Cloud Technology – A Key Driver of the Healthcare Industry

Cloud technology is one of the key drivers of the healthcare industry’s growth. As projected by many newspapers and analysts, the digitization of healthcare sector will be one of the greatest challenges. The digital transformation of the healthcare sector can be summarized in three steps:

• Digitization of Relevant Data
• Data Analysis
• Real-Time Sharing

Cloud Technology, Big Data, and Mobile Technology are the three drivers that will have the biggest impact on the healthcare industry, particularly in the areas of Population Health, Biobank, Clinical Laboratory Management, and Precision Medicine.

Under the Precision Medicine Initiative, development of personalized therapies for diseases ranging from common disorders to cancer, requires aggregation of a large number of samples and the associated information such as patient demographics, clinical data, lifestyle information, environment exposure data etc. The Precision Medicine initiative has already received large investments from the Unites States and Europe. It is also expected that this initiative will have a significant impact on the Asia-Pacific, in terms of increasing expenditure for databases and biobanking infrastructure.

Beyond the Precision Medicine Initiative, huge volume of genomic data is being generated from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Handling of such information in an effective and secure manner raises the need for advanced robotics, real time data access, and advanced IT solutions. From the data accessibility perspective, it also raises the need for interoperability of information centers. Deployment of an efficient cloud based lab management software can address the impediments effectively.