--- title: Navigate your way to HIPAA compliance with Acronis description: Acronis helps organizations meet core HIPAA requirements with natively integrated protection with compliance-enabling solutions. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/compliance/hipaa/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-29 --- # Navigate your way to HIPAA compliance with Acronis The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, requires health care organizations to protect the privacy and security of a patient's protected health information (PHI). Find out how Acronis helps you meet these requirements. [View compliance mapping](https://www.acronis.com/en/compliance/report/?framework=hipaa) Looking for help? ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is HIPAA? HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a U.S. federal law that establishes standards governing the privacy and security of PHI. HIPAA includes: * The Privacy Rule, which governs the use and disclosure of PHI * The Security Rule, which protects ePHI * The Breach Notification Rule, which establishes breach-reporting requirements IT providers, cloud providers, MSPs, and other vendors may qualify as Business Associates or Subcontractor Business Associates when they create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on behalf of a Covered Entity or Business Associate. Whether an organization has a particular HIPAA role depends on its activities, services, data flows, and contractual relationships. ### Why should you care about HIPAA? HIPAA violations may result in regulatory investigations, corrective action requirements, civil monetary penalties, and, in certain circumstances, criminal liability. Business Associates and Subcontractor Business Associates may be directly liable under HIPAA for requirements that apply to them. Healthcare organizations and their service providers frequently process large volumes of ePHI, making strong privacy and cybersecurity practices an important part of risk management and regulatory compliance. ### What is PHI? PHI is individually identifiable health information that is created, received, maintained, or transmitted by a Covered Entity or Business Associate in a context regulated by HIPAA. PHI may relate to: * An individual's health condition * Healthcare services provided to an individual * Payment for healthcare services Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) is PHI maintained, stored, transmitted, or processed electronically. Because many Acronis services involve storage, backup, transmission, monitoring, recovery, and protection of electronic information, many of the safeguards discussed on this page relate specifically to ePHI. ### Who must comply with HIPAA? HIPAA principally applies to: Covered Entities. Health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers that engage in specified electronic transactions. Business Associates. Organizations that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on behalf of a Covered Entity while providing services. Subcontractor Business Associates. Organizations that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on behalf of a Business Associate. Depending on the customer relationship and services involved, Acronis may act as either a Business Associate or a Subcontractor Business Associate. ### Does Acronis offer a Business Associate Agreement? Acronis offers HIPAA-related contractual documentation for qualifying services and use cases. These forms are available through the Acronis partner portal. * Covered Entities may use the Acronis Business Associate Agreement. * Customers acting as Business Associates on behalf of Covered Entities may require the Acronis Subcontractor Business Associate Agreement. Availability depends on the applicable Acronis entity, service, deployment, and intended use. Customers should review the applicable documentation and consult their Acronis representative before using services involving PHI or ePHI. ### Where I can find additional HIPAA resources? Customers may find the following resources helpful: * Acronis HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (available in the [Acronis Partner Portal](https://partners.acronis.com/)) * Acronis Subcontractor Business Associate Agreement (available in the [Acronis Partner Portal](https://partners.acronis.com/)) * [Acronis Trust Center](https://www.acronis.com/en/trust-center/) * [Acronis Privacy Statement](https://www.acronis.com/en/company/privacy/) * [Acronis Data Center Information](https://www.acronis.com/en/data-centers/) * [Acronis Product Documentation](https://www.acronis.com/en/support/documentation/) * [Acronis Security Documentation](https://www.acronis.com/en/trust-center/security/) * [Acronis Compliance Documentation](https://www.acronis.com/en/trust-center/compliance/) * [Additional HIPAA FAQs](https://care.acronis.com/s/article/62679-Health-Insurance-Portability-and-Accountability-Act-HIPAA-FAQ?language=en_US) Contact information Questions regarding HIPAA, privacy, or compliance documentation may be directed to your account manager or the Acronis Data Protection Office at [data-protection-office@acronis.com](mailto:data-protection-office@acronis.com). Questions regarding technical product support may be directed to your account manager or the [Acronis Support Team](https://support.acronis.com/). ## How does HIPAA relate to cybersecurity? HIPAA establishes federal requirements governing the privacy and security of PHI held by covered entities and their business associates. The HIPAA Security Rule requires regulated entities to implement appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI. * [How Acronis enables health care organizations to maintain HIPAA Solution brief, PDF, 0.6 MB](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyber-protect-enables-health-care-organizations-to-maintain-hipaa-requirements/ "How Acronis enables health care organizations to maintain HIPAA") * [Five steps to building cyber resilience in health care Infographic, PDF, 4.7 MB](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/5-steps-to-building-cyber-resilience-in-health-care/ "Five steps to building cyber resilience in health care") ## Key HIPAA privacy, security, and breach notification requirements ### Privacy rule The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes standards governing the use and disclosure of PHI and provides individuals with certain rights regarding their PHI. Key concepts include permitted and restricted uses and disclosures of PHI, individual rights regarding PHI, requirements applicable to Covered Entities and Business Associates, and minimum necessary principles for the use and disclosure of PHI. ### Security rule The HIPAA Security Rule applies specifically to ePHI and requires regulated entities to implement appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Examples of these safeguards include risk analysis and risk management, access controls and authentication, encryption, audit logging and monitoring, security awareness and training, and backup and disaster recovery planning. ### Breach notification The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule establishes requirements for notifying affected individuals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and, in certain circumstances, the media following a breach of unsecured PHI. Business Associates generally must notify the Covered Entity of qualifying breaches involving unsecured PHI so the Covered Entity can meet its notification obligations. ### Enforcement The HHS Office for Civil Rights investigates complaints and certain reported breaches and may take enforcement action for HIPAA violations, including requiring corrective measures or imposing civil monetary penalties where authorized. ### Workforce training and awareness HIPAA requires regulated entities to provide appropriate privacy training and security awareness training program for workforce members who create, receive, maintain, transmit, or otherwise handle PHI or ePHI. The content and frequency should reflect the organization's role, risks, policies, and applicable HIPAA requirements. ## HIPAA enforcement and penalties HIPAA violations may result in regulatory investigations, corrective action requirements, civil monetary penalties, and, in certain circumstances, criminal liability. Civil penalty amounts depend on the nature of the violation, the regulated entity's level of culpability, and whether the issue was timely corrected. Penalty amounts are adjusted periodically. For current information, consult guidance issued by the HHS Office for Civil Rights. ## Where do organizations often fall short? Many organizations struggle to meet HIPAA requirements because of gaps in their privacy, security, and operational practices, including: * Failure to conduct risk analysis. * Weak user access controls. * Executing an appropriate BAA where required. * Conducting risk assessments. * Training workforce members. * Protecting PHI and ePHI. * Implementing the administrative, physical, and technical safeguards required for their environment. ![Image 2: Where do organizations often fall short?](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/ec32c36c865243693fcc9a2ac217f840.png) ## How does Acronis help with HIPAA? Acronis helps organizations meet core HIPAA requirements with natively integrated protection with compliance-enabling solutions. * Data management * Disaster recovery * Auditing and reporting ### Simplified data management Protect patient data at all times with peace-of-mind encryption. Whether your data is stored locally or in the cloud, you can prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. Acronis helps your organization maintain data integrity and availability with features such as automated backups and one-click recovery. ![Image 3: Simplified data management](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/2e7ad2a6a67e8cec1a63cce211671d62.png) ### HIPAA-compliant disaster recovery Our solution includes secure data replication and failover features, empowering you to recover from disasters without ever compromising patient data. ![Image 4: HIPAA-compliant disaster recovery](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/c09e6b29030cde0aac76369ab14cce6c.png) ### Detailed auditing and reporting With detailed logs and reports on data access, backup activities and security events, you can easily maintain a clear audit trail. These features provide the transparency and accountability needed to meet strict regulatory requirements. ![Image 5: Detailed auditing and reporting](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/41059c246b6c93848a354c0968dcd5e0.png) Acronis Compliance Navigator ## See the full mapping to discover how Acronis can help you meet HIPAA compliance [View compliance mapping](https://www.acronis.com/en/compliance/report/?framework=hipaa) ## HIPAA resources * [Solution brief How Acronis Cyber Protect enables health care organizations to maintain HIPAA](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyber-protect-enables-health-care-organizations-to-maintain-hipaa-requirements/) * [Blog HIPAA-compliant disaster recovery: The future of health care data protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/hipaa-compliant-disaster-recovery-the-future-of-health-care-data-protection/) * [Infographic Five steps to building cyber resilience in health care](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/5-steps-to-building-cyber-resilience-in-health-care/) **Disclaimer:** This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a guarantee of HIPAA compliance. Compliance depends on the customer's role, services, deployment, configuration, data flows, and implementation of appropriate safeguards. Nothing on this page modifies or supersedes the agreements between Acronis and the customer.