Healthcare Mistrusts Security of Cloud Technologies

BridgeHead Software, a leading developer of healthcare data management software, unveiled partial preliminary results of its Data Management Healthcheck 2010 survey, reporting that only 6.5% of respondents indicate cloud storage is currently the destination media for their organization's archived data. Further, only 33% noted their organization plans to adopt a cloud storage strategy for any data over the next 12-24 months.

The online survey, launched Feb. 9, was designed to assess healthcare's preparedness for the massive volume of data generated by the industry's escalating reliance upon information technology. Early findings specific to cloud storage were announced by BridgeHead at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference and exhibition.

An overwhelming majority of respondents to date - more than 80% - reports that the most significant factor influencing decisions about utilizing cloud storage is concern about security and availability of data. Respondents also cited cost and a lack of conviction that cloud storage offers significant benefits when compared to local media.

"While preliminary, these results are very interesting and highly indicative of the industry's rightful concern about the security of confidential and sensitive material," notes Tony Cotterill, CEO of BridgeHead Software. "Second to delivering excellent care, healthcare leaders are committed to protecting any and all information pertaining to patients."

Although healthcare is proceeding cautiously, many experts anticipate that a cloud strategy will play an escalating role in data storage, backup and archiving. "Other industries are leading the way," points out Cotterill. "They have discovered that including the cloud as an integral component of their overarching IT strategy offers a number of benefits, including increased efficiency, scalability and cost savings."

Select technology providers have already addressed questions about cloud security and data availability, and advise healthcare organizations to ensure any vendor partners demonstrate data is encrypted both during transmission and "at rest" within the cloud. In addition, vendors should offer sufficient redundancy to guarantee organizations can get data back from the cloud when they need it.

Preliminary release of survey results represents input from about 75 participants. The survey will remain open during HIMSS and the World of Health IT (WoHIT) conference in Barcelona, Spain, March 15-18, with attendees at both meetings invited to respond. BridgeHead will release complete findings on a range of data management topics - including anticipated growth in data volume, trends towards server virtualization and the impact of "green IT" - in early May.

The survey can be completed at http://www.bridgeheadsoftware.com/hdm-survey.

About BridgeHead Software
BridgeHead Software is the leading provider of Healthcare Storage Virtualization (HSV) technology, providing backup, recovery, and archiving solutions to over 1,000 hospitals worldwide. BridgeHead HSV enables organizations to eliminate data silos and separate applications from storage. A storage- and vendor-agnostic approach, BridgeHead HSV provides customers with a scalable platform that works with their current and future systems infrastructure. To learn more about BridgeHead Software, visit http://www.bridgeheadsoftware.com.

Most Popular Now

AI Catches One-Third of Interval Breast …

An AI algorithm for breast cancer screening has potential to enhance the performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), reducing interval cancers by up to one-third, according to a study published...

AI also Assesses Dutch Mammograms Better…

AI is detecting tumors more often and earlier in the Dutch breast cancer screening program. Those tumors can then be treated at an earlier stage. This has been demonstrated by...

RSNA AI Challenge Models can Independent…

Algorithms submitted for an AI Challenge hosted by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) have shown excellent performance for detecting breast cancers on mammography images, increasing screening sensitivity while...

AI could Help Emergency Rooms Predict Ad…

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help emergency department (ED) teams better anticipate which patients will need hospital admission, hours earlier than is currently possible, according to a multi-hospital study by the...

Head-to-Head Against AI, Pharmacy Studen…

Students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree routinely take - and pass - rigorous exams to prove competency in several areas. Can ChatGPT accurately answer the same questions? A new...

NHS Active 10 Walking Tracker Users are …

Users of the NHS Active 10 app, designed to encourage people to become more active, immediately increased their amount of brisk and non-brisk walking upon using the app, according to...

New AI Tool Illuminates "Dark Side…

Proteins sustain life as we know it, serving many important structural and functional roles throughout the body. But these large molecules have cast a long shadow over a smaller subclass...

The Human Touch of Doctors will Still be…

AI-based medicine will revolutionise care including for Alzheimer’s and diabetes, predicts a technology expert, but it must be accessible to all patients. Healing with Artificial Intelligence, written by technology expert Daniele...

Deep Learning-Based Model Enables Fast a…

Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally. Ischemic stroke, strongly linked to atherosclerotic plaques, requires accurate plaque and vessel wall segmentation and quantification for definitive diagnosis. However, conventional...

Brain Imaging may Identify Patients Like…

By understanding differences in how people’s brains are wired, clinicians may be able to predict who would benefit from a self-guided anxiety care app, according to a new analysis from...

Stepping for Digital Rewards

Walking is well known to have significant health benefits, but few people achieve the daily recommended steps. Fortunately, mobile health (mHealth) applications have emerged as promising tools to promote physical...