Collect data AND stay compliant
Anytime you are sending or receiving confidential information, it’s critical to stay compliant. As many of our clients are in healthcare, finance, and law we experience this on a daily basis.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips we often share with our clients:
Step 1: Ensure your environment is compliant
The first piece of the puzzle is making sure wherever you are saving files and data is compliant. We recommend Office 365 because they have a straightforward mechanism to have a Business Associate Agreement (MS Hippa and Hitech and MS BAA Document).
We also recommend working with your managed service provider (MSP) on this. If you do not have an MSP, we are happy to recommend one that can help you to instate rules and policies regarding the security and privacy of your Office 365 environment.
Step 2: Collect data
We recommend using forms to collect all data from clients. This will allow for the data to be structured and organized. It will also make it easier for you to have workflows and automations triggered based on the data shared.
MS Forms is included in most Office 365 licenses which is a great place to start. Sadly, at this time, MS Forms will not let users upload attachments though.
Step 3: Collect files
We typically recommend the following two ways to collect documents and images.
- Option 1: Via OneDrive you can send a secure link to customers/partners requesting the files. You can also choose the specific folder that the files are saved. Click here to learn more.
- Option 2: Use a compliant online form like JotForms. This tool will allow you to create forms that are compliant as well as have the ability to add attachments to be uploaded. In our opinion, it is also more flexible and powerful than MS forms and allows integrations with Office 365 via excel, or webhooks
