What is the point of the cloud in healthcare?

The healthcare sector faces major digital transformation challenges. Over the years, the operational demands of delivering high-quality patient care have kept growing. Fortunately, innovative IT solutions such as the cloud are unquestionably useful in making the medical field more efficient and more responsive. In this article, discover what the cloud brings to healthcare.

The cloud enables fast access to health data

In the medical field, fast access to information is critical to patients' lives. How quickly that information is analysed matters just as much when it comes to making accurate diagnoses and saving patients' lives. The cloud provides practical analysis tools that make information easier to reach and data easier to manage — health data in particular. Cloud computing is, in fact, an IT solution particularly well suited to healthcare, since it allows data to be stored and software to be run with strong performance. Deploying it across health services gives practitioners the opportunity to draw on relevant data and make fast decisions with as much information as possible at hand.

Cloud computing improves communication between healthcare professionals

The cloud improves collaboration between healthcare professionals. It lets everyone involved in care store and share all kinds of documents online. That data is then accessible at any time to accredited medical staff. Every authorised professional can consult it remotely. Whether a practitioner is in Europe, the Americas, Africa or Asia, the cloud lets them pass on the information they have gathered on site to their peers and colleagues. They can also get feedback in return. This kind of collaboration lets healthcare professionals find fast answers through collective brainpower and save time during a procedure.

The cloud improves collaboration between patients and their doctors

The Internet of Things (IoT) and big data have the power to save lives by making hospital care easier to reach. These technologies keep practitioners informed about a patient's condition without anyone having to travel. This is known as telemedicine, and the cloud remains one of the essential building blocks that make it possible. Patients can easily use the cloud to share information about their health. They can then receive a doctor's recommendations and tailored support, even if their medical history was previously unknown to the facility they contacted. When a patient struggles to travel to hospital, the cloud helps optimise remote monitoring, because it considerably reduces treatment errors. With the speed that comes from accessing information and sharing documents online, the cloud also helps shorten hospital stays.

Storing and sharing documents online means responding faster in a disaster

In a crisis such as a natural disaster, caring for victims in critical condition is usually complex for healthcare professionals. Time very often works against them in that context. In situations like these, the cloud plays its part in making sure victims are properly cared for. In practical terms, it allows a less experienced professional to call on the expertise of a seasoned doctor, who can then give real-time advice so the situation is handled well.

The cloud contributes to better medical research

The cloud's primary function is online storage and data sharing. The technology therefore helps speed up medical research protocols. Data analysts working in healthcare can rely on the cloud to consolidate and analyse complex datasets, which makes it easier for researchers to run objective simulations. In this way, the cloud indirectly helps treat disease and deliver better care.

Cloud computing helps optimise costs in the medical sector

Thanks to the strong connectivity the medical world now enjoys, costs are generally lower. Using the cloud in this environment removes much of the friction involved in day-to-day tasks and saves time. Digitising archives through online storage avoids buying archiving equipment. It also frees up space inside hospital premises — space that can be put to other uses. All of these factors save financial resources. It is also worth noting that cloud solutions are inexpensive: generally offered as a subscription, they adapt to each user's needs.

Cloud computing, a solution for securing medical data

Cloud technology is an excellent way to cut through administrative red tape in healthcare. It also makes it possible to store and share sensitive, confidential documents. Those documents must be secured as tightly as possible so they cannot be compromised by malicious attackers. Fortunately, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a precise legal framework for securing cloud data, including medical data, and cloud services build in proven security measures as a result. Responsibility for patients' personal information and health data lies with those in charge of the sector, so choosing a health data host must be done carefully. It is important to choose a cloud provider located on French soil, which guarantees data security. To stay compliant with current regulations, you should also turn to a provider whose cloud is HDS-certified (Health Data Hosting). NetExplorer is one of the companies that stand out in the French cloud market. We meet the security criteria required for storing and exchanging medical data, and we operate two data centres located in France. You can use our platform to store your medical documents online and share them securely. We are certified as a Health Data Host (HDS), proof of the importance we place on the confidentiality of medical data. That certification is backed by ISO 27001. Choosing NetExplorer guarantees the security of your health data.