WRITTEN BY BENJAMIN HARRIS A


S its name may suggest, “the cloud” is a mysterious yet increasingly ubiquitous


presence in all parts of life. Realistically, its definition is simple: cloud computing takes advantage of economies of scale and resource pooling to provide massive amounts of storage and computing power to any users who sign up for the service. Google’s suite of apps, ranging from Gmail to its online document management system is one example. Amazon’s S3 data service is another. Cloud computing is still a relatively


new force in computing, but it’s already beginning to make big inroads in healthcare IT as well. Greg Arnette, CTO at Newton, Massachusetts-based Sonian, which develops cloud-based technologies, described five major ways the cloud can transform healthcare.


High Availability at a Low Cost “The cloud infrastructure offers


durability and up-time that far exceed what any hospital’s IT department could offer,” Greg Arnette said. Because of economies of scale, large cloud service providers are able to build large redundant data centers that place a higher emphasis on backup, data resiliency, and uptime for lower costs. Cloud storage, for instance, can cost as little as 10 cents a month for “fast” storage and a penny a month for “cold” storage. “There’s a higher bar of excellence for a cloud provider,” surrounding the integrity and ease of access to data,” Arnette went on to say.


IMAGES © RYANKING999, BLEND IMAGES / FOTOLIA CONNECTION/HEALTHCARE IT 2013.Q1 3


Privacy, Please! Is cloud data less secure? “The levels


of security are much higher than what you see in a local IT department,” said Arnette. Security in a hospital’s server room can be as little as just keeping the door locked. When data is in the cloud, however, “it forces you to put all of your security in the application layer,” said Arnette. Data on the server is “an encrypted blob of bits,” that even the cloud provider has no access to. Cloud providers also rely on their economies of scale to maintain systems that attest to HIPAA’s privacy standards.


Moving at the Speed of innovation Cloud-based services can upgrade


and improve their services rapidly, cheaply, and with minimal or no interruption to service. Arnette gave the example of Amazon’s S3 cloud service: “In the first five years there were ten price drops and 50 new major features. In the last year there were 10 price drops and 75 new features.” Traditionally, a healthcare provider would see hassles in installing and implementing new software, rather than simply having to update to a new major release every two or so years. “The cloud is all about rapid innovation,” said Arnette. With the cloud provider continually improving, your local IT staff is free to perform tasks such as infrastructure maintenance and administration.


Going Mobile By storing all of its data and computing power in the cloud, a healthcare provider enables staff to have access to information anywhere it wants to make it available. For large institutions, or partnered organizations, that data may be needed in two places at once and can be synchronized and shared in real time. Transitioning to a cloud service enables greater speed and access for healthcare providers, as well as patients. “The next wave is an app someone can get, that someone can fill out and collect data for their healthcare provider,” said Arnette. “It’s your device with an app that’s approved and certified and can interact with your healthcare provider.”


An Easy Transition Other strengths that cloud services


provide are their ease of access and their ability to remove IT inefficiencies. Cloud service providers have been “good about pushing open formats instead of closed formats,” Arnette said, meaning that the structures and file systems employed are open and easy to adapt to. This makes adopting a cloud system as a replacement for a localized one much easier, more efficient, and cheaper.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Benjamin Harris is a New Media Producer, writing Web-first content for Healthcare IT News and managing social media for Healthcare IT News, Government Health IT, EHRWatch, and NHINWatch.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36