6 Reasons For Considering Medical Software Hosting On An Australian Private Cloud Server
We’ve all faced the prospect of replacing the practice IT server with some trepidation. Unfortunately when it starts to grind to a halt, there seems to be even more temptation to put it off.
The high up-front costs, the disruption to the clinic’s operations, the risk of data loss or corruption, as well as the challenges of reinstalling your practice management software, are just some of the reasons to delay the upgrade.
However, not replacing the server increases the risk of the whole computer system completely failing and then still having to do the upgrade, but with the pressure of time and without access to patient records.
Then of course, there is the planned, calm, precise and cost efficient way.
A large part of this latter way, is having your practice management software transferred and hosted on a private server, stored in a secure Australian datacentre and managed by specialists in medical software hosting.
So what does using a private cloud server (often called a private server hosting solution) offer medical practices, over the traditional model of purchasing and running your own server hardware?
1. No up-front equipment costs
A private cloud server is provided as a service for a monthly subscription. This means that you receive access to an already fully functioning computer system at all times via a monthly fee, as opposed to purchasing hardware and taking on the responsibility and cost to set it up, and then maintain into the future.
2. Business scalability
A private cloud server allows you to add or reduce the size of your server as your business grows or shrinks. Therefore your IT system and the associated costs are always in step with your practice size. If you purchase a second practice or take on more rooms your system can always be expanded to meet your needs.
3. Boosted productivity
A convenient and reliable IT system that can be accessed easily from multiple locations, will save time and boost productivity within your medical practice. A private cloud server is fully supported by our technical staff and therefore your software runs smoothly and files are always available.
4. Ensures peace of mind
Mitigating business risk is a key responsibility of all businesses, with insecure and unreliable IT systems being a prime source of risk. Use of a private cloud server brings with it high levels of data security, reliability and disaster recovery features, and so keeping the focus on patients, rather than computers. Also knowing that your software and data is managed securely and reliably by IT professionals at any given time, can provide peace of mind.
5. All-inclusive fixed pricing
Hosting yur medical software and data within a private cloud server means you will receive one invoice per month, that covers all aspects of your IT including;
- server licensing
- security and antivirus
- file and system backups
- helpdesk support
- all datacentre fees
This makes budgeting for your IT easier and the ongoing costs more stable.
6. Data sovereignty
The location of where data is stored is becoming increasingly important with different countries adopting different privacy legislation. In most professions it is either recommended or required that you store your data within Australian borders. By using an Australian-based service provider that offers assurances in writing, that all data is kept in Australia, you will ensure that your information and your patient’s files never leave the country.
Is there a specialist cloud service provider here in Australia focused on medical practices?
Habitat3 is one such specialist provider, offering premium private cloud server hosting to Australian GPs and Specialists.
Habitat3 understands your medical software and how to host it securely, reliably and cost effectively. They use a secure datacentre facility in Sydney, holding high level accreditation* and offering full ongoing technical support, as well as a free server setup and data migration service, without insisting on “lock-in contracts. The team also has great working relationships with the market leading software providers, ensuring you receive ongoing seamless support for all software and hardware linked to your medical practice.
www.habitat3.com.au/virtual-private-servers
*PCI Ver3, ISO 27001 and ISO 14001