Cloud Computing is no longer brand new. It’s being used by thousands of other dental practices across the nation, and in a few short years, it’s expected that the majority of dentists and oral surgeons will switch to the Cloud. It’s important to research cloud computing before deciding to make the Big Switch so you know exactly what is involved and how it will affect your business.
Security and Privacy
When it comes to your patients’ information, security is key. Your patients rely on you to keep their personal information private, and your practice is expected to adhere to HIPAA compliance regulations. When you host your server and applications in the Cloud, you are ensuring the safety of this data. Not only do you add a second firewall when you choose to host data in the cloud (in addition to the physical firewall in your office), but you also receive the utmost in physical security as well. The data centers that store cloud servers are protected and monitored 24/7 for both human and natural disasters like burglaries or floods.
Predictability
As long as your data needs remain the same, the cost of hosting your practice in the cloud will stay the same, too. You can plan on a consistent fee that will change only if and when you need it. With this kind of predictability, you will be able to budget for your business without the added stress of unforeseeable hardware maintenance costs.
Work anytime, anywhere
With the cloud, you will be able to access your schedule, database, and patient information no matter where you are. This is especially useful when you work from home, or if you have several office locations. Plus, you will no longer have to try and remember a patient’s details offhand when they dial your emergency hotline.
Case Communication with your Team
When your patients’ data is stored in the cloud, your team will be able to access their case information on any device. When you need to communicate about patient information with specialists, the data can be quickly, easily, and safely shared.
Business Continuity Plan
Do you have a plan for when disaster strikes? If your building were to lose power or burn down today, would your patients’ information be safe? Hosting your practice in the Cloud makes a business continuity plan worry free and completely idiot-proof. Backups will occur every 6 hours, which means your data is always up to date. If the worst happens, you can rest easy knowing that your data is secure and can be retrieved at a moment’s notice.
Focus on patients instead of server maintenance
Your priority is your patients’ care. With cloud computing, you won’t have to take time out of your busy schedule to deal with server maintenance if things go wrong. You won’t experience any downtime because of faulty hardware, which means that 100% of the time you could have spent dealing with an inconsistent network will be spent with your patients instead.
