Cloud migration provides healthcare organizations with dramatically improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, security, and productivity. When used right, it can sharpen your competitive edge, allowing you to keep up with companies much larger than your own. But first, you must pass the gauntlet that is cloud migration. This can be more challenging than you think.
To prevent problems and ensure success, you must ensure that cloud migration best practices are followed at all times. To accomplish that, you’ll first need to understand what those are and why they’re important.
Why You Must Follow Best Practices for Cloud Migration
The healthcare industry faces three major IT challenges on a daily basis: security, compliance, and uptime. Everything you do must be built upon these three pillars, or your organization can be left vulnerable to drastic consequences. At best, you’re likely to experience disruptions that delay patient care. At worst, you may suffer a data breach or regulatory fine.
Unfortunately, these three pillars are also the factors most likely to be negatively impacted by a cloud migration project. Moving to cloud platforms puts your organization in a state of flux, which in turn leads to instability. This opens you up to downtime and security gaps.
Cloud migration best practices help mitigate these risks. They keep the migration process running smoothly, ensure minimal downtime, and keep sensitive data safe. The practices we list here are utterly crucial for a successful, risk-free migration.
1. Know What You’re Working With
Step one in any IT initiative is always a thorough IT assessment. Perform a complete inventory of your current infrastructure, applications, and data. You’re looking for any potential issues with cloud adoption, such as:
- Systems that won’t integrate smoothly with cloud-based solutions
- Legacy platforms that require reconfiguration or replacement
- Compliance concerns that may crop up during the transition
- Potential security risks (for example, when moving data)
This step arms you with the information needed to craft your perfect migration plan.
2. Choose the Right Cloud Model and Provider
There are three main cloud models available to choose from:
- Public Cloud: Hosted by a third party and shared between many businesses.
- Private Cloud: Dedicated infrastructure for a single organization, run either internally or by a third party.
- Hybrid Cloud: Takes elements from both public and private environments, combining them into one cohesive solution.
Hybrid models are particularly popular among healthcare organizations, as they offer additional flexibility. But you should examine all options carefully and make an informed decision. If choosing third-party services, you will also need to select your provider carefully. Pick one who prioritizes security and understands healthcare-specific needs.
3. Establish a Security-First Mindset
During the migration process you will move large amounts of data from one point to another, including electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, you are legally obligated to protect this information. This means you must prioritize security above all else. This includes:
- Encrypting data both at rest and in transit
- Setting up identity and access management (IAM) controls within the cloud environment
- Ensuring that detailed access logs are enabled
- Performing vulnerability assessments and threat scans, both before and after migration
- Providing additional training for staff, particularly on data migration to cloud best practices
4. Prioritize Compliance
After security, compliance should be your next concern. Fortunately, if you’ve been considering data protection already, then this should be less challenging. Most regulations only require that you take common sense measures to secure sensitive patient information.
Additional measures you can take to ensure compliance include:
- Double-checking your obligations, and performing a gap analysis
- Classifying patient data based on sensitivity, and implementing different levels of access control to each
- Maintaining extensive documentation for auditing purposes
- Validating that any third-party tools or services involved (including your cloud service provider) are also compliant
- Seeking advice from an experienced healthcare IT compliance specialist
5. Work Slowly and Methodically
With cloud migration, slow and steady absolutely does win the race. Rushing into things headfirst will only lead to chaos, downtime, and delays. Instead, take your time:
- Backup all data before any action is taken
- Start with low-risk, non-critical applications first
- Evaluate performance and note down any lessons learned
- Make adjustments as necessary, addressing issues as they arise
- Gradually scale up and start moving mission-critical applications one at a time
6. Create a Post-Migration Plan
The biggest mistake you can make is assuming that your work is done once the migration is complete. The period immediately after such a major transition is very prone to issues, resistance, and errors. Your post-migration activities should include:
- Performance monitoring and optimization
- Ongoing security and compliance assessments
- Disaster recovery planning and backup validation
- Provide staff training and support
- Collect user feedback
FAQs
How Do I Know if My Healthcare Organization is Migration-Ready?
To assess cloud readiness, evaluate your current infrastructure, regulatory environment, and patient data volume. Gauge your workforce’s opinion, as well, as this may help you predict possible resistance issues.
What’s the Biggest Security and Compliance Risk During Migration?
The biggest potential security and compliance risk during migration is accidental or malicious exposure of protected health information (PHI). A careful data migration strategy that plans for and mitigates these risk factors can help protect your organization.
Can I Keep Some of My Systems On-Premises?
You can definitely keep some systems on-premises if desired. In fact, the hybrid cloud model often involves leaving certain workflows on-premises. This is one factor that makes it such a desirable option for healthcare organizations, who are often concerned about data security in the cloud.
What if My Legacy Systems Cannot Integrate with Cloud-Based Tools?
Legacy systems are a common challenge in healthcare. In this scenario, you may need to upgrade or replace certain pieces of your IT infrastructure. If you have concerns, get in touch with an expert for advice.
What Does Cloud Migration Cost?
Cloud platforms typically charge a monthly subscription fee. The migration cost itself depends on how quickly and smoothly you are able to transition, as well as whether you require third-party consultancy services. Long-term, cloud cost optimization strategies will be essential to prevent problems.
Ensure a Successful, Secure Migration
Cloud migration unlocks better patient care, increased operational efficiency, and stronger disaster recovery capabilities. But it also introduces risk. By following best practices for cloud migration and closely monitoring each step of the process, you can protect sensitive data while leveraging the benefits of this powerful technology.
Need more information on the migration process? As experts in the healthcare IT space, Ascentient has all the insights you need to ensure success. Read our blog to discover more useful cloud migration strategies.