auziros:jeana-tahnk

Jeana has been in the tech industry for 15+ years, both as a communications professional and writer. As Director of Global Communications at Auth0, she works with her internal team and external agencies to amplify the company's visibility worldwide and establish its leadership in the identity industry. When she is not working, she can most likely be found on a field watching one of her three kids playing sports, or cleaning up after her one-year-old retriever who chews everything.

Senior Director, Global Communications

Jeana Tahnk

List showcases private cloud companies with highest levels of employee satisfaction


**BELLEVUE, Wash. -- April 29, 2019 --** [Auth0](https://auth0.com/), a global leader in Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS), has been recognized as one of the **50 Highest Rated Private Cloud Computing Companies To Work For** in a list released by [Battery Ventures](https://www.battery.com/), a global investment firm and cloud investor, with data provided by [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm)*, one of the world's largest job and recruiting sites. The list highlights 50 privately-held companies -- all business-to-business, cloud-computing companies -- where employees report the highest levels of satisfaction at work, according to employee feedback shared on Glassdoor.

The distinction placed Auth0 at number 19 (out of 50 total) with an overall company rating of 4.7.  The broader average across Glassdoor is 3.4. Auth0's CEO, Eugenio Pace, boasts a 100 percent approval rating on Glassdoor -- compared to an average of 69 percent for all approximately 900,000 employers on the site. The company has an 88 percent positive business-outlook rating, again based on feedback shared by employees. The broader Glassdoor average is 49 percent. A positive business outlook means employees believe business will improve in the next six months.

This is the third year Battery has issued the list, along with a related ranking of the 25 Highest Rated Public Cloud Computing Companies to Work For. The rankings highlight the broader trend of businesses increasingly turning to the cloud to run critical technology systems and software, instead of using on-premise systems.

They also highlight the increasing importance of cohesive culture and employee happiness in running a successful business, said Neeraj Agrawal, a Battery general partner who specializes in cloud investing.

"The private companies on this list have not only scaled their products, teams, and business functions -- but they've managed to scale culture," Agrawal said. "We view these rankings as a key indicator of company health and longevity, and we hope all companies on this list view it as an honor to be included." It was also more difficult to make the list this year, compared with last year, Agrawal added. A Glassdoor economic research [study](https://www.glassdoor.com/research/satisfied-employees-drive-business-results/), as well as other third party [studies](https://www.glassdoor.com/research/satisfied-employees-drive-business-results/), show that companies with high employee satisfaction often post stronger financial performance.

"Culture is one of our primary pillars and is something we invest a lot of resources into," said Melinda Starbird, VP of People and Culture at Auth0. "This recognition is very rewarding because it is based on feedback from employees and former employees, and is a testament to how richly-infused culture is for everyone at the company, regardless of their position or location."

Glassdoor noted that employees at these highly rated companies commonly mention in online reviews that they enjoy working for mission-driven companies with strong and unique company cultures; employers that promote transparency; and companies with experienced senior leaders who regularly and clearly communicate with employees. For instance, according to one anonymous employee review of Auth0 on Glassdoor:

*I never knew such a great workplace could exist. People work hard and they care about each other -- and this starts at the very top.*

Full lists of the highest rated 50 private cloud companies and 25 public cloud companies to work for can be found [here](https://www.battery.com/powered/cloudculture-2019/).

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

### About Battery Ventures

Battery strives to invest in cutting-edge, category-defining businesses in markets including software and services, Web infrastructure, consumer Internet, mobile and industrial technologies. Founded in 1983, the firm backs companies at stages ranging from seed to private equity and invests globally from offices in Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, London, New York and Israel. Follow the firm on Twitter @BatteryVentures, visit our website at www.battery.com and find a full list of Battery's portfolio companies [here](https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/).

*By a company name, denotes a Battery investment. For a full list of all Battery investments and exits, please click [here](https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/).*

### **Media Contacts:**

Kasia Hall<br/>
Matter for Auth0<br/>
[khall@matternow.com](mailto:khall@matternow.com)<br/>
971-246-7898


Auth0 Named One of 50 Highest Rated Private Cloud Computing Companies to Work For

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200 avatar

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200

Martin Gontovnikas, a.k.a Gonto, is a software engineer at heart who moved to the ‘dark side’ and became VP of Marketing at Auth0. He considers himself lucky to have found a way to combine his two passions and apply his engineering thinking model to marketing.<br/><br/> Gonto’s analytical thinking is a huge driver of his data-driven approach to marketing strategy and experimental design. He is based in the Bay area, and in his spare time, can be found eating gourmet food at the best new restaurants, visiting every local brewery he can find, or traveling the globe in search of new experiences.

Former SVP of Marketing and Growth at Auth0

Martin Gontovnikas

Stay organized, access the largest and most up-to-date storage capabilities, and gain more visibility into user behavior.



The healthcare industry is the second largest in the United States, but average spend on cybersecurity is just half as much as other industries, according to a recent [TechCrunch report](https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/09/the-healthcare-industry-is-in-a-world-of-cybersecurity-hurt/). This is surprising (and unfortunate), given how valuable patient records can be to cybercriminals. If a thief obtains medical records, he or she can do a host of things, including the following:

* Purchase medical equipment or drugs in the patient's name
* Submit false health insurance claims
* Tamper with a patient’s medical devices
* Use personal information on file (such as addresses or Social Security numbers) to access other sensitive data, like financial accounts.

Hospitals, private practices, and third parties that store and process patient data are ripe for hackers.

In 2017 there were [more than twice the amount of attacks](https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/09/the-healthcare-industry-is-in-a-world-of-cybersecurity-hurt/) on healthcare organizations vs. other industries—and is just the start of what we've seen so far this year. According to a recent [Protenus report](https://marketing.protenus.com/hubfs/Breach_Barometer/2018/Q2%202018/Q2%202018%20Protenus%20Breach%20Barometer.pdf), between April and June of 2018, more than 3 million patient records were exposed. Threats are multiplying, and healthcare cybersecurity across teams is not keeping pace.

Last year, we highlighted how many healthcare organizations were facing challenges in [modernizing their legacy systems](https://auth0.com/blog/why-healthcare-is-moving-to-the-cloud-but-isnt-there-yet/). Since then, the issue of security has become more acute in the industry. Below, we detail four key reasons why cloud solutions are critical for healthcare organizations, and we offer suggestions on how to make the transition.

## 1. The cloud helps keep sensitive data in one location.

When you [move data to the cloud](https://auth0.com/blog/moving-your-app-to-cloud/), it gives you the chance to aggregate disparate streams of information in a single place. Even if the majority of your patient data is protected, when you have information in many different sources, such as spreadsheets, hard drives, and even hard copies, it can be easy for something like a prescription or a note from an operation to get lost in the flood.

Moving data to the cloud opens new opportunities for [data management and integration (DMI) practices](https://auth0.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-data-management-and-integration/). While DMI is a complex and evolving space, in a nutshell, it is a set of policies and procedures that an organization puts in motion to be sure the right people have timely access to accurate data.

For hospitals, it's essential that records are clean and up-to-date before an IT professional moves them or merges them with other information. If errors occur in patient names, medical histories, [financial information](https://www.teampay.co/insights/when-to-excel-and-when-to-automate/), or prescription information, for example, it can end in a costly lawsuit and a stained reputation— not to mention physical harm if patients are not treated correctly.

## 2. A cloud solution helps avoid downtime.

For many organizations, downtime means lost business opportunities. Teams can't [respond to customer requests](https://blog.ujet.co/how-to-elevate-customer-support-from-within), follow up on leads, and deliver products and services if computer systems are suspended. 

(Some companies are so concerned about this, given the [enormous uptick in data breaches in 2018](https://auth0.com/blog/what-companies-can-learn-from-the-reddit-data-breach/), that they've begun to take out cybersecurity insurance policies that can help recoup losses.)

In healthcare, more than money is on the line. If systems are down, staff aren't able to book emergency appointments, and doctors and nurses aren't able to confirm medications or timing for procedures. Lives are at risk. 

In 2018, at New York's Jones Memorial Hospital, [computer systems were down for a week](https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cyberattack-knocks-new-york-hospital-offline-week) after a cyberattack. Jones Memorial is a small acute-care facility in a rural area. During the time it took to detect and clean up the issue, the hospital had to revert to manually entering patient data into medical charts and recreating prescription lists. Although the hospital had prepared for these downtime procedures, it still left more room for error and wasted time that staff could have spent delivering care.

Cloud vendors like Microsoft and IBM offer additional precautions, like up-to-date software, that can help mitigate the chances of a breach due to holes. They can also help solve common problems such as load balancing, which often leads to outages. If activity is too much for a single server to handle, these larger providers are able to spread demand over multiple servers, ensuring that you don't short-circuit in times of high activity.

## 3. A cloud solution affords better insight into user behavior.

Cloud computing is far more than a repository for your information. It opens up a world of new opportunities for IT admins, helping them better understand how employees and third parties use their systems — and who is accessing what digital files at any time.

When you're based in the cloud, you can begin to tack on additional features, such as Auth0's user-management software, which quickly pulls details on existing users at any time.

![Auth0 User Profile](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/76L9nLzxwq7H8f4HsAnRSn/99249132de75059ed85ebb89af0d2c7e/healthcare-cybersecurity_auth0)

This level of visibility makes it easier for admins to monitor for unknown visitors or strange behaviors. If, for example, they see “John” trying to gain access to a database he isn't permitted to view, an IT executive can pull his profile, understand why he might be trying to get in, and either grant or block access. Admins even have the ability to log in as any user and attempt to troubleshoot from his or her vantage point.

Additional cloud solutions, such as identity management, can also help protect you from your own employees. Nearly [one-third](https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/142-healthcare-data-breaches-q2-30-caused-repeat-offenders) of the attacks on patient records in 2018 came from within the organizations themselves. You want to be sure you don't have medical data still floating in file cabinets or on unprotected servers. 

## 4. The cloud gives you flexibility as you grow.

Providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure come with on-demand teams and resources that can help customize cloud plans as organizations develop over time. Even if hospitals aren't necessarily in hypergrowth mode like many startups, they still have shifting needs. These could be for increased or reduced load capacity, depending on staffing and patient demand; more [private cloud requirements](https://auth0.com/docs/appliance/private-cloud-requirements), given a larger volume of high-touch data; or a desire to move more to the public cloud, due to cost restraints. 

Many healthcare organizations opt for a combination of public and private cloud deployment. Both offer flexibility for expansion and require less maintenance than in-house storage. The public cloud is less expensive; however, teams often go for at least a portion of data storage in the private cloud, given the following:

* A higher level of customization (since you're not sharing resources with others)
* A more stringent selection of user permissions
* No need for backup hardware or software

Due to the confidential nature of their work, government agencies and financial institutions also often opt for private cloud use. This gives an even greater sense of its capacity.

## Better healthcare cybersecurity starts with the cloud.

Security for healthcare teams is only getting more complicated. Medical devices, for example, are a growing concern. In a worst-case scenario, a cyberattack could tamper with pacemakers or other life-supporting devices. To this end, the U.S. Food and Drug Association recently released a new [cybersecurity playbook](https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm622074.htm), which, in part, sets new guidelines for creating medical devices with software that is adaptable to new threats.

The interconnected nature of delivering care reveals how an attack on one portion of the organization has the potential to affect all others. While cloud computing won't guarantee protection against cybercrime, it will keep a team's data organized and as secure as possible.

Finally, as healthcare teams work to [comply with HIPAA](https://auth0.com/learn/why-hipaa-compliance-is-vital-your-business/), cloud computing helps providers and third parties stay prepared in the event of an audit with more visibility into day-to-day operations and tighter user permissions.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


4 Ways Cloud Computing Can Improve Healthcare Cybersecurity

Cloud computing is going to revolutionize healthcare



<div class="alert alert-info alert-icon">
  <i class="icon-budicon-500"></i>
  <strong>Forrester Consulting analysis determines that using Auth0 can yield a 548% ROI and $3.7M in identity-related savings. Read the full report: <a href="https://resources.auth0.com/forrester-tei-research-case-study/">Total Economic Impact of Auth0</a>.</strong>
</div>

---

The advent of cloud computing has revolutionized the way we shop, travel, communicate, and store personal data. It's been a huge part of the digital revolution. The healthcare industry—home to tons of analog records and a spiderweb of business from single person practices to university hospitals—has lagged behind.

Comprehensive cloud computing is the future of healthcare, and it's coming. Since the mid-00s, healthcare's digitalization has benefitted patients, providers, and insurers.

Roadblocks to a complete cloud system for all healthcare parties are still present, such as time-intensive digitization, but becoming less and less of a problem. People are starting to realize the value that an amalgamation of data can have on the industry, and technology is becoming better. Within the next decade, we should see major strides in healthcare's move to the cloud.

## Healthcare's Current Landscape

Information storage in healthcare today is becoming more digitized, but many factors are at play in whether or not your records have been moved to computer storage.

If you're an older patient or belong to a smaller, more rural practice, there's a greater chance your records have not yet been digitized.

Larger systems are moving to digital, interconnected systems. If you go to an appointment at a hospital today, you may be asked to fill out patient intake forms online prior to your visit or be identified in their system by your biometrics, for example.

This is an indication of the shift that's been happening for about a decade. Providers understand that the cloud can simplify their operations, and want to get their data there. HIMSS [reports](http://www.level3.com/-/media/files/ebooks/en_cloud_eb_healthcare.pdf) that about half of providers who don't have information in the cloud plan on moving it there:

![Healthcare is moving to the cloud](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4EuUgQjeMrzg5cjwHZ9pfy/65ded58087aed90049583885ce9951cb/healthcare-moving-cloud)

### What's Slowing it Down

Many parts of healthcare are, however, still stuck in an analog, or mixed analog/digital, rut.

Coordinating record transfers across institutions can be difficult, obtaining full copies of your own records can be slow, and tracking things, like which prescriptions you started when, often get lost in the cracks.  

We've also seen the advent of standardized procedures, such as the [HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)](https://auth0.com/learn/why-hipaa-compliance-is-vital-your-business/) compliance, which is a standard that outlines protections for the data privacy of medical information, and a series of declarations about individual privacy and medical data by the Council of Europe, among others.

These are living documents that are constantly being reformed to fit the contemporary era, which can make keeping up compliance a continuing cost.

They are, however, critical to keeping personal information safe in the cloud.

## Benefits of Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Still, the industry is pursuing moving healthcare to the cloud because it offered benefits for all parties involved. Patients can expect more control over their data, and an easier time dealing with providers and insurance. Providers and insurance can streamline their internal procedures, and will both benefit from access to “big” medical data.

### For Patients

The benefits of patients are numerous, and extend all the way to big healthcare data benefiting clinical trials and research to their regular interactions with healthcare providers. Some of the most tangible benefits are:

* **Easier access to their own records.** When records are stored on the cloud, patients should be able to keep track of their own records easily, and facilitate the exchange of information without having to go through as many hoops as the exchange of analog records. Many healthcare providers—even small practices—participate in some form of digital exchange when information needs to be passed on to a specialist, for example. Cloud computing should only enhance this flow.
* **Less friction, especially with insurance.** In theory, if the healthcare industry can adopt a widely compatible system, processing insurance for visits, prescriptions, special procedures, etc. should be as simple as notifying your insurer electronically and being approved for your plan's coverage. Since medical issues can cause patients to see different doctors and try different procedures, an accessible and sharable version of this data would be extremely beneficial for patients.
* **More personalized care.** Everyone wants their doctor to have an understanding of their medical history, but nobody wants to fill out intake form after intake form, or answer the same questions every time they see a new doctor. What if any doctor you saw knew your medical history, from a detailed, accurate family history to your most recent visit— even while traveling, or seeing a specialist? This isn't possible yet, but the cloud is helping us make strides to get there, especially regionally and within local systems.

### For Providers

For care providers, giving service to patients involves a tremendous amount of moving parts, from doctors to office employees, insurers, pharmacies, referrals—the list goes on. Moving to the cloud, especially as an integrated cross-institution system, will improve every provider process.

* **Better patient information—and more of it.** Being able to keep track of patient information across appointments can be drastically improved. At the very least, digitization has allowed quicker updates of information and faster back-and-forths between people within the provider system.
* Providers will also have more aggregate data, which can help in a variety of ways. Imagine if hospitals in neighboring regions were able to automatically compare, for example, the number of flu cases coming in during flu season. Non-individualized uses for aggregate medical data will be bolstered by a connected cloud system.
* **Better coordination with insurers.** With cloud storage, keeping up to date on insurance policies, accepting, and processing insurance should become easier. Especially if insurance systems are able to receive information from provider's infrastructures, wait times for insurance processing, policy updates—anything that affects patient coverage and payment—should be quicker and easier to coordinate.
* **Dropping redundant tools.** As hospitals and other providers switch to the cloud, their workflow should become more seamless.

### For Insurers

Insurers having the power of big data behind them should make things better for everyone. Providers will be rewarded for operating efficiently and patients will have an easier time keeping track of their claims and coverage.  

* **Streamlined transactions.** From patients to providers to insurers, we've already seen that cloud computing can help streamline transactions. For insurance companies, this will mean better care for their members, and less work for their internal systems. In fact, they should also see some of the same system benefits as providers.
* **More data means better coverage.** Insurance companies with the power of medical data at their fingertips should be able to increase the quality of coverage for their members by providing more accurate assessments of coverage, better knowledge about providers and courses of treatment, assessment of cost-drivers, and quicker, more efficient claim coverage. This is in no way an exhaustive list of how insurers will be able to make coverage better.  

## If it's a Win-Win-Win, Why Hasn't Healthcare Moved to the Cloud?

Yes, if healthcare entirely transferred to the cloud then a system being reliant on easily compatible platforms will undoubtedly make healthcare better for everyone. But the truth is that we haven't moved to the cloud yet for several reasons: roadblocks to actually getting data on the cloud, and theoretical concerns about the handling and privacy of data.

### Roadblocks

* **Finishing the digitization of files.** It's no surprise that years worth of medical data is time and cost intensive to digitize. Different information (ex. prescriptions vs x-ray files) need to be stored and input differently, increasing the time intensive nature of the task.
* **Large-scale technical infrastructure.** Should the healthcare industry try to build all their own infrastructure, or use an existing model to support themselves? How will this infrastructure be most securely accessible across the country—or the world? These and other questions around the fundamentals of building a large, connected database need to be resolved.

### Theoretical Concerns

* One of the biggest areas of concern is **legal rights about data and privacy**. Not only are our laws about the internet, cloud computing, and health data changing all the time, they are non-standardized across regions. International agreements on healthcare privacy and how to hold cloud systems to an international standard are not yet commonplace.
* **Centralized storage means a higher risk.** If medical data is stored in a centralized location, one that works with many connected parts, security becomes more difficult. From authorizations to breach notifications, the industry is still figuring out maximum security for a shared healthcare cloud infrastructure .

## Healthcare Should—and will—Move to the Cloud

General digitization of healthcare, like EMRs, have already made a huge improvement on the healthcare industry. The next step in following through on its potential is the cloud.

Yes, there are roadblocks, and it will take time and concerted effort from providers, insurers, and even governing bodies, to find the full potential of the cloud system. But because the benefit will be worth it, the move to the cloud will happen.

Expect full digitization to appear soon, and healthcare on the cloud to come nipping at its heels.


"cloud computing"