Macquarie launches secure health cloud

Macquarie Cloud Services, a division of Macquarie Telecom Group, has launched a new cloud offering that will provide the healthcare sector with storage secured to federal government standards.

To be known as Macquarie LaunchHealth Cloud, the service will ensure that all the data remains onshore and is held in a physically separated cloud.

Only Macquarie staff who have been cleared by federal government security processes will have access to the data, which will be stored on Australian Signals Directorate- (ASD) accredited Certified Cloud Services List (CCSL) infrastructure.

According to the company, the offering has been launched in response to a policy decision made by the Department of Human Services (DHS) that aims to protect the integrity of citizen data entrusted to the Department.

The policy applies to third-party software that connects with the Department to deliver online services, such as electronic claims payments for Medicare.

Such connected environments are now required to meet the same standards of accreditation of those the Department applies to itself.

“This is a great example of leadership by a government agency, and of the way organisations with a good understanding of cybersecurity can drive change beyond their own business,” said James Mystakidis, Group Executive, Macquarie Cloud Services.

“Through the updated policy, the DHS is demonstrating how it is possible to transform ICT while at the same time elevating cybersecurity standards.

“This is particularly relevant as there has been a lot of talk about how supply chains can create cybersecurity risks. This is an example of how the government can use its supply chains to push secure transformation through an industry,” Mystakidis added.

The LaunchHealth Cloud infrastructure will be the same as the company’s ‘built for government’ secure cloud, which was designed from the ground up to meet the most rigorous security requirements.

“This means that Australians will — for the first time — be able to be assured their data moving from a health software company’s cloud services into the Medicare system will be protected end to end to the same standard,” said Mystakidis.

“The health system is a case study of an industry delivering an essential service, but which is widely dispersed across private and public organisations of many sizes in many places.

“Private data in such situations is only as secure as the weakest link in the chain.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/stokkete

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