Cloud And Bare Metal For Healthcare Applications

Both cloud and bare metal solutions have multiple uses in the healthcare sector. Each environment does, however, present its own benefits, challenges, compliance issues, and use cases. With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide to cloud healthcare and bare metal healthcare.

Cloud healthcare

Here is an overview of cloud healthcare solutions.

Benefits

Scalability: Healthcare providers can easily scale resources up or down based on demand. This is particularly beneficial for managing varying workloads such as those seen during health crises or flu seasons.

Accessibility: Healthcare professionals can access patient data and applications from anywhere with an internet connection. This capability is essential for supporting telemedicine, which has seen rapid adoption, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Built for collaboration: Cloud solutions centralize data storage and make it accessible in real time. This facilitates collaboration across different departments and institutions which can lead to better patient outcomes.

Challenges

Security and compliance: Healthcare organizations must ensure that their cloud providers adhere to stringent security standards to protect against data breaches. They are also likely to need support for compliance programs such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe.

Latency: In certain areas of healthcare, such as in telemedicine or emergency services, data must be processed in real-time (or as close to it as possible). Excessive delays can have significant negative consequences for patient outcomes.

Ongoing costs: Although the cloud has minimal upfront costs, its resource-based pricing can become expensive for heavy usage. Moreover, the reliance on external vendors for cloud services also introduces the risk of vendor lock-in. This is where switching providers or migrating data and applications becomes costly and complex. It can significantly limit the flexibility of the healthcare organization.

Bare metal healthcare

Here is an overview of bare metal healthcare solutions.

Benefits

Performance: Bare metal servers can be customized to suit an organization’s exact requirements. Moreover, the absence of virtualization overhead means that organizations get full value from their hardware. This means that bare metal servers can be relied on to deliver the sort of power needed for compute-intensive applications such as medical imaging, where large datasets from MRI or CT scans need to be processed in real time.

Security: As bare metal servers are dedicated to a single organization, there is no risk of data exposure through shared infrastructure. Moreover, using enables organizations to implement their own security protocols, monitoring, and access controls without relying on third-party vendors.

Predictable costs: Bare metal servers are typically charged on a fixed-price basis. At a minimum, this means that their costs are predictable. This can be a major advantage for organizations that prefer clear, fixed expenses over variable operational costs. Also, bare metal servers tend to be more economical than cloud solutions for heavy, predictable workloads.

Challenges

Limited scalability: Bare metal infrastructure often requires significant time and effort to scale, limiting its flexibility. This rigidity can be problematic in scenarios where rapid expansion is needed, such as during a public health emergency.

Management requirements: Bare metal environments demand in-house expertise to manage and maintain the infrastructure. This management includes regular hardware upgrades, security patching, and system monitoring, which can increase the operational burden on IT staff.

Upfront cost: Investing in physical servers, networking equipment, and data centers requires substantial capital, which can be a barrier for smaller healthcare providers. With that said, the predictability of costs associated with owning and managing physical servers can be an advantage for organizations that prefer clear, fixed expenses over variable operational costs.

Regulatory compliance considerations

Cloud providers typically offer compliance certifications and adhere to industry standards, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the healthcare organization to ensure that their cloud implementation meets regulatory requirements.

Bare metal solutions, by offering more control over the environment, may simplify compliance efforts. Organizations can customize security measures and directly manage access to sensitive data. This control can be particularly advantageous when dealing with highly sensitive patient information or when strict compliance is non-negotiable.

Specific use cases

In healthcare, cloud computing is particularly well-suited for telemedicine, where scalability and remote accessibility are crucial. Cloud platforms support video consultations, remote patient monitoring, and the storage and analysis of large datasets, such as those used in personalized medicine and AI-driven diagnostics.

Cloud-based Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems enable healthcare providers to centralize patient data, facilitating real-time access and collaboration among medical professionals.

Conversely, bare metal solutions are ideal for applications requiring high performance and low latency. For example, real-time processing of medical imaging data is critical in diagnostics and surgical planning.

Bare metal infrastructure also supports on-premise EHR systems, where the control and security of patient data are paramount. Additionally, for mission-critical applications, such as those used in robotic surgery or intensive care monitoring, bare metal provides the necessary reliability and speed to ensure optimal outcomes.