Healthcare Industry Moving to the Cloud: A Good Sign for a Healthy Future
Most industries are reaping benefits of the cloud these days, and the healthcare sector is one of the latest industries jump aboard. Certain compliance issues and data security concerns were hindering this shift. But as professionals learn more about the benefits that lie in the cloud, adoption is increasing.
The need for the cloud
One of the important factors driving this transition is the need for highly scalable data management solutions. Healthcare organizations have to manage large volumes of data. While organizations require scalable resources, data integrity and security are of paramount concern. Traditional computing infrastructure is not able to handle growing business demands. And with limited budgets and low-powered computing resources, organizations find it difficult to provide comprehensive health care and support. Moreover, managing different types of data is a growing concern.
How does the cloud answer these issues?
First of all, clinical data mining in compliance with federal laws is a big issue for organizations. Cloud computing technology offers the necessary agility to scale up resources to meet growing business needs. Scaled infrastructure allows organizations to perform data analysis and improve patient care. Secondly, small and medium-sized healthcare organizations do not have the required infrastructure to provide comprehensive services to patients. With a shared infrastructure, computing resources are pooled to provide an edge for smaller organizations. Claims management, revenue realization, and operational improvements can be effectively assessed and improved.
Thirdly, healthcare organizations have to deal with disparate data. Consolidating different types of data for a centralized management system is a tedious task. In the cloud, disparate data can be centralized at optimized costs. Fourthly, storing large volumes of images requires huge data storage resources. For instance, the radiology department has to store large volumes of scanned reports. In a traditional network setup, this is not feasible. By moving to the cloud, healthcare institutions can enjoy highly scalable data management solutions that use cutting-edge technologies to securely store and retrieve data.
More importantly, the healthcare segment can comply with changing laws and guidelines. Centralization of data enables medical practitioners to access patient information from anywhere to offer emergency support and care. Doctors can receive electronic alerts about a patient’s medical condition. In this way, more lives can be saved in critical emergency conditions. While large institutions improve their service levels, smaller organizations achieve global recognition. At the same time, patients get more sophisticated care and support.
Cloud concerns
While amazing benefits are offered by the cloud, data security and integrity is a main concern. Online threats and network intrusions are common for cloud networks as well as on-premise networks. However, cloud networks possess high-end security solutions that are updated on a real-time basis, and the highest security measures are put in place. It does not matter where your data is stored. The way that data is accessed is a crucial factor. Healthcare institutions that understood this important aspect have quickly embraced the cloud.
About the Guest Author:
Kaushik Das is an engineer, research analyst and a technical writer in the areas wireless, IT, enterprise software, next-generation hosting, storage and renewable energy. He specializes in competitive analysis, market research, industry insights, white paper and actionable web content development.
