Case Study
A Case Study on HIPAA-Compliant Private Cloud Storage
Executive Summary
Healthcare organizations face a dual challenge: managing petabyte-scale growth of medical imaging data while maintaining strict HIPAA compliance. This white paper details how Datatility architected a high- performance storage and disaster recovery solution for the American College of Radiology (ACR). By deploying the Datatility Hydra™ Private Cloud, ACR achieved a 70% reduction in raw storage requirements and established a secure, multi-site architecture that ensures 100% data availability.
70%
Reduction in Storage Footprint
Zero
Bandwidth or IOPS Fees
100%
HIPAA & FIPS Compliance
The Challenge: Image Proliferation & Compliance
The American College of Radiology required a sustainable growth model for its massive repository of diagnostic images and files. Legacy storage systems were becoming cost-prohibitive and complex to manage. Key requirements included:
Predictable Pricing: Elimination of the unpredictable egress and bandwidth fees common in public cloud providers.
High Trust Security: End-to-end encryption (at-rest and in-transit) to meet stringent HIPAA regulations.
Global Access: Fast, local-feeling performance for researchers and clinicians accessing data from multiple geographic sites.
The Datatility Solution: Hydra™ Private Cloud
Datatility recommended and implemented a private, S3-compatible object storage solution tailored for the medical environment. The Hydra Private Cloud provides data dispersal across three distinct data centers, ensuring that even in the event of a regional failure, data remains accessible and intact.
Key Technical Advantages:
Automated Data Protection: The system "backs itself up" by archiving data and snapshots directly to the Hydra Cloud, significantly reducing the overhead of traditional backup software.
Hybrid Architecture: By using local gateway controllers as a front-end cache, Datatility allows cloud-stored data to appear and perform as if it were on a local server.
Simplified HIPAA Compliance: The solution includes FIPS 140-2 certified security modules, ensuring that "High Trust" data segments are fully protected.
Strategic Business Outcomes
By partnering with Datatility, ACR transformed its IT infrastructure from a cost center into a strategic asset:
Consolidated Infrastructure: Multiple sites were consolidated into a single managed environment, simplifying administrative oversight.
Financial Predictability: ACR shifted to a consumption-based model where they only pay for utilized space—with no penalties for data movement or frequent access.
Disaster Recovery Readiness: With snapshots replicating across three data centers, the time to restore files was reduced from hours to minutes.