NHS Wales chooses MOVEit for Secure Data Transfer

By using MOVEit, the NHS Wales Informatics Service is able to properly track, manage and encrypt the transfer of files while at rest or in transit.

NHS Wales (The National Health Service in Wales) is the over-arching body responsible for all health boards and trusts within Wales, encompassing 65,000 staff nationwide. NHS Wales works across hospitals, university hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics, dental practices, palliative care centers, pharmacies and more.

The Challenge

NHS Wales needed to adopt a secure managed file transfer solution in order to meet data protection requirements set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and guarantee patient confidentiality. ICO is the UK’s independent authority responsible for upholding information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and safeguarding data privacy for individuals. Under its guidelines, ICO requires data to be processed fairly and lawfully and personal data to be accurate and regularly updated.

One of the main security challenges for NHS Wales was how to properly and safely control, monitor and report on the movement of the vast amount of confidential data transferred throughout the organization and on to external third parties, while complying with industry regulations such as those put forth by the ICO.

Prior to the implementation of a managed file transfer solution from Ipswitch File Transfer, NHS Wales employees found it challenging to share information securely between sites around the UK, particularly when large file sizes or sensitive information were involved.

The Vision

NHS Wales needed a secure managed file transfer solution that would eliminate previous lengthy processes for data transfer, but that would also comply with regulations and protect patient records.

NHS Wales required a unified managed file transfer platform that would:

• Allow for safe sharing of large file sizes
• Ensure complete visibility for files moving in-and-out of the service
• Meet regulatory compliance, such as ICO and ISO 27001 standards
• Quickly and regularly provide detailed reports of data at rest and in-transit showing an audit trail
• Protects confidential patient information, such as medical details, financial documents and medical examination results

Andrew Glencross, senior IT security specialist at NHS Wales Informatics Service, is responsible for providing operational security for all national applications and infrastructure covering every site across NHS Wales. He explained: “Using Ipswitch File Transfer’s MOVEit has given us a level of confidence that was perhaps missing in the past. We can now say with certainty that we have a secure solution in place which meets the needs of our internal teams and ensures compliance across the service and beyond.”

The Solution

The NHS in Wales needed a solution that would enable large data transfers of confidential and sensitive information. The MOVEit module of the Ipswitch FT allows NHS Wales to digitally transfer this information securely that would normally exceed email caps for attachments. It allows simplification of mail box configurations, the movement of data and secure transfer through firewalls.

A number of employees in NHS Wales already depend on MOVEit to ensure secure managed transfer of confidential information from health boards to other health boards, and to social services, clinical trial sites, solicitors, police, health inspectorates and external commercial third-parties.

By using MOVEit, the NHS Wales Informatics Service is able to properly track, manage and encrypt the transfer of files while at rest or in transit, and take protective precautionary measures when necessary.

The Future

NHS Wales currently has a user-base of 2,000 third party users of Ipswitch File Transfer’s MOVEit technology which extends across Wales and wider a field into hospitals, university hospitals, clinical dental practices, social services departments, ambulance operators, police services and more. NHS Wales is now testing the Ad-Hoc functionality within MOVEit for sharing files and data securely through Microsoft Outlook.