MIS 582 Module 3 Case Study Assignment; Loyal improves data protection, platform performance with Always Encrypted with secure enclaves for Azure SQL Database

MIS582-Module 3: Case Study Assignment Loyal improves data protection, platform performance with Always Encrypted with secure enclaves for Azure SQL Database By. James Matthews DeVry University, Keller Grad Prof. Dr. Anas Bayan Due Date Introduction In a healthcare landscape increasingly dominated by data, protecting patient information is not only a legal requirement under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) it’s also essential to keeping trust with the public. As I dug into Loyal, the case study on their work with Microsoft Azure, I began to appreciate even more how strategic database design and architecture can drive not just compliance but real operational benefit. Loyal’s use of FHIR demonstrates how a well-architected data infrastructure with a foundation of encryption, secure enclaves, and cloud-native technologies can safeguard sensitive health information while allowing real-time engagement and analytics. In this article, we’ll look at what Loyal has done to implement their database, start with the constraints and parameters for compliance, move along to understand and review the architecture and data flow, and finally evaluate security requirements to ensure that we are aware what it takes to keep the system secure. Identify and analyze the database implementation When I looked at Loyal's approach to implementing a database, I found I liked Azure SQL Database with Always Encrypted with secure enclaves. This solution is a good indication of moving towards a more modern, cloud-native architecture that values scalability and extremely rigorous data protection. As Loyal is in the healthcare space, and therefore needs to follow HIPAA, a full managed Azure SQL allows them to offload the RIR overhead yet still keep strong security controls. Further, the platform integrates with Azure Key Vault, which also adds another layer of security by managing encryption keys apart from the database. Explain the database parameters and constraints needed for the organization In context of the Loyal system requirements and the constraints, I discovered some of the parameters, which are vital for compliance of Loyal and operations. All PHR data, e.g., sensitive patient data needs to be encrypted, while existing on the device and during transmission. Loyal furthermore takes that extra mile by keeping the sensitive data encrypted even when in use, thanks to feature called secure enclave. They apply rules of the least privilege to keep access to a minimum and they manage to do by using role-based access control (RBAC). Other database constraints, such as schema validation (for example, primary keys, foreign keys, and NOT NULL constraints), can also help support data integrity and consistency across your system. These values are needed to keep the data integrity bu