Why is cloud computing a more secure environment for healthcare data?

Overview of Cloud Computing Industry in the Healthcare Sector

The cloud computing industry has progressed rapidly in the past years and is expected to grow bigger in the years to come. The global cloud computing market was valued at $371.4 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to reach a massive $832.1 billion by 2025. One of the most prominent sectors where cloud computing has huge applications in the healthcare industry.

If we look at the statistics for cloud computing in healthcare industry, the market value in 2020 was $28.1 billion and was projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.1%, thus reaching 64.7 billion. Healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting cloud computing solutions. A 2021 report on the digital transformation of the healthcare industry highlighted that 78% of organizations in the healthcare sector have already deployed cloud services, while another 20% are planning to implement the same in the near future.

Storing and Managing Healthcare Data in In-House Data Centers vs. Cloud Storage

When organizations manage healthcare data in their own private data centers, the benefit is that they have full control over the data management process. So it may feel like the more secure option instead of relying on third-party cloud services, but there are still many complications associated with in-house data centers.

The first problem is that there is an added responsibility of hiring and managing IT teams to look after the data center. Healthcare organizations are certainly not security experts, so they still have to rely on their IT team to protect their own data. Any mistakes or negligence on their part can still compromise the data and make it vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

On the other hand, when healthcare data is stored in cloud servers, the drawback is that organizations will not have complete control over the data and must rely on the cloud service providers. However, such services are usually much more qualified and experts at implementing the most advanced security measures. They have an obligation and motivation to protect their client’s data at all costs, as failing to do so will only tarnish their own reputation.

As such, cloud data storage in healthcare can do a much better job of protecting the data as compared to in-house IT teams. And it also allows organizations to better focus on their core healthcare services.

Security Measures Deployed by Healthcare Cloud Computing Services

Focused Approach Towards Data Security
When healthcare organizations manage their own data, their responsibilities are divided between their core services and data security. Such a divided focus will lead to reduced efficiency in both aspects. In contrast, cloud service providers have a focused approach to data security since the maintenance and protection of clients’ data is part of their core service itself.

Encryptions And Firewalls
The best cloud services in the market implement the strongest encryptions to secure data stored in their cloud servers. So even if hackers and cybercriminals get access to the encrypted data, it will be next to impossible for them to decipher it. On top of that, cloud servers are further secured by a strong layer of the firewall, so the combination of these two security features is sufficient to protect healthcare data from almost all kinds of cyber-attacks. ​

Implementation of ML and AI
Cloud computing is getting better and smarter with time, and many cloud services are now implementing Artificial Intelligence as well as Machine Learning to improve the level of security further. ML and AI technologies can constantly monitor and identify breaches and threats to the cloud servers and even take autonomous actions to mitigate those threats.

It’s a highly promising aspect of cloud security because ML/AI can be used to process a large amount of data and determine common patterns of cyber-attacks. Thus it can prevent similar kinds of attacks from happening in the future. ​

Backup and Restore Data
Cyber-attacks are not the only security threats to healthcare data. Another common issue is that internal problems in the server can make the data corrupt, making it temporarily inaccessible or even permanently destroying the data. However, that is never an issue with cloud storage because one of the best aspects of cloud computing is that it stores multiple copies of the data as backup. So if some of the data is lost, it’s immediately restored from the backups.​​

Regular Security Checks and Updates
As we mentioned before, any reputed cloud provider will be very serious about the quality of their service. So they frequently run security checks to ensure the strength and efficiency of their system when defending against various threats. They also run regular security updates to ensure that they use the latest technologies and not rely on outdated security definitions.​​

Choosing a Reliable Healthcare Cloud Computing Service

Cloud data storage in healthcare is extremely safe and secure, but that doesn’t mean that every service in the market is reliable. There are some excellent cloud providers out there, and at the same time, there are many mediocre services that should be avoided at all costs. So healthcare organizations must be extremely careful and alert when choosing the right medical cloud company to store their data.

One of the important factors which must be considered for healthcare cloud services is whether they are compliant with HIPAA regulations. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has laid down standards and rules for companies that maintain Protected Health Information (PHI). These standards set by HIPAA, such as the Privacy Rule and Security Rule must be strictly followed by healthcare cloud services in order to protect sensitive patient information.

So a reliable healthcare cloud computing service should always comply with HIPAA regulations. And healthcare organizations must be careful that they only approach HIPAA-compliant cloud providers to ensure the safety of their patients’ medical data.

Protecting Healthcare Data with ResolveData

ResolveData is a leading medical cloud company that specializes in a multitude of cloud computing solutions designed for the healthcare industry. It’s a highly secure cloud service that not only ensures all-around protection of healthcare data but also complies with security standards, regulations, and privacy requirements set by regulatory bodies in the healthcare sector.

• –    Kogni– a smart security system designed to detect breaches and attacks and also isolate and mitigate threats
• –   Highly secure identity management system that ensures only authorized parties can access the data conveniently while keeping all attackers and intruders at bay.
• –   Integration of advanced risk management measures