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Evolve IP recently published survey results from healthcare IT pros and execs which found, among other things, that when facing hardware malfunctions and environmental disasters, their organization's data was described as safer in the cloud than on premises. To understand the findings more and to learn about current cloud adoption trends and future cloud deployment insights, VMblog spoke with Scott Kinka, Chief Technical and Product Development Officer and Founding Partner, Evolve IP.
VMblog: What
percentage of healthcare organizations now have at least one service in
the cloud, and what does that tell us about the cloud in healthcare?
Scott Kinka: A survey of over 180 healthcare professionals found that 85 percent of all
healthcare organizations now have at least one service in the cloud. Now
more than ever, healthcare IT professionals and executives believe that
when facing hardware malfunctions and environmental disasters, data is
safer on the cloud than anywhere else.
VMblog: As
data security is an ongoing concern for IT, what risk scenarios did
respondents feel that their data was safest under?
Kinka: Respondents
found that their data was safest under three common risk scenarios: environmental
disasters, malicious attacks, and hardware failure.
VMblog: Which
cloud services were cited as the top deployed among healthcare
organizations, and are these the services that should be focused on in
healthcare?
Kinka: Data
backup, servers/data centers, other SaaS and Microsoft Exchange and
Office were cited as the top deployed cloud services among healthcare
organizations. Additionally, the survey indicated that adoption will
continue to be strong, with 81 percent of respondents planning on adding
new or additional cloud services in the next three years. These services
are crucial to facilitating business continuity among health systems
regardless of size.
VMblog: Were
private or public clouds preferred for environmental disasters, malicious
attacks, and hardware malfunctions, and why?
Kinka: For environmental
disasters, 61 percent felt their information was safest in a private
cloud compared to 27.5 percent in a public cloud and 11.5 percent on
premise. For malicious attacks, 58.5 percent preferred a private cloud to
safeguard their data versus 32 percent on premise and 9.5 percent public
cloud. For hardware malfunctions 58.5 percent preferred private clouds
compared to 24 percent public cloud and 17.5 percent on premises. Private
clouds among those surveyed represented data security that was perceived
to be stronger than that of public clouds.
VMblog: What
percentage of organizations chose to deploy cloud services on their own
versus using a third party provider, and why would they choose to do this?
Kinka: Among
those surveyed, 38.75 percent of organizations had deployed a cloud
solution on their own versus using a third party provider. This is
markedly lower than the average of all industries of 54.75 percent. When
asked if they had to start the deployment over, nearly a third (32.5
percent) said they would outsource to a solution provider the next time. The
organizations that chose to use a third party provider did so to ensure
fluid processes, cost savings, and disaster avoidance and recovery, all
of which cloud services promise; third party providers offer added
security reinforcing these benefits.
VMblog: What
were the top services respondents expected to deploy in the cloud over the
next three years, and could cloud technology change this?
Kinka: The
top services that respondents expected to deploy in the cloud over the
next three years included data backup (48 percent), Exchange / Office
(27.5 percent) and phone systems (27 percent). The changing landscape of
the cloud could change extent of offerings provided by both internal and
third party cloud services.
VMblog: How
can Evolve IP's services facilitate the deployment of HIPAA and
PCI-compliant cloud computing and cloud communications services?
Kinka: Evolve
IP is incredibly well positioned to help healthcare organizations
successfully deploy HIPAA and PCI-compliant cloud computing and cloud
communications services. As evidenced by the survey results, healthcare
organizations have recognized the significant benefits of the cloud. With
a dedicated healthcare focus, geographically redundant Tier IV data
centers and The Evolve IP Compliance Cloud, Evolve IP allows
cloud services to be deployed quickly and effectively.
With a dedicated compliance and
certifications practice, Evolve IP offers customers confidence with The
Compliance Cloud. In addition to SSAE- 16 SOC II compliance,
Evolve IP has been rigorously audited and achieved standing compliance for
government (ITAR) and healthcare (HIPAA). The company also features one of the
broadest sets of cloud service provider certifications in the nation including:
VMware, Cisco, EMC, Microsoft, Citrix, and Polycom. Evolve IP enables IT
departments to minimize the risk, complexity and ultimately cost of managing
corporate data, especially around email. Evolve IP delivers solutions that help
organizations protect the security, integrity and availability of information
within their businesses.
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