In Cloud Technology, the Sky is the Limit!

You have likely heard or read about cloud technology and cloud applications. The cloud phenomenon is revolutionizing all industries and has been described repeatedly as the future of computing. Cloud technology has the strong potential to change the paradigm in health care information technology. Many of us have seen on TV the new commercials that Microsoft is pushing about taking common tasks, such as photo editing and television watching "to the cloud." Now, healthcare information technology aims to do the same. That all sounds great, but what does it really mean?

The cloud aims to take some of the nitty gritty IT-related tasks (server architecture and maintenance) out of the picture for most offices that do not necessarily need it. A high-speed internet connection is the only necessary component to access the cloud. Cloud technology providers offer economies of scale by selling large quantities of processing power, and bandwidth. Instead of investing heavily in technical infrastructure and IT Support, the playing field is leveled. Offices can use a high speed connection and connect to a system with the same functionality as desktop and client/server based products.

Cloud technology has the additional benefits of not being locked in one computer, scalability, redundancy, and use of the latest computing technology. In the world of high-availability websites, any downtime can mean loss of money. When the site goes down, a complete backup can be swapped into place very easily, many times without the user even being aware there was an issue. Security also becomes easier to handle, as the provider of your service handles your security needs allowing you to utilize your resources everywhere. Need more CPU power or hard disk storage for your application? The cloud lets you cost effectively scale your computing resources. Now that you have a little bit more of an idea what someone is talking about when they mention this "cloud," how is it really helping healthcare?

Cloud technology enables smaller physician offices to have access to advanced functionality used in larger organizations who employee IT personnel with the huge upfront costs. Plus, cloud technology allows physicians to access patient information from multiple locations so they can work from the office, the hospital, or from home. An added benefit is quick access to tracking historical information such as treatment results from using a certain drug to treat an ailment over a period of time and can aid in more efficient patient visits. Rapid deployment of cloud technology will allow offices to start using EHR in time to receive the full incentive through the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The benefits of the cloud are evident across multiple industries and are particularly relevant to healthcare where cost effective deployment of applications combined with privacy, security and access to information are the key to improving patient care. This is why Enabledoc offers cloud based services.