by Jesse Collier

The Exym team is full of caring people that are passionate about our mission. Meet Exym’s Head of Resiliency and Acceleration, Ben Levenson! Ben took some time to discuss data privacy and how Exym helps our customers maintain a secure organization.

 

First, can you tell us more about yourself and what you were doing before joining the Exym team? 

I have been working in IT since I was a child. My family ran an Internet Service Provider in the 1990s and a personal computer sales & repair shop in the early 2000s. I joined the United States Air Force as a computer programmer. After completing my service, I have worked in finance, medical, managed services, and local government. There aren’t very many jobs in the world of tech that I haven’t done at one point or another.

 

How does Exym help its customers with data security and HIPAA compliance? 

Every business holds a lot of information, some of which could be harmful or expensive if released. However, no data is more personally invasive than healthcare information. I am very proud of the investments and programs we have in place to protect customer data. Data security is something we build at the very start of our processes. We review the protections regularly, pay for 3rd party testing, and track evolving industry threats. 

 

How does Exym assist with any privacy and security concerns in telehealth? 

Our new telehealth module is really a big jump forward. By partnering with Zoom, we have brought one of the largest players in secure communications right into the Exym portal. This gives us fine-grained control while leveraging the expertise of thousands of security professionals. Providers and patients can enjoy a familiar experience while being assured their communication is protected.

 

What has been your favorite memory of working with Exym?  

The best part of working for Exym is my coworkers. We really hire the cream of the crop and everyone here is dedicated to our mission. For example, we recently had a customer who had to produce some specific program information for their board. This was a manual process, and ended up taking about 20 hours every month to compile everything. We were able to take all the Exym data and produce a single report for them in just a couple of weeks. This took their 20 hours process down to less than 2. This fast turn around was because the team here understood our information, understood the customer needs (most Exym staff worked in mental health previously) and people put in some extra hours to make sure this didn’t continue to be a burden.

Exym EHR software data security in mental health software team member Ben

What is something that organizations can do today to tighten up their security practices? 

The number one thing I recommend for security to anyone, anywhere, in any industry, is to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Do it early, do it often. If a system supports MFA, enforce it for all users. MFA prevents over 90% of attacks and is simple to use. It takes most of the weakest link in any computer system, people, out of the attack loop, because you must physically be with the person to get that rotating or one-time code to access as them. Exym supports MFA on our logins, and enforces it for all of our staff. 

 

A big thank you to Ben and the Product and Engineering team for helping our customers maintain data security.