A method of securing files by combining the data mathematically with a large publicly distributed number, so that only your Trading Partner with a corresponding private number and a pass phrase can mathematically extract the data. RFC 2440 (Open PGP) is the encryption standard. Files may usually be encrypted and decrypted freely between different encryption software products that follow this standard, as long as you use recent versions of the software. Look in the Links section, below, for connections to encryption software vendors and encryption information.
A method of connecting two computer networks by means of a private and exclusive line through the telephone company. It is an alternative to connecting across a public network like the Internet, and the advantage is that your connection, and the data passing across it, is completely inaccessible to anyone else. A Frame Relay requires special hardware and network configuration by both Trading Partners; contact the Trading Partner who offers this connection method for details.
A method of transferring files across a network. FTP is easy to use, reliable, and available on all operating systems. It is accessible from Windows at the Command Prompt, and it is documented in Windows Help. Traditionally, FTP uses a text/command line interface, but Windows GUI interfaces are available on the Internet. Files transferred this way over a public network are open to being intercepted and read unless they are encrypted by either encryption software or a VPN connection, or passed through a private connection like a Frame Relay. FTP authenticates the person connecting with a password.
This connection method maintains the security, over a public network, of a connection between your Internet browser and an application running on your Trading Partner’s web server. It will appear to you that you are uploading or downloading information through a web page. Using a security protocol called Secure Socket Layer (SSL), this method makes your connection and data unreadable to anyone who might intercept it by automatically encrypting everything passing through it. The advantage of this method is its ease of use: your Trading Partner’s web site manages everything--there’s nothing for you to buy or configure as long as you have a connection to the Internet and a browser. An HTTP connection that does not use the SSL protocol can still transfer files securely if you connect with another security protocol like Frame Relay or VPN.
This is a way of connecting two computers over public networks, like the Internet, in such a way that the connection and the data passing across it are secure. Several VPN methods and protocols exist, and they are implemented in several different ways using combinations of software, hardware, and configurations of your network. Contact the Trading Partner that offers the VPN connection for the details.
HIPAA Security Rule http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-3877.pdf
Gnu Privacy
Guard http://gnupg.org
McAfee Security http://mcafeeb2b.com
PGP Corporation http://pgp.com
PGP Freeware http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html
CMS (HCFA) Internet Security Policy http://www.cms.hhs.gov/it/security/docs/internet_policy.pdf
National Institute of Standards and Technology (search for encryption) http://nist.gov/
RFC 2440 OpenPGP Message Format http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2440.html