Cloud computing is an indispensable tool in healthcare today. From storing patient data to powering cutting-edge technology, cloud solutions offer unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. The extent of benefit gained, however, depends on the quality and performance of the cloud solution. Here’s how to assess your cloud performance.
4 Ways to Assess Cloud Performance
1. Revisit Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
What did you set out to achieve with your cloud solution? Perhaps you aimed to:
- Reduce total cost of ownership
- Improve application response times
- Decrease the number of security incidents
- Elevate user satisfaction
- Achieve greater ROI
How well are you stacking up against these quantifiable goals? Where are you falling behind, and why?
2. Consult Industry Benchmarks and Best Practices
Understanding how organizations like yours are approaching cloud implementation and management can help inform your strategy and minimize wrong turns. This information may not be readily available, but don’t let that discourage you. Creating a sustainable future for healthcare necessitates leaning more heavily into collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
On the topic of industry best practices, let’s take a moment to zoom in on one cloud-related trend that has been sweeping through healthcare: migration away from public clouds. Organizations with a hybrid, multi-cloud or private cloud structure have a sizable advantage over public clouds.
Hybrid Cloud vs Public Cloud
- Hybrid clouds are flexible and adaptable. They offer smart resource allocation without breaking your budget. When deployed within a managed cloud solution, integration is seamless, and interoperability is consistent.
- Public clouds allow for rapid deployment and are the lowest cost, but those benefits come at the sacrifice of data security and privacy—two of the most critical aspects of any healthcare technology. They also offer limited infrastructure autonomy, which decreases flexibility and data migration.
Private Cloud
A private cloud like the Physician Select Management private cloud offers maximum security, data privacy, and processing speed. A cloud management partner can deploy a customized cloud environment to your specific needs and requirements, significantly decreasing the likelihood of vulnerabilities, breaches, and successful cyberattacks.
Think of it like this: Major public cloud providers like Azure are like real estate companies that own large apartment buildings. They rent general purpose “apartments” (servers) individually and lease large blocks to EHR companies like eCW. So, when eCW provides cloud hosting, they act as an intermediary and sublet those virtual servers to practices like yours.
In contrast, a cloud partner like Physician Select Management builds a hosting environment that is specifically designed and purpose-built from the ground up to do one thing: host the EHR product with maximum performance, agility, and security. Rather than serving as a go-between, we work directly with you, acting as your own personal house manager. We are dedicated to keeping your server up-to-date, fast, and secure.
Now, back to assessing cloud performance!
3. Conduct an Infrastructure Audit
The goal of an IT infrastructure audit is to identify places where you can maximize the utility of current resources and past investments and deploy modern solutions that elevate compliance and security. It should include:
- Assessing workload and workflow for inefficiencies
- Identifying misalignments between strategic objectives and current investments
- Scanning security measures for vulnerabilities
- Reviewing processes and interactions for compliance
4. Enlist extra support
Perhaps the easiest way to ensure your cloud infrastructure continually performs at its best is to enlist the pros. At Physician Select Management, our expert team can quickly identify the most impactful opportunities for your organization to improve security protocols, data storage processes, user productivity, and overall operations.
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Considering making a switch in your cloud approach? Whether you’re worried about costs, performance, or usability – we have the answers you need. Start the conversation.