A lot of our data center customers are in the healthcare industry - This topic is close to my heart, as I used to work in this field several years ago. Healthcare organization are facing specific challenges  in moving to the cloud, that Cisco and partners address carefully.

IT innovation and integration in healthcare is on the rise, causing a fundamental shift for healthcare organizations. As economic factors and government regulations begin to push more and more independent physician practices to the cloud, healthcare organizations now work with cloud service providers and share the responsibility to meet regulatory demands set forth in the recent package of HIPAA changes.  So what does this move to the cloud mean for healthcare organizations?

According to Kathy English, Global Senior Director for Cisco,

"As more healthcare professionals move to the cloud, IT organizations need to evaluate how to federate public cloud services with their private cloud efforts. This type of transformation will require organizations to look beyond just building a private cloud. They need to build and buy a secure, scalable, and reliable network that supports privacy, high availability, and mobility, all while meeting cost targets."

It is clear that the new HIPAA regulations require a more shared responsibility between IT and service providers, but with a certified Cisco Powered cloud provider, healthcare organizations can be empowered to expand both their private and public cloud solutions.

Read the fullWhat Moving to the Cloud Means for Healthcare Organizationsblog post to learn more and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag,#CiscoCloud . We'd love to hear from you!