What is Cloud Computing?

Over the past 50 years, the world has experienced a significant digital transformation, resulting in rapid economic growth. Technology has become an essential part of everyday life, from computers and phones to various activities. One of the latest technological concepts is cloud computing. It involves implementing remote servers via the internet to store, manage, and process healthcare-related data, as opposed to on-premise data servers. Essentially, cloud computing stores and accesses data and programs over the internet instead of using the computer’s hard drive. The concept of cloud computing dates back to the 1960s when Joseph Carl Robnett Lickliden discussed the idea with his work on the ARPANET, which aimed to connect people and data from anywhere at any time.

Why is Cloud Computing Important for Healthcare?

Today, cloud computing is a reality, with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Salesforce being some of the market leaders. The technology offers healthcare professionals and hospitals an easily accessible solution to use a network of remote servers that store large volumes of data in a secure environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act required all healthcare providers to adopt the Electronic Medical Records Mandate on Jan 1, 2014. Since then, healthcare organizations in the United States have adopted cloud-based healthcare solutions to store and protect patient records.

In 2019, the global market for cloud technologies in healthcare was worth $28.6 billion in 2019 to $48.0 billion by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% for the period of 2019–2024 based on research by BBC

The healthcare industry stores vast amounts of data in the form of patient files, which require secure storage. Cloud computing offers a way to store data on remote servers that can be accessed from any location. With the ever-increasing number of conditions patients are suffering from, the need for data management technologies is crucial.

The Impact of Covid- 19 on Cloud Computing

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of technology in healthcare. With an unprecedented number of patients requiring medical attention, hospitals have struggled to manage patient data and provide quality care. Cloud computing has played a vital role in managing patient data during the pandemic. Healthcare providers have utilized cloud-based solutions to store and manage patient information, enabling remote access to electronic medical records.

Cloud-based telemedicine has also provided a means for healthcare providers to offer virtual consultations and monitor patients from a distance. As the pandemic continues to affect healthcare systems worldwide, cloud computing has become an essential tool for managing patient data, providing remote care, and ensuring efficient collaboration between healthcare providers.

Advantages of Cloud Computing in Healthcare:

1. Cloud Computing Provides Collaboration: Storing patient information in a central location allows doctors to access patient information from anywhere in a secure manner. Cloud storage for electronic medical records has made the process of collaborative patient care in the US more efficient.
2. Cloud Computing Lowers Cost: Hospitals can reduce hardware and IT staffing costs with cloud computing, which will ultimately reduce costs for the patient.
3. Cloud Computing Provides Reliability: Cloud computing offers disaster recovery options that increase data redundancy and help prevent data loss.
4. Cloud Computing Helps with Patient Ownership of Data: Cloud computing gives patients easy access to their health information in a secure manner.
5. Cloud Computing in Healthcare Telemedicine: Cloud computing makes telemedicine easily accessible for patients.

Barriers of Cloud Computing that Need to be Overcome:

1. Security Concerns: The possibility of ransomware attacks is the most significant setback to adopting cloud computing in healthcare.
2. Compliance: Healthcare providers must ensure that cloud-hosted data complies with a variety of regulation laws, such as HIPPA, HITECH, and GDR.

TecTango — Tap and Go Solution for Healthcare Providers:

Tecnics+Okta, offers a touchless login solution that simplifies clinical workflows and compliance for healthcare professionals. This solution eliminates the hassle of passwords and allows clinicians to access various applications seamlessly. TecTango prioritizes the security of sensitive patient information by implementing multi factor authentication and access controls, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access the data.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for efficient and secure healthcare data management solutions. With the increasing number of patients requiring medical attention, healthcare providers need to ensure that their systems are streamlined and accessible.

TecTango’s cloud-based solutions have been designed to meet the requirements of regulations of HIPAA, demonstrating their commitment to data privacy and security. By partnering with Tecnics+Okta, healthcare providers can streamline their clinical workflows while maintaining compliance with regulations, minimizing the risk of costly fines and legal penalties.