In the medical industry, keeping up with technological innovations is becoming crucial for growth and staying competitive. One of the technological challenges facing the industry is the implementation of cloud solutions. From this article, you will learn what cloud solutions are and why you should use them.
A cloud solution (commonly called the cloud) is a modern service. It involves storing data (and applications) not locally on a computer or your own server, but on an external server with huge capacity. In other words, specialized corporations, such as Google or Microsoft, rent data storage space, computing power, development environment or software located in the cloud to others. As part of the subscription fee, the customer gains access to a specific space (or environment or application). The solution provider, in turn, takes on security or infrastructure development issues.
Here are the 6 biggest advantages of using the cloud.
Cloud solution providers provide advanced security systems and protection against cyber attacks. All data is encrypted, and regular backups are made. Providers invest huge amounts of money to hire the best specialists and develop leading technologies to seal security systems. Importantly, security concerns not only the information stored in the cloud itself. Cloud security also focuses on protection:
It is important to remember that even the most advanced security systems will not fully secure data without the conscious cooperation of users. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the passwords of individual users are sufficiently strong, not repeated, and regularly subject to change. It is also worthwhile at the organization level to ensure basic cybersecurity training for employees. This reduces the risk of sharing passwords with third parties or becoming a victim of so-called phishing (phishing for access).
Another advantage of using cloud solutions is accessibility. We can connect to the cloud from anywhere in the world at any time - all we need is a computer and access to the Internet. In the medical industry, this can allow us to conduct consultations with a distributed team or access patient results for doctors of different specialties.
The cloud enables flexible adaptation of IT resources to current needs. This is important in the dynamically changing conditions of the medical market. What does this mean in practice? Cloud solutions are designed so that it is easy to increase the amount of data space available to a given customer or to increase the number of users using a given solution. This helps eliminate the risk of running out of space for, for example, patient data, or that the server will not be able to handle queries from a growing number of users.
Using cloud solutions, the client pays a subscription for access to a specific space, environment or software. There is no need to invest in technical infrastructure (such as servers) or, for example, in advanced server cyber security systems.
Many cloud providers offer solutions that are compliant with international data protection standards (such as HIPAA), which helps maintain regulatory compliance. As a reminder, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a law that regulates the security and privacy of patient and electronically transmitted health data.
Cloud solutions facilitate the integration of various information systems used in the medical industry. This allows information and data to flow seamlessly between them. Moreover, moving data and processes to the cloud can allow for increased efficiency and productivity. In this way, processes are automated and downtime is reduced. As a result, processes can happen faster, and the automated transfer of data between systems reduces the risk of errors.
Developing cloud-based software solutions for the healthcare industry is not only a trend of recent years, but also a necessity. It brings many benefits, such as improved data security, cost optimization and increased process efficiency. This is why more and more companies are choosing to invest in such solutions.
If you are considering implementing cloud solutions in your organization, contact us. During a free consultation, we will see if we can deliver an application that will benefit your business.
