In 2011, we saw a huge increase in the number of major breaches of Protected Health Information (PHI) due to the loss or theft of unencrypted devices. The largest of these breaches was experienced by Sutter Health of California which suffered the theft of a computer containing more than four million patient records. The data for about 3.3 million of these patients included their names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses. The remaining 943,000 records also contained medical diagnoses and services provided.

After working with dozens of law firms on their SharePoint projects, I've developed a list of best practices and "killer apps" that we have found to make a real difference in the success of law firm intranets. The key to a successful implementation is identifying features and services that will drive traffic from users, encourage user adoption and deliver measurable business benefits. As a result of a good intranet implementation, law firms can reap benefits such as increased inter-office collaboration, faster access to information and better insight into data.

Q: I'm moving to VoIP soon. What is a softphone? Should I get one?

A: A softphone is a software-based phone client that greatly expands your ability to place or receive calls when working outside of the office. It can be installed on a smartphone, laptop or a desktop computer. When placing calls through your softphone, you appear to be calling from your office. Most softphones also display your contact list from your VoIP account, enabling quick contact availability for ease of dialing. Incoming calls to your office phone number ring simultaneously on your office phone and your softphone, wherever you may be.

What is PHI and ePHI?

PHI stands for Protected Health Information. It includes any information that identifies an individual, i.e. includes either the individual's name or any other information that could enable someone to determine their identity and relates to at least one of the following:

• The past, present or future payments for health care services;
• The provision of health care to the individual;
• The individual's past, present or future physical or mental health.

ePHI stands for Electronic Protected Health Information. ePHI is all Protected Health Information which is stored, accessed, transmitted or received electronically.

This article, authored by Rita Thompson, CLM, of Kavanagh Maloney & Osnato LLP, is featured in the July/August 2011 issue of New York | New York published by the New York City Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA).

Cloud computing: the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted via the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or personal computer.

Do you ever lie awake at night thinking about a problem at your firm? Sometimes, the solution to your problem may be closer than you think.

We understand that when your technology doesn't work, neither does your practice. That's why our Customer Care Center is staffed full time with the best and brightest technology engineers ready and willing to help you. This article will talk in detail about the level of IT support mindSHIFT provides to healthcare organizations.

This article, authored by Silas McCullough of mindSHIFT Technologies, is featured in the December 2011 issue of ILTA's Peer to Peer Magazine titled "The Incredible Shrinking Computer."

The ever-increasing competitive landscape, limited IT resources and current economic conditions have caused many law firms - large and small alike - to seek out new alternatives to lengthy, complicated IT deployment cycles, escalating hardware costs and the demand for access to data from any location. Desktop virtualization is one option that makes today's desktop hardware footprint, time to roll out a legal desktop and IT costs smaller while increasing employee productivity as well as accessibility to and availability of electronic data.

The cost savings, increased functionality, and improved productivity and mobility offered by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is fast making it a priority for small and medium-sized businesses. But what are the key factors to consider when evaluating and choosing a business VoIP provider? How can you be sure that the vendor you select will be flexible enough to meet the growing needs of your organization?

Many companies offer IT management services and IT support to healthcare organizations. But which managed service provider is right for your specific healthcare IT needs? This article will provide you with the information that will help you evaluate managed hosting providers and select the one that will help you take care of your IT needs without losing focus on your primary goal – the health of your patients.

Today’s workforce is increasingly mobile. The traditional office job is evolving. Whether working in the field, traveling or telecommuting, the need for reliable, secure, and highly available access to work resources and data is growing. With the proliferation of affordable high-speed networks, Wi-Fi coverage and mobile devices, employees are able to work and be productive from virtually anywhere.