The unstoppable advancement of technology keeps pushing us all forward, even in notoriously slow to evolve and heavily regulated industries like healthcare. Though there are always security concerns when it comes to the transfer of electronic health records (EHRs), change is coming in the form of the cloud. With amazing innovations in everything from emergency care to long-term preventative medicine, the cloud can be extremely beneficial to healthcare.

There are many important factors to keep in mind when evaluating cloud computing solutions:

• 1. Evaluate your needs. Every healthcare company is different; no two have the exact same business plan, customers, stakeholders or existing infrastructure. Make sure you talk to everyone involved to determine sticking points as well as develop both long and short-term goals for upgrade plans.
• 2. Research your options. Take time on your own to learn about the options. Don’t be sold a pitch by a salesman. Cloud solutions vary widely in their focus and there is rarely a solution that will meet every single one of your needs. Find service providers with experience dealing with your organization’s particular challenges
• 3. Have an implementation strategy. Selecting a cloud service provider can seem like the easy part when faced with coordinating its integration with your existing systems. Having a plan in place for installation will help keep managers, employees and customers on the same page. Getting the team ready for change through informational meetings and training sessions should smooth the way for successful cloud implementation.

Keep these thoughts in mind when considering any cloud platform or service and your company should keep pace with innovation just fine. If it all seems like too much, consider working with experienced consultants who can help eliminate sticking points before they come up and facilitate communication between all interested parties. Cloud computing is here to stay, make sure your company is with it on cloud nine.