Executive Summary: Markowitz Dental Engages Ciracom Cloud to Secure HIPAA-Compliant Processes and Crucial Patient Data

About Markowitz Dental

Markowitz Dental of Washington D.C. has been an integral part of its community for more than 50 years. Markowitz’s multi-doctor practice provides a variety of dental services; its expertise ranges from teeth-cleaning to reconstructive dentistry, treatment of sleep apnea, smile makeovers, Invisalign, dental implants, and more.

Customer Issues

Prior to working with Ciracom Cloud, Markowitz Dental sought a way to operate much more securely for its patients and its in-office staff members. This was more than 20 years ago, and at that time the mere concept of “working in the cloud” as we know it today was not nearly as prevalent. However, securing proper HIPAA-compliant procedures was then (and still is) incredibly prevalent, and Markowitz Dental knew expert support would be necessary.

Solutions

Ciracom Cloud bolstered Markowitz Dental’s workplace by:

• Deploying and securing the dental practice’s now-streamlined, HIPAA-compliant cybersecurity processes
• Monitoring their technology infrastructure, user onboarding and offboarding, and additional policies which include data protection and retention
• Providing 24x7x365 enterprise-class support to proactively remove hassles from Markowitz Dental’s workload, thus improving both their internal and patient-facing capabilities

HIPAA-Compliance

Before Ciracom Cloud, Markowitz Dental hadn’t been utilizing the majority of the Microsoft technologies at its disposal. So, Ciracom Cloud architected a secure Microsoft Azure hosting environment via Azure Active Directory. This allowed the practice to keep critical data both easily accessible and constantly safeguarded and HIPAA-compliant. As Markowitz’s Practice Manager Erin Hendricks described, better cybersecurity measures became a sheer necessity.

“In our medical industry, all patient files and pertinent documentations must constantly be as secure as humanly possible,” she explained. “This was one of our biggest drivers to migrate to the cloud. Having HIPAA-compliant cloud services we could implicitly rely upon has been the biggest weight off of our shoulders.”

Microsoft and Markowitz Dental’s IT Infrastructure

In short order, Ciracom Cloud also deployed Microsoft 365 Apps for Business, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Ciracom Cloud educated where necessary about these Microsoft tools; this allowed the practice to make the most of what they now had at their disposal. Additionally, helping maintain a physical server Markowitz Dental had was a simple lift from Ciracom Cloud, but for Markowitz Dental is felt like more than that.

“We’d purchased a brand new server and weren’t even sure what to do,” Hendricks said. “Imagine our office, with none of us really being tech-fluent, trying to get that set up without a partner like Ciracom Cloud. The short answer? We wouldn’t have been able to, as the process was quite intimidating. However, we had no doubt that they had our backs.”

24x7x365 Expert Support

With Ciracom Cloud as their dedicated managed services provider, Markowitz Dental’s operations saw constant upticks; this applied to their internal workflows, their patient-facing responsibilities, and more. Any IT support they require is at their fingertips; all adjustable and customizable as their needs have changed over time.

“Sincerely, we simply can’t say enough about Ciracom,” Hendricks said. “Amy Rutt is a wonderful owner, and her experts are always on the ball. Working with them is like working with family; we talk to real people who pick up the phone. They stay on with you, and they professionally define results and long-term solutions.”

Outcomes/Impact