Datalink Networks Technology Blog

The 2026 Guide to HIPAA-Compliant IT for Healthcare SMBs

In 2026, protecting patient information is no longer just something the IT team worries about — it is a core part of running a successful healthcare business. Every appointment, test result, medical note, and billing record contains private information about real people. When patients trust your organization with their health, they are also trusting you to protect their personal data. That trust is everything. Losing it can damage your reputation, your relationships, and your future.

For small and mid-sized healthcare organizations, HIPAA can feel confusing, stressful, and expensive. Many leaders are already juggling patient care, staffing, operations, and growth, so adding data protection and compliance to the list can feel overwhelming. The rules can sound technical and complicated, and the risks may not always feel clear until something goes wrong. It’s normal to feel unsure about where to start or whether you are doing enough.

The good news is that HIPAA does not have to be scary or impossible to manage. With the right understanding and the right support, compliance becomes a set of practical habits and simple systems that protect your patients, your staff, and your business every day. When HIPAA is handled well, it builds patient confidence, strengthens your reputation, and creates a stable foundation for long-term growth in 2026 and beyond.

Navigating Windows 10 End-of-Support: Security and Cost Solutions

The Windows 10 Deadline: A New Security Reality

As of October 14, 2025, Windows 10 has reached its official end of support milestone. For businesses, this marks a significant shift in security risk. Standard security patches, bug fixes, and technical updates are no longer provided by Microsoft, leaving systems exposed to newly discovered vulnerabilities. Any Windows 10 device still in use after this date becomes a growing attack surface for cybercriminals.

Datalink Networks emphasizes that operating an End of Life system is not simply a performance concern. It is a serious security and compliance liability. Unsupported operating systems increase the likelihood of ransomware attacks, data breaches, and audit failures, particularly for organizations subject to regulatory requirements.

While Microsoft offers the Extended Security Update program to help organizations transition, relying solely on traditional ESUs can be costly and difficult to manage at scale. For many organizations, the most practical and cost-effective option lies in the cloud.

Successful Data Center Migration and Refresh

The newly-hired IT Director at the California Community Foundation knew the organization needed a data center refresh, as its aging network’s reliance on a third-party hosting company had become too expensive and too limited. He partnered with Datalink Networks to design and engineer a new, hybrid cloud infrastructure that will scale with CCF for years to come.

The California Community Foundation (CCF) has served Los Angeles County for 100 years, stewarding nearly 1,600 funds and $1.7 billion in assets to address some of the core concerns of the community. CCF sponsors a range of competitive grants to other local non-profits in arts, education, health care, and transition-aged youth and housing and economic development throughout Los Angeles County.

Tracking and Analyzing Office 365 Data

We recommend Microsoft Office 365 because it provides you with the tools for your own unique requirements.

How to Establish Business Continuity?

Do you have a good Backup Disaster Recovery solution in place to guard against disaster like a ransomware attack? Is it on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid cloud backup? 96% of SMBs with BDR report complete recovery from ransomware. A full 40% do not.

Backing up your data is like brushing your teeth: It's basic computer hygiene you probably learned when you booted up your first PC. But backup is not enough. Unless you can restore your data -quickly - after a ransomware attack or outage, your company is at risk.