The veterinary practice is becoming a more technologically conscious profession, and integrating information technology in the field is slowly becoming a necessity rather than a choice. Practice owners and clients are now looking for easier ways to work together, such as scheduling a visit, booking veterinary practitioners, getting information about a given practice and keeping in touch and talking about the progress of treated patients.
Practice owners and information technology providers are also looking for solutions that can meet the industry’s needs, with many turning to cloud computing services as an alternative remote solution.
Cloud computing allows veterinary practice owners to use information technology tools and applications such as data storage, servers, databases, networking and software over the internet. It gives practice owners the ability to remotely store information and files on remote databases that can be easily accessed from any place as long as there is internet connectivity.
Cloud computing technology is gaining traction, even in the most conservative industries such as veterinary practice due to its security, ease of use, easy access and cost-effectiveness, becoming a preferred model for application development.
Why use cloud computing as a practice owner
Cloud computing allows practice owners the flexibility of not having to own computing infrastructure or data centers. They are able to rent out these services on the internet and get access to anything from applications to storage from a cloud service provider. This is a cost-effective way of being able to use a complex computing infrastructure without buying it.
Cloud computing also allows practice owners to avoid the upfront cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own infrastructure. As a practice owner, you also do not have to pay for the whole cloud computing package, giving you the flexibility to only pay for services that you need. This is one key aspect of the Lucca model, pay only for what you need and nothing you don’t.
Types of cloud computing services
Cloud computing is increasingly becoming popular in the field of veterinary practice, and interaction with the technology is also becoming unavoidable. Services such as Gmail, phone cloud backup in smartphones and most mobile applications are now hosted on the cloud platform.
To use cloud computing services, however, practice owners should be able to know the different types of cloud computing services on offer, how each service works and how they can be integrated into a veterinary practice. Here are the three types of services that are available for practice owners looking to migrate to cloud computing.
Infrastructure as a service(IaaS)
IaaS gives practice owners the ability to rent out information technology infrastructures such as servers, operating systems, data center space and networking components on a pay-as-you-go basis. It also them avoid extra costs by eliminating the need to buy and build their own infrastructure from the ground up.
Practice owners looking for web hosting solutions, web apps deployment, big data analysis, testing and development environments and high-performance solutions find Iaas to be an effective cloud computing service for their needs.
Platform as a service (PaaS)
PaaS contains all the functionalities of the IaaS such as storage, networking and virtual servers plus extra functionalities, tools and software required for development of web applications such as middleware, database management, operating system and development tools.
Software as a service (SaaS)
This is the most common cloud computing solution for veterinary practioners. It involves software subscription services that are hosted on a cloud computer. In this type of cloud computing, practice owners do not concern themselves with the underlying hardware and operating system since all services are accessed via a web browser. A good example of Saas that is most commonly used in veterinary practice is corporate mailing services.
Why cloud computing is effective in security
Avoiding DDOS attacks
Cloud computing offers protection against distributed denial of service(DDoS) attacks by monitoring, absorbing and dispersing the attacks to minimize the risks. The state of the art computing infrastructure also comes equipped with tools and software to monitor web traffic and guard the system with real-time scanning of potential risks.
Data encryption
Cloud services encrypt all data and provide veterinary practitioners with tools for easy sharing and mobile computing. It also encrypts all data shared on the platform, ensuring that your data is always safe and also inaccessible for unauthorized users.
Practice practitioners are also given the freedom to chose users who will be accessing the data that has been outsourced to the cloud. This ensures that the system thwarts any attempt to compromise data.
Secure storage
Cloud computing provides the safest bet for protection against data losses as a result of a disaster or physical access by unauthorized persons. Cloud computing also offers a secure way to backup your data and the ability to restore the data in case of any computing mishap.
Patch management
Cloud computing security vulnerabilities are patched regularly, ensuring the system has protection against hackers. Therefore, veterinary practitioners looking for a safe system should consider migrating to cloud computing for maximum data protection.
Ready to start leveraging the cloud in your practice?
The easiest way to leverage the cloud is with the Lucca Data Vualt. Lucca takes your server and replicates it both locally and in the cloud. That way your data is always safe and available. Should your server fail, Lucca can pull in her resources to have you back up and running in minutes not days. Ask yourself this. Whats your practice worth if your practice management system is empty?
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Lucca.vet
The People of Veterinary Medicine Podcast