5 Advantages of Cloud Computing

Hi everyone, welcome to this episode of Catch up with ChiroTouch. I'm your host, Dr. Brian Blask, and my sidekick co-host is the wonderful Dr. Tami Howard.

Well, hello, thank you for having me.

Thanks for coming along for the ride, Tami. The last time I got together with Dr. Tami on a podcast, it was to announce our new cloud offering from ChiroTouch. In that episode, we discussed our favorite items in the cloud.

Mine are the reporting and dashboards, and Dr. Tami's are the updated design and NAP guidance. Check out the full episode to hear more on that. At the beginning of that episode, we explained what quote, the cloud is and its benefits.

I'm really glad we spent a few minutes doing that. As it appears, we weren't the only ones with cloud questions. Listener feedback was that their understanding of the cloud was foggy at best.

Oh, please don't put your day job.

That's a good joke. What better way to help our listeners get crystal clear on the cloud than to bring Dr. Tami back to the microphone for more, specifically, the advantages of cloud computing, aka working in the cloud. To catch up our listeners, the cloud refers to software and services that run on the internet, instead of data that is locally stored on your computer or server in your practice.

When people say your data is in the cloud, it simply means it's stored remotely, often on a system of servers. Apple iCloud, Netflix, Yahoo Mail, Dropbox, those are all examples of cloud services. ChiroTouch is also a cloud product.

Meaning your information is stored remotely and therefore can be accessed anywhere, at any time, and from any internet connected device. Now we're all on the same page. Let's discuss why being in the cloud is advantageous.

Let's do it.

In doing my cloud research, the same five benefits kept coming up. To help listeners deepen their understanding of not only what the cloud is, but how it can help them, I thought we'd go through the five and discuss.

Sounds like a good plan.

In no particular order, the first advantage is working in the cloud is flexible.

This is perhaps the most obvious benefit. Provided you have an internet connection, cloud computing allows you to work anytime and from anywhere. For example, imagine you are in line at Costco and you get to talking to the person in front of you.

They mention really needing your care, rather than giving them your business card and hoping they call you, pull out your phone and add them to your schedule.

Many docs would love the option to schedule patients while away from the office. The flexibility of cloud computing also allows staff to work remotely to catch up on tasks outside the office. Number two on the list, cloud computing offers security.

Data security is a big concern for chiropractors, or really any doctor. So this is an important benefit that tends to be downplayed. When your information is stored locally, for example, on your practice's network server, you have to worry about the physical security of that machine, fire, floods, break-ins, and theft, all have the potential to threaten or destroy your data.

When your information is in the cloud, there's nothing for disasters to wipe out or for thieves to steal because your data is stored elsewhere. Well, I guess thieves could steal your machine, but it would not contain your practice data as long as you're using a cloud computing solution.

Talking about keeping your data safe, number three is disaster recovery via frequent backups.

Due to the nature of how data is stored in the cloud, backups happen instantaneously and continuously. Not only is everything being backed up frequently, but the backup typically is housed on multiple servers in a climate-controlled data facility equipped with uninterrupted power supplies. It's basically layers of security on top of layers of security.

Should there be a disaster at your office that destroys all of your computers, you'll still be able to access your practice management software via any other internet-connected device. Can I read you the last two?

Sure thing.

Number four, never miss an update.

The beauty of cloud computing is that the servers are off-premise, right? Out of sight, out of your hair. Your software provider takes care of them for you and rolls out regular software updates, including security updates, so you don't have to worry about wasting your time maintaining the system yourself.

Number five is a twofer. Cloud computing promotes collaboration and streamlines processes.

Can totally see how those two go together. When your teams can access and share documents, notes anytime, from anywhere, they're able to do more together and do it better. At the same time, because everyone can access the same items, it eliminates the need to send files back and forth as email attachments or physical hard copies to be worked on by one user at a time.

And there you have it. We got our five advantages to cloud computing. Flexibility, security, frequent backups, updates, and team collaboration and streamlined processes.

So which do you think is the most impactful advantage?

Well, I've heard heart-wrenching stories about practices who have lost it all in a disaster. You never think it's gonna happen to you until it does. And it's devastating.

I thought for sure you were going to say flexibility since you like to travel to all those chiropractic conventions.

That's very true. I do love that. So flexibility also ranks up pretty high.

What's your top pick?

Streamlined processes. I'm all about efficiencies to work smarter, not harder.

Great point, great point. Well, Tami, that was fun. So thank you so much, Dr. Tami, for joining me, contributing to the topic.

And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to Catch Up with ChiroTouch. Find more episodes of Catch Up with ChiroTouch on Spotify, iTunes, and chirotouch.com/podcast. Until next time, I wish everyone listening a well-adjusted day.

Thank you.

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