HIMSS 5 Factors for Picking a Healthcare Cloud Provider

The “cloud” (in computing) is not a new concept. If you use web-based e-mail, then you probably are tapping into the “cloud,” because the remotely hosted application and information are pushed to you “on demand” based upon your needs. For a more expansive definition of cloud computing, please see the National Institute of Standards’ definition (NIST Special Publication No. 800-145).

Healthcare providers are also turning to the cloud to remotely host their applications and data. Their reasons for doing this are generally to save money and/or to help ensure data is secure and available.

You might ask: why outsource applications and data when I can maintain these things in-house with my own IT staff?  Keeping up IT infrastructure is expensive, and making sure technology is secure can be a daunting task.