With prices for the most expensive digital certificates coming in at over 300 times more than the least expensive, it pays to be sure of what you’re buying when you cough up the cash for a server certificate. Here’s what the SSL certificate companies would rather you didn’t know.

This brief case study in backup strategy describes how I maintain backups of my own personal and practice data; while my own approach certainly won’t fit everybody’s needs, I believe it fits mine, and I hope some aspects of it might be useful to other practitioners. Our companion article on backup basics explains some of the underlying factors to consider when formulating your backup strategy — an essential part of your overall security planning.

What would you do if all your practice data suddenly disappeared? Data recovery services exist to help extract files from mangled hard drives, but there’s a better way to keep your practice going in the event of a major problem with your computer hardware: make sure to include a sound backup strategy as part of your overall security planning.

As a mental health professional, you will have certain obligations — some legal, some ethical — regarding confidentiality and the security of materials related to your practice. The first part of this article offers some brief notes on the types of encryption solutions available, while the second part explores their advantages and disadvantages and offers specific software suggestions. A companion article comments on some ethical issues relating to encryption.

Within the mental health profession in the UK, there seems to be a widespread perception that practitioners are exempt from registering under the Data Protection Act 1998. To my mind, this seems like collective professional self-deception.