Users exchange referrals via a cloud database
Microsoft Windows Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft XML Web Services
CRN is a Microsoft winform app that installs to a user’s Windows PC and uses web services over SSL to send and retrieve referral information that is stored on an ibm cloud-hosted sql server … no PHI is stored on the local PC.
This hybrid architecture provides users from different organizations the best human interface possible (via Microsoft Windows forms) and access to common data stored in the cloud (via Microsoft web services).
For the best end-user experience, the desktop operating system should be Windows 7 or 10 (but not 8), with at least 4 GB RAM.
The CRN SQL database server is hosted by SoftLayer, an IBM Company, that provides cloud infrastructure as a service from a growing number of data centers and network points of presence around the world. Their customers range from Web startups to global enterprises. Cloud is not a commodity. And no matter what you call it, computing doesn’t come out of the sky. It comes from physical hardware inside brick and mortar facilities connected by hundreds of miles of networking cable. And no two clouds are built the same way. SoftLayer gives you the highest performing cloud infrastructure available.
As required by HIPAA, data in motion is encrypted via industry standard HTTPS protocol, and data at rest is behind locked doors in a secure facility. Read more about encryption strength from GeoTrust
For the curious, the CRN front end (user interface layer) is written primarily in Visual Basic .NET with heavy reliance on Infragistics winform controls.
Some functions in CRN make use of the Microsoft Office products, specifically Excel. For example, all grids can be exported to Excel. It is expected that all workstations will have Office 2007 or newer. That is not to say that Office is required, rather, the app core functions will work fine and Office is only needed if the Office-related features are desired.
The CRN app is built with Microsoft ClickOnce, a deployment technology that enables developers to create self-updating Windows-based applications that can be installed and run with minimal user interaction. All of which is just a long-winded way of saying that every time a user launches the app it automatically checks to see if a new version is available.
Access to the system is password protected, requiring a complex password that is a mixture of uppercase and lowercase characters, and numbers. Access to the various application features is a function of the user's assigned role-based security. Access to referral data is based on a need to know, specifically, the end user must be associated with either the sender or receiver facility.
To install the app, browse to the CRN Install page, and launch the app which will install the application on your Windows PC. Please note that that you must have local administrator rights on the PC, and that if your organization uses a proxy firewall you will need to request an exception be created before you will be able to login. Download & Install Procedure