When to automate manual tasks

Today I was trying to automate some of the manual tasks involved in keeping our infrastructure running smoothly.  Whenever I do this, it means writing programs, scripts, macros, etc, so I can speed things up.  However, the automation process takes effort.  

So, when does automation save you time?  This table I found here  offers a good indication:

Our friends: Bob and Alice

Our BeDirect secure messaging sytem uses various encryption systems. Some of them are asymmetric and based on the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman algorithm also known as RSA. 

Today I ran across this lecture on RSA and really enjoyed it. It is given in English by a German professor at Ruhr University in Bochum. 

Bob & Alice? They are the characters employed in the majority of cryptography demonstrations. They come to the professor's rescue as well :-).

 

HIPAA Omnibus - Sep 23, 2013

On September 23 2013, HIPAA Omnibus becomes enforceable.  The practices we have helped get ready for this deadline have found the requirements pretty straight forward.  Here are the main areas addressed by the new rule:

- Revisions to the Notice of Privacy Practices
- Revisions to the Business Associate Agreements
- Prohibitions on sale of protected health information
- The right to restrict disclosures to a health plan when services are paid for out-of-pocket
- The new breach risk assessment provisions
- Patients' ability to request a copy of their electronic medical record in electronic format


The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a YouTube video summarizing the requirements for HIPAA Omnibus rule.