Are You Treating the Cloud as Supplemental Rather than Foundational?
An industry like healthcare, which deals with massive amounts of data (from electronic medical records, mobile apps and devices, diagnostics, analytics and other sources), needs a more efficient and cost-effective approach to managing data without the expense of maintaining physical servers. The cloud shouldn’t be viewed as a quick fix to the Big Data problem but rather as an essential part of business.
Did You Neglect the Security Aspect of Cloud Adoption?
The cloud is synonymous with open and shared environments, which makes data susceptible to loss. Compliance and privacy issues are an added challenge, especially for organizations that don’t have stringent cloud security measures in place. Properly securing data in the cloud should be part of a long-term strategy, not an afterthought.
Do You Have Clearly Defined Long-Term Goals and Measures of Success?
Having a long-term cloud strategy allows healthcare organizations to scale up and add services based on changing business conditions. Cloud implementations should take into account both current and future needs, which means organizations must have a deep understanding of their existing infrastructure. Organizations should also consider compliance issues and network complexities when establishing long-term goals.
LEARN MORE: Tips on how to power and protect digital health strategies.
Do You View Digital Transformation as a Destination or an Ongoing Journey?
The cloud is a vital part of digital transformation. It should be viewed as a continuous journey, where there’s room for improvement, growth and innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example of how healthcare systems had to change the course of their digital transformation journeys by ramping up virtual care services to patients faster than expected.
Did You Invest in Upskilling Your Already Overburdened IT Staff?
Educating and training existing IT staff is a way for healthcare systems to harness emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Organizations need skilled professionals who are knowledgeable in these areas and who can focus on higher-level tasks.
