Storing data on a cloud server has several benefits:

• First, cloud storage allows convenient access to health information via an internet connection. This is particularly beneficial for practitioners that operate in multiple physical service centres.
• Cloud storage also makes sharing health information with other practitioners easier, allowing collaboration
  and teamwork.
• Cloud hardware is scalable, meaning that healthcare practices can quickly and easily add or remove resources as needed. This is particularly useful for practices with fluctuating workloads, allowing them to scale up or down resources as required without needing hardware investment.
• Cloud service providers handle all hardware management, maintenance, and upgrades, reducing the need for in-house IT staff and hardware investments.
• Storing health information on a cloud server can help protect against data loss.
• Cloud service providers typically offer redundant storage, meaning that data is stored on multiple servers in multiple locations. This ensures that
  data is still accessible even if your server goes down.
• Cloud service providers typically have backup and disaster recovery plans to help protect against data loss during a natural disaster or other unexpected events.
• Cloud hardware is typically more secure than traditional hardware, as cloud service providers invest heavily in security measures to protect their infrastructure from cyber-attacks.
• Real-time replication is continuously copying data from one location to another in real-time. This process ensures the data is always up-to-date and available during a failure or disaster. Real-time replication is commonly used in high-availability systems like healthcare practice management software where downtime is unacceptable. Real-time replication is also useful for data backup and disaster recovery, as it ensures that practices have an up-to-date copy of their data that can be quickly restored during a disaster.
• Cloud storage is typically more reliable than traditional on-premises storage. Cloud service providers invest heavily in their infrastructure to ensure it is highly available and has minimal downtime. They also offer service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee a certain level of uptime. This means practices can rely on cloud storage to be available when needed.

Using backup services for your internet connection

One potential issue with using cloud servers is that they require an internet connection to access them. If the internet goes down, users may be unable to access their data or software applications. However, using backup services for your internet connection can help mitigate this risk. Backup batteries and generators can power your internet connectivity during a power outage or load shedding, allowing you to continue using the internet and accessing cloud-based software and data.

Cloud service up-time

When choosing a cloud service provider, evaluating which practice management applications provide better uptime is important. Downtime can be costly, both in terms of lost productivity and potential revenue. There are several measures that a healthcare practice can take to ensure that their cloud service has excellent uptime:

• Choose a reliable cloud service provider: Ensure that the cloud service provider has a good reputation for uptime and reliability.
• Redundancy: Ensure your cloud service provider has multiple data centres in different locations. This redundancy helps to ensure that your data is always available.
• ISO27001 certification: Ensure that your service provider is ISO27001 certified. This certification is not a 100% guarantee, but it ensures that the service provider has systems and processes that comply with the international standard for information security.

By implementing these requirements, healthcare practices can ensure that their cloud service has excellent uptime, minimising the risk of downtime and ensuring that critical data is always available.

Conclusion

Let those specialising in IT technology and security take the pains of ensuring that your practice’s healthcare information and medical records are protected and available so that you can focus on what you do best –  patient care. Choose your service provider wisely to reap maximum benefits from your cloud services.