HIPAA. Perhaps one of most significant laws in recent memory; certainly one of most complex. While this short article won't make anyone an expert, it will, hopefully, demystify this wide ranging set of laws and put you on path towards compliance.

First, let's answer question; "What is HIPAA?" HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act of 1996. Although it purports to regulate health insurance, HIPAA provisions extend far beyond insurance. HIPAA introduced broad disclosure and privacy requirements. It also established civil and criminal penalties for each violation (up to $25,000 per person per year in civil penalties and up to $250,000 in criminal fines - along with imprisonment).

Title I of HIPAA deals with portability and special enrollment rights for health plans. Those conditions must have been incorporated into your plans by now (original compliance date was 1997). Title II of HIPAA governs a wide ranging set of conditions called, "Administrative Simplification". For those charged with compliance, notion that HIPAA simplifies anything qualifies as "dark humor". Administrative simplification attempts to create a uniform system for processing and retention of health information and ensuring security of that information.

Think job is simple and that you can handle it yourself?

Maybe so, but most small business owners have a business to run and may not have time or inclination to work as a telephone or computer technicians setting up an office computer network.

If you are thinking about networking your office, here is some basic information that you need to know before you embark on challenge.

Two Options

Generally, there are two ways to approach your office networking. You can go "wired" and string cables yourself to connect all of your office computers, printers, modems, etc. Or you can follow most recent business trend and go "wireless".

Wireless Option Sometimes a wired cable local area network isn't always practical or cost effective. If you lease your office space and install a hard wired cable network, you must run wires through walls and ceilings. This wiring installation is permanent. Thus, when you move out of that leased office space, you will probably leave your cable wiring investment behind.

However, if you decided to go with a wireless network Your installation is simpler. A "wireless gateway" is placed on a shelf and "wireless cards" are installed within your computer equipment within their open card slots. All without expensive cabling being installed and installed within a matter of minutes.

Wireless networking not only increased productivity, but save you money by eliminating cost of cables for a wired network.

Increasingly, small business people are going wireless route. Wireless costs more but it may be worth it if you have computers in multiple rooms, or you want to use your laptop at multiple points within your office.

Wireless costs more but it may be worth it if you have computers in multiple rooms, or want to use your laptop at multiple points within your office.