14.1 Data Security

By the nature of their work, many state agencies create and maintain data on the public whose privacy must be protected. There are several laws enacted to ensure this protection. Principal among them are the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley Act, both of which apply to state government operations.

Just as an entity would not send a file cabinet full of records to another entity for disposal, neither must electronic records leave an entity’s control. Agencies must ensure they are in full compliance with Georgia's Enterprise IT Policies, Standards, and Guidelines on electronic media disposal, information risk management, and others.