Healthcare is in a constant state of flux. As new diseases emerge, alongside new cures, the entire industry must adapt and evolve. Technology already plays a vital role in this evolutionary process and over the last few decades we have witnessed the introduction of many cutting edge machines and processes.
[easy-tweet tweet=”One of the main issues that the #healthcare sector must overcome surrounds #compliance and security” hashtags=”Cloud”]
However, the IT infrastructure that underpins the healthcare industry can struggle to keep pace with this innovation. Despite the many potential benefits that cloud computing can deliver to medical professionals and patients alike, there are many challenges that must be overcome before we can modernise this aspect of the healthcare industry.
One of the foremost issues that the healthcare sector must deal with before it can fully embrace cloud computing surrounds compliance and security. Patient data can be of an extremely sensitive nature, meaning that the upmost levels of privacy are demanded. Healthcare firms therefore, whether in the public or private sector, must choose their cloud vendor extremely carefully if they are to meet the compliance standards required. At Zsah, we ensure that our customer data is 100 per cent private and always remains within the UK. These high security and privacy standards have allowed us to work with the NHS and a number of other customers that deal with sensitive information.
Inertia provides another challenge to modernising IT infrastructure in the healthcare industry. Many medical institutions use legacy IT systems that require time and money to replace. Even if IT systems are relatively modern, cloud migration provides another obstacle that must be overcome. Fortunately, cloud vendors like Zsah also provide bespoke support as well as technical infrastructure to help their clients. Any healthcare firms worried about the migration process will receive expert consultation to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible.
Conversely, once healthcare firms commit to modernisation, they’ll find that there are a multitude of benefits on offer. Firstly, the scalability of cloud services means that medical institutions can deal with spikes in demand and still offer the same level of service. Constant monitoring, like that offered by Zsah, also helps to ensure that your IT solutions do not suffer unplanned downtime, which could affect your ability to treat your patients.
However, perhaps the greatest benefit that cloud computing can deliver concerns collaboration. By storing healthcare information in the cloud, medical professionals can aggregate data, discover trends and potentially cure diseases faster using the latest analytics software. In this sense, cloud computing may not simply deliver efficiency, scalability and reliability, it could actually help save lives.
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Modernising IT infrastructure within the healthcare sector may take time, but many of the perceived challenges can be overcome by using a secure and reliable cloud supplier. Zsah has already worked with a number of healthcare providers and continues to provide the compute power, managed support and high compliance standards that the industry demands. Looking forward, healthcare must continue to evolve at pace, and cloud computing looks set to play a vital role every step of the way.
Amir Hashmi, Managing Director, zsah Technology Group
Amir Hashmi is Managing Director of the zsah Technology Group.