CDW: Cloud computing gains ground in healthcare
One-third of healthcare organizations responding to a CDW survey said they are implementing or maintaining cloud-based systems, just ahead of respondents in government but behind higher education and large businesses.
In the survey, titled “From Tactic to Strategy: The 2011 Cloud Computing Tracking Poll,” CDW polled 1,200 IT professionals on their current and future use of cloud computing. Across all industries, the applications most commonly operated in the cloud included email (50 percent of cloud users), file storage (39 percent), web and videoconferencing (36 and 32 percent, respectively) and online learning (34 percent), according to CDW, of Vernon Hills, Ill.
In the healthcare sector, 37 percent of responding organizations have developed a written strategic plan for adoption of cloud computing, according to the study. Among those who are implementing or maintaining cloud systems, 88 percent have successfully reduced the cost of applications moved to the cloud. These users reported an average savings of 20 percent. By comparison, cloud users across all industries reported average savings of 21 percent annually, CDW stated.
Thirty-seven percent of healthcare respondents are in the discovery (investigational) stage; the next largest group is in the implementation stage (25 percent), according to the survey.
Cloud users expect to spend, on average, 21 percent of their health IT budget on cloud computing in the next two years. That average rises to 30 percent in the next five years, the survey showed.
In the survey, titled “From Tactic to Strategy: The 2011 Cloud Computing Tracking Poll,” CDW polled 1,200 IT professionals on their current and future use of cloud computing. Across all industries, the applications most commonly operated in the cloud included email (50 percent of cloud users), file storage (39 percent), web and videoconferencing (36 and 32 percent, respectively) and online learning (34 percent), according to CDW, of Vernon Hills, Ill.
In the healthcare sector, 37 percent of responding organizations have developed a written strategic plan for adoption of cloud computing, according to the study. Among those who are implementing or maintaining cloud systems, 88 percent have successfully reduced the cost of applications moved to the cloud. These users reported an average savings of 20 percent. By comparison, cloud users across all industries reported average savings of 21 percent annually, CDW stated.
Thirty-seven percent of healthcare respondents are in the discovery (investigational) stage; the next largest group is in the implementation stage (25 percent), according to the survey.
Cloud users expect to spend, on average, 21 percent of their health IT budget on cloud computing in the next two years. That average rises to 30 percent in the next five years, the survey showed.