New Product Development
August 2020 – In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.
In the last couple of years, the demand for cloud-based solutions has accelerated as more vendors offer safe, secure and user-friendly applications.
Today, it is normal for many professionals to use cloud-based business applications such as scheduling systems, practice management systems and even remote fitting systems.
But why are these cloud applications becoming so popular?
Benefits of cloud computing
Some benefits of cloud-based applications are crystal clear, such as the ability to easily share programs and data between offices or when working from home.
Cloud-computing can also provide access to more powerful cloud-based servers, improving performance and even the instant enabling of new features.
Just as important for businesses, cloud-computing applications also lift the burden of software support from their shoulders. Functions such as software upgrades and data backups are now automatically performed in the cloud. This means it is no longer necessary for businesses to use precious time and resources on software maintenance.
Importance of security for patient data
Another key benefit is the safety of critical business data, especially patient data.
New rules for data protection make it complicated for small businesses to meet the requirements for protection of their patient data. For this reason, a number of vendors such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services offer cloud services that prioritize data security.
Most cloud-based software vendors choose one of these services to safely and securely store business critical data in the cloud.
Hearing in the Cloud
The hearing care industry has a reputation for being cautious when it comes to new computing technologies.
However, in the past couple of years, we have seen more and more remote services and other web-based features become available for hearing care professionals and their patients.
These services make it easier for hearing care professionals to communicate remotely with their patients, especially in these trying times.
Noah on the Way Up
HIMSA has not been idle either.
Our first foray into the cloud was the Noah Mobile web API. This technology allows devices, from web-based audiometers to iPad, to send and store results remotely to the Noah database in your office.
Within the last year, the Noah Tele-health Dashboard was released, paving the way for communication between manufacturer patient apps and hearing care professionals using the Noah interface.
And the most exciting of all is yet to come.
HIMSA continues to work hard on the Noah ES project mentioned in our newsletter at the beginning of the year.
Stay tuned to the HIMSA newsletter for more information.