Security Is Key to Maximizing Cloud Adoption Success in Healthcare

January 31, 2023 - Cloud adoption in healthcare has continued to increase in recent years, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from Wipro Limited suggested.

The pandemic opened organizations up to expanded security and compliance risks, accelerated the timetable for transitioning to the cloud, and led to increased cloud investments overall, survey respondents said.

As cloud beginners face challenges with cybersecurity and ease of adoption, they can learn from peer organizations that already embarked on their own cloud journeys.

Cloud Benefits, Challenges

With cloud as a priority, Wipro’s survey of C-level executives found that healthcare providers have improved IT systems, patient engagement, and clinical decision support.  

“To manage data more effectively, leaders and other healthcare providers are transitioning from using primarily public and private cloud to hybrid cloud environments,” the report also noted. “This allows them to operate databases with sensitive data on the premises and run applications that require more flexible resources in the public cloud.”

The benefits of moving to the cloud are plentiful, especially when paired with advanced technologies such as workflow automation and artificial intelligence, survey respondents indicated. Pairing cloud capabilities with advanced technologies may help organizations to automate repetitive tasks, drive efficiencies, and prevent burnout.

“The use of advanced technologies with cloud platforms is expected to surge over the next two years,” the report suggested.

Despite these benefits, security remains a challenge when it comes to cloud adoption. Nearly two-thirds of surveyed providers cited “developing cybersecurity teams and skills as the top step they have taken to ensure effective cloud implementation,” the report noted.

However, cloud leaders (defined by Wipro as having the highest levels of cloud maturity) were much more likely to cite cybersecurity as a challenge to cloud efforts than beginners. This shows that more cloud beginners should consider security efforts alongside cloud efforts when beginning the implementation process.

“Developing greater cloud maturity and devoting greater focus to cybersecurity should go hand in hand, and those new to cloud technologies should continue scaling up their security investments as their cloud operations progress,” Wipro Limited stated.

Despite an initial heavy lift by cybersecurity teams when implementing cloud technologies, two-thirds of respondents actually reported cybersecurity cost savings from migrating to the cloud.

Maximizing Cloud Success

Wipro offered several suggestions for maximizing the success of cloud adoption in healthcare based on survey responses. The report suggested leveraging the cloud to improve customer experience as well as reinvesting cost savings further into cloud applications.

“As providers improve data management through cloud-based data centers and cloud-native apps, it will become easier to improve customer analysis, leading to better patient engagement and customer management,” the report explained.

From a security perspective, Wipro doubled down on the importance of taking proactive steps to address security risks throughout the cloud adoption process.

“A robust cybersecurity management plan should include instituting multiple backup layers, installing AI- or machine learning-based end-point controls to detect threats, and, when necessary, identifying and applying security patches as quickly as possible,” the report emphasized.

In August 2022, the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) released an analyst note detailing cloud security risks. Securing the cloud must begin with an understanding of what is being secured and the system that is managing the cloud services, HC3 noted.

The analyst note stressed that cloud security is a shared responsibility between cloud providers and their clients. The level of responsibility for each party depends on whether organizations are using software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

Cloud technologies can be extremely useful for the healthcare sector, especially when security is considered every step of the way.

Wipro also emphasized the importance of leveraging key partnerships throughout the cloud implementation journey and engaging an expert cloud partner.

“Cloud technologies can potentially deliver a sought after turning point in what’s been a rough couple of years for the healthcare industry,” the report concluded.

“Providers that moved ahead of the sector to adopt cloud used it to modernize data management and other key functions, leading to benefits throughout their operations. Following the cloud leaders’ strategies can help beginners and intermediate cloud users accelerate their own cloud journeys and set themselves up for future success.”