Cloud computing has continued to gain traction in the last few years across all industries due to the efficiency, cost benefits, and competitive advantages it offers its users. Unfortunately, a large portion of veterinary practices continues to operate without it. Even for practices that have integrated some form of cloud computing into their day-to-day operations, their practice management systems are still stuck in the traditional IT infrastructure that requires all operations to be run from within.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Chances are, as a veterinary practice, you are already using a variety of cloud computing services even without realizing it. This includes services such as Gmail, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, and social media platforms such as Instagram and TurboTax.
Cloud Computing Involves
Simply put, cloud computing involves the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence over the internet, which is what is referred to as the cloud. The delivery of these computing services through the internet ensures a lower operating cost, an efficient IT infrastructure, and the ability to scale your practice fast to meet your growth.
Benefits of Cloud-based Practice Management System
There are many things to consider when choosing a veterinary practice management system. This includes its ability to schedule and notify the staff of appointments according to the patient’s demands and capacity. There is also a need to keep track of their patients’ details such as vaccinations, diagnoses, treatments, and follow-ups. The nurses and technicians who work in these veterinary practices also need to ensure there are enough drugs and treatments. A robust practice management system is required to coordinate all these activities.
Whereas traditional practice management systems have been able to meet most of these considerations, the growth and benefits of migrating to a cloud-based system far outweigh those of an in-house practice management system. Below are some of the benefits you may expect by migrating to a cloud-based practice management system.
1. Data Security
Cybersecurity is a major concern for most veterinary practices. Fortunately, migrating to a cloud-based system ensures data integrity by preventing unauthorized modification or deletion. It also ensures that data will remain in its original form.
Although there is still a small chance that human errors, insider threats, malicious intruders, and compromised hardware can result in a cybersecurity threat. When compared to an in-house system, data security guarantees from a cloud-based veterinary practice management system have granular permissions and access management that can be used to restrict unauthorized users from accessing data. Most cloud-based systems also have authentication, access control, and encryption, which also add an extra layer of security.
2. Back-up and Restore Data
In a cloud-based system, users are able to automatically back up their data at regular intervals. Data can also be stored without capacity constraints. Therefore, veterinary practices can have multiple saved snapshots of their practice management system, allowing them to quickly restore their data after a cybersecurity issue.
3. High Speed
Cloud-based practice management systems are easy to configure. As a veterinary practice, the migration process to a cloud-based system is also fast. You also do not need to worry about software-hardware compatibility because, in most cases, these issues are addressed by the service provider.
4. Scalability
The growth of your veterinary practice will be easily accommodated by the cloud-based practice management system you use. Unlike in-house infrastructure, where you may need to buy expensive infrastructure, in most cloud-based solutions, the cost of upgrading is cheaper and hence easy to scale.
5. Disaster Recovery
Having your cloud-based practice management system deployed and running in multiple locations also ensures that, in case one region’s computer systems are down, there will be no interruption of services. Also, heavy traffic can be distributed to your cloud-based instances, allowing you to handle increases in usage without interruptions. A cyberattack in one cloud-based location also does not affect the entire system, making it easy to recover from a cyberattack.
6. Cost Saving
Although in most cases, the initial cost of migrating to a cloud-based system is expensive, the return on investment is greater compared to in-house solutions. In the long term, the cost of running a cloud-based practice management system is also cheaper.
7. Mobility
With a cloud-based practice management system, you can access it anywhere in the world. You also have more flexibility in the type of devices you can use, unlike in-house systems, which can be accessed from any location and only with a computer.
8. Increased Collaboration
Your staff can be able to collaborate, even when they are not near each other. Teamwork is also made easy. Team members working using a cloud-based practice management system can view and share information easily and securely across the platform, thereby simplifying the process.
9. Competitive Edge
Over time, veterinary practices that migrate to cloud-based solutions will have an edge over their competitors, which comes from regular integrations of new IT solutions. This can have an impact on the survivability of your practice.
10. Control over your data
Having control over your data is an important aspect of the veterinary field. If the data lands in the wrong hands, it can result in both financial and legal problems. Cloud-based solutions, on the other hand, give practices greater control over their data. You can easily see what level of access each of your staff has. You can also set the access control and revoke access at will, regardless of where you are. This gives you power that can help you prevent getting compromised and your data getting stolen.
Need help choosing the right Cloud EMR\PIMs for your veterinary hospital?
We at Lucca Veterinary Data Security, have contacts and resources at the leading cloud-based EMR systems. That way we can help you narrow down your choices that best suit your needs. So you can spend less time on sales calls and demos and more time where it’s important…… helping your patients.
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