information within their VAULT400 Resource Library. You'll find everything from data sheets and technical briefs to webinars and videos. There are numerous industry articles as well.

One recent addition to the library announced the rollout of the IBM i Solution Edition for VAULT400.

“As an IBM Advanced Business Partner, United Computer Group has partnered with IBM for more than 26 years and ensures tight integration of our solutions,” says James Kandrac, President of UCG. “That collaboration has extended to UCG’s participation in the IBM iSeries Advisory Council and includes product design/development to testing and go-to-market strategies.”

The IBM i Solution Edition for VAULT400 is available for both the IBM Power7+ 720 Express and IBM Power7+ 740 Express. Both Power Systems feature the latest IBM processors, which represent a true leap forward to more intelligent systems that reduce complexity, decrease energy consumption, minimize  downtime and drive down operational costs.

Click here for a complimentary risk assessment and pricing analysis.