E-Strategy: NKR and Rackspace - Data Security and Hosting

This presentation examines the e-strategy of the National Kidney Registry (NKR), focusing on its decision to outsource data hosting and security to Rackspace. The presentation highlights the NKR's role as the largest paired exchange program for organ donors in the United States and its need to ensure data security and privacy for donors, recipients, and transplant centers. The presentation details the reasons for outsourcing, including security concerns, the need to protect sensitive data, and the ability to focus on its core mission. It further outlines the specific services migrated to Rackspace, such as the email system, database, and website. The presentation emphasizes the uniqueness of NKR's security requirements, including handling sensitive data, managing data from various transplant centers, and employing complex algorithms. Finally, it explains how Rackspace helps address security concerns, providing security certificates and ensuring data privacy, ultimately facilitating successful transplants. The presentation concludes by referencing supporting materials.

E-Strategy 1
Transcript for the presentation.
Slide 1: Topic name, student name and institution affiliation.
Slide 2, 3 and 4: Summary
The NKR is an organization that handles the largest paired exchange program for organ
donors particularly in the United States. Its main mission is to get as many patients matched and
transplanted as possible especially patients who have donors and need a better match. Since its
inception, NKR has supported more than 2000 transplants. However, due to the security and
privacy concerns of its data, NKR acquired the services of Rackspace for both data hosting and
storage needs. Since Rackspace operates a private cloud hosting service, the company has been
able to provide base line security services for NKR hence assuring that recipients, donors and
transplant center have faith in NKR services by their data being safe. The National Kidney
Registry has also been able to focus on its mission/core competencies without having any worry
about the security or privacy of their data since Rackspace has demonstrated its reliability over
the years. In comparison to other transplant centers that are not part of the NKR, the NKR has
remained to be the leading kidney exchange program that allows improved transplant outcomes
due to their donor matching abilities. (Image 1)
Slide 5 and 6: Why NKR decided to outsource it data hosting and data infrastructure.
The National Kidney Registry handles sensitive data on kidney donors and recipients. It
primarily facilitates both kidney paired exchange and kidney paired donation transplants every
year. The reasons for outsourcing the services include;
1. Security concerns of its data
Therefore, due to the security concerns of its data, the company turned to Rackspace for both
data storage and site hosting needs. Besides, the National Kidney Registry paired exchange
program is the largest in the United States since thousands of paired donors are connected
through its system (Jacob, 2016).
2. Privacy of its data

E-Strategy 2
Secondly, NKR decided to outsources its data infrastructure and site hosting from Rackspace so
that it can ensure the privacy of its data. Since hospitals, governing bodies and also recipients
require sensitive data to be protected, Rackspace was a better solution for the National Kidney
Registry. (Image 2)
3. Focus more on its mission
Lastly, since Rackspace provides private hosting, NKR has been able to focus more on its
mission without worrying about the privacy or security of its recipient’s data (Rackspace, 2016).
Slide 7 and 8: Services that NKR migrated to Rackspace.
1. Email system.
The National Kidney Registry began with migrating its entire email system to Rackspace
since the organization used emails as the primary procedure in communicating with various
transplant centers (Casseb, 2018). The registry required highly secured data facilities so as to
ensure the recipient's medical information was both secure and private.
2. Database and the website.
Later, the NKR migrated its database and the website that front ends the database to
Rackspace. This database offers connectivity to all transplant centers while ensuring both
security and privacy of data (Casseb, 2018). (Image 3). By migrating its services to Rackspace,
NKR was able to allow both transplant centers which are hospitals to have faith that their data
exchanges were safe.
Slide 9 and 10: The uniqueness of NKR security requirements.
1. Sensitive data.
First, NKR handles sensitive data belonging to recipients either in the kidney paired
exchange or kidney paired donation program (Jacob, 2016). Therefore, NKR must ensure its
security measures are high in order to safeguard the security of such information.
2. Huge data from different transplant centers.
Secondly, NKR sources all its data from various transplant centers. However, the
hospitals are highly concerned about maintaining the privacy and security of their data

E-Strategy 3
(Rackspace, 2016). Hence, NKR must incorporate a system that ensures they provide certificates
of security that allow the hospitals to have faith that their data is safe.
3. Complex algorithms.
Lastly, NKR employs complex algorithms in order to verify potential matches between
donors and recipients hence leading to success matches. This ensures that NKR meets its mission
of connecting more recipients and donors.
Slide 11: How NKR eases security concerns on different parties.
1. Privacy of data.
Rackspace has been able to provide National Kidney Registry with security baseline
services and other security options they may need (Rackspace, 2016). Donors, participating
hospitals and recipients are very concerned about maintaining the privacy and security of their
data.
2. Provision of security certificates.
Rackspace assists ensure the information is protected. This is by providing certificates of
security and answers to questions that allow the concerned teams have faith that their data is
safe. Therefore, more than 2000 transplants to occur annually successfully.
Slide 12: References