By Chris Miller, Assistant Editor, Facility Market

Moving data from legacy on-premise storage systems to cloud-based software is becoming a trend across industries, especially in healthcare. There are a few reasons for this, two of them being cost savings and improved security. On-premise data centres force you to make an investment in a lot of hardware at once and they also come with the ceaseless costs of managing physical servers, spaces, and cooling remedies, according to Healthcare Global. 

Security is critical in healthcare. Hospitals and other health organizations are responsible for constructing an infrastructure that is secure and can defend against cyber attacks.

Hybrid cloud environments provide the benefit of a private and public cloud, and also improve security and add the flexibility to move between the two. Some cloud providers offer compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), creating an even safer cloud environment to protect the rights of patients.

Using cloud storage for keeping records and storing data has helped improve patient care. It is now easier for care providers to get patient information at any time and even in a remote situation. In a cloud environment, lab test results, medication reminders and activity trackers are always available for the provider and patient to view. 

Moving from on-premise storage systems to using the cloud is a process that needs to be done carefully and with intent. According to Transforming Data With Intelligence, an organization must ask itself: How will it transfer the data? How will it trace the data? How will the data be catalogued? These questions help to set goals and expectations for cloud migration.  

There are other things a healthcare organization must do and think about when preparing to migrate its data to the cloud. First, they must mature their security posture, according to TechTarget. This means only managing and storing data relevant to the business and ensuring the relevant data is safely stored. Keeping the data safe means using automated security scanning measures to routinely review the attack surface. 

Threat modeling is another strategy health organizations should apply when moving to a cloud environment. The strategy makes organizations consider who would want to attack its systems and where the assets are. Having the right security controls in place is paramount to a healthcare cloud system. 

Ultimately, using a cloud-based software system for healthcare applications offers many advantages over traditional methods of data storage. Cloud systems are not invincible and require regular maintenance to prevent cyber attacks, but can be helpful for both provider and patient applications, and can save you money in the process.