How Respawn Helps Healthcare Teams Meet HIPAA Backup and Recovery Requirements

Healthcare IT teams live with two realities. Ransomware and accidental deletion happen. Auditors will ask how you recover. HIPAA’s Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI with administrative, physical, and technical controls.

What HIPAA actually requires for backup and recovery

HIPAA’s contingency planning standard lays out five implementation specs under 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7). Here are the ones your auditors look for, in plain English, with the exact citations.

• Data backup plan (Required). You must create and maintain retrievable exact copies of ePHI. 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A). eCFR

• Disaster recovery plan (Required). You must have procedures to restore any loss of data. 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(B). eCFR

• Emergency mode operation plan (Required). You must keep critical business processes going to protect ePHI during emergencies. 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(C). eCFR

• Testing and revision procedures (Addressable). You should periodically test and revise contingency plans. 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(D). eCFR

HIPAA’s technical safeguards also matter here:

• Integrity. You must protect ePHI from improper alteration or destruction, and you should use mechanisms to authenticate that ePHI has not been altered. 45 CFR 164.312(c). eCFR

• Encryption. Encryption at rest and in transit is addressable. You must implement a mechanism to encrypt ePHI whenever appropriate. 45 CFR 164.312(a)(2)(iv) and 164.312(e)(2)(ii). eCFR

Plain language summary: HIPAA expects you to back data up, prove you can restore it, keep the business running during incidents, test your plan, and protect integrity and confidentiality with appropriate technical controls. HHS.gov

How Respawn supports those requirements

Data backup plan
Respawn continuously backs up data from your sanctioned SaaS platforms. For Slack, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace, we capture full snapshots and incremental changes so you can maintain retrievable copies of messages, files, and records. This directly supports 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A). eCFR

Disaster recovery and emergency mode
When primary systems are degraded or unavailable, Respawn gives you a clean, independent copy of your data to restore from. That helps you meet disaster recovery and emergency mode expectations under 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(B) and (C). eCFR

Testing and revision evidence
Traditional backups are untested until the day you need them. Respawn verifies backup integrity every day and records proof, which you can show to auditors as part of your testing and revision procedures under 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(D). eCFR

Integrity and encryption controls
Respawn applies cryptographic integrity checks to each backup and supports encryption in transit and at rest, aligning with 164.312(c) and the addressable encryption specs in 164.312(a)(2)(iv) and 164.312(e)(2)(ii). eCFR

Important scope notes for SaaS platforms

Respawn protects your data in these systems. You still need each platform configured for HIPAA and a signed BAA where required.

• Slack. HIPAA support is available only on Enterprise Grid, and you must configure Slack per Slack’s HIPAA guidance and BAA. Slack+1

• Microsoft 365. Microsoft enables HIPAA compliance with a BAA and proper configuration. There is no HHS HIPAA certification, so your controls and configuration determine compliance. Microsoft Learn

• Google Workspace. Google offers a HIPAA Business Associate Amendment for eligible services. You must execute the BAA and follow Google’s implementation guide. Google Help+1

Respawn gives you verified backups and fast recovery for these platforms. Your HIPAA program still needs policies, access controls, workforce training, and vendor management.

Auditor friendly mapping

Use this table in your evidence pack. It shows where Respawn supports your controls.

• 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A) Data backup plan → Automated snapshots plus incrementals of Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace. eCFR

• 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(B) Disaster recovery plan → Independent copy to restore any loss of data. eCFR

• 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(C) Emergency mode operation → Access to critical records while primary systems recover. eCFR

• 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(D) Testing and revision → Daily integrity verification logs as test evidence. eCFR

• 164.312(c) Integrity → Mechanisms that authenticate data has not been altered. eCFR

• 164.312(a)(2)(iv), 164.312(e)(2)(ii) Encryption → Encryption mechanisms where appropriate for storage and transmission. eCFR

What Respawn does not replace

Respawn is not your entire HIPAA program. You still need risk analysis, role based access, incident response, BAAs, and workforce training. That is the intent of the Security Rule and its administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. HHS.gov

Keep an eye on 2025 Security Rule updates

HHS has proposed strengthening parts of the Security Rule, including more prescriptive requirements around contingency planning and incident response. Monitor final rulemaking to adjust your policies and vendor controls. Reuters

FAQ

Is a backup required by HIPAA?
Yes. A data backup plan is a required implementation specification under the contingency plan standard. 45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A). eCFR

Do I have to encrypt backups to meet HIPAA?
Encryption is addressable, not automatically required. You must implement a mechanism to encrypt ePHI whenever appropriate for your risk profile and environment. 45 CFR 164.312(a)(2)(iv) and 164.312(e)(2)(ii). eCFR

Will Respawn make us HIPAA compliant?
No vendor can make you HIPAA compliant by itself. Respawn supports the backup, integrity, and recovery parts of your program. You still need proper configuration of Slack, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace, a BAA with each provider where applicable, and your own administrative and physical safeguards. Slack+2Microsoft Learn+2