Great news for the health care industry and companies who deal with protected healthinformation! Google just released an exciting Google Apps updatefor any organization subject to the regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Google Apps is now HIPAA compliant.

According to HIPAA, sensitive data regarding an individual’s health or health care services is classified as Protected Health Information (PHI).  Organizations collecting such data need to ensure that their business practices fall within the confines of keeping that information secure. As part of Google’s measures to keep customer data safe from threat, Google Apps supports HIPAA compliance by now giving customers the ability to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs).

Current Google Apps customers that are subject to HIPAA and would like to use Google Apps with PHI are now required to sign a BAA with Google.  Google Apps administrators for Google Apps for Business, Education and Government can request a BAA  through an Administrator account.

Google offers a BAA covering the following Google Apps services:

• Gmail

• Google Calendar

• Google Drive

• Google Apps Vault

Now those in the health care industry, or organizations with PHI, can enjoy the cost-savings andproductivity benefits of Google Apps with HIPAA compliance.

To learn more, visit the Google Apps Documentation & Support site.