Many pundits believe most companies will select cloud solutions from their existing Seattle data centers.  As budget allocations for cloud migrations increase, companies will plan to move more traditional operations into a virtual infrastructure.

The likely migration will be made in two steps.  First, current IT solutions will be delivered better, cheaper and faster.  Second, the cloud capabilities will extend to collaboration platforms allowing businesses to operate in new ways.

For the next few years, companies branching out into cloud computing will likely deploy private versus public clouds.  Private clouds are less risky in terms of security, data integrity and regulatory compliance.

Today, most cloud services from contact CoreLink Data Centers today.

Cloud computing has quickly moved passed the hype stage and into viable solution territory.  In fact, when properly managed, cloud computing can transform a business’ operations.  But it will also change the way companies contract with data center providers.  Pricing and service delivery models will vary among providers because it changes the way they do business.

Although it may provide many cost and productivity benefits for business customers, cloud computing may be somewhat cannibalistic to a data center provider’s existing service model.

Therefore, businesses need to carefully evaluate cloud computing solutions among the various Seattle data centers.  No one solution is likely to be the same in terms of pricing, service delivery and benefits realized.

What to Expect from Cloud Computing over the Next Several Years

Two things are certain:  cloud computing will change significantly over the next few years as it matures.  And, despite the many definitions of “the cloud,” up to this point, companies will look seriously at virtualized solutions.

But, industry experts believe businesses may need help in weeding through the various solutions to find the right match.  Assistance in planning, selecting and integrating cloud services will dictate the level of benefits achieved.  Companies of all sizes need to fully understand cloud computing and look at several delivery models to find the right solution.

In part two of this series we will continue to discuss the future of cloud computing. For more information on Seattle data centers and cloud computing, contact CoreLink today.

When outsourcing IT operations, healthcare organizations must trust their vendors to meet HIPAA requirements.  So, to provide the highest level of compliance assurances, healthcare IT needs to ask potential hosting providers the following questions.

• Does the hosting provider maintain documented, formal policies and procedures?  Healthcare organizations must take the time to fully read and understand a provider’s internal processes.  What happens in the event of a data breach?  How will they notify the healthcare IT department?  Regulations require notification within 10 days or costly lawsuits can be filed.

• Does the hosting provider have adequate training programs for its employees?  Are all employees well versed in proper procedures for handling PHI?  To avoid costly legal consequences, hosting providers must ensure all employees are properly trained in HIPAA security requirements.  Proper practices include policies, physical security, logical security, risk response and reporting, passwords and workstation use, data protection and others.

• Does the hosting provider have a Business Associate Agreement?  This document clearly communicates HIPAA policies.  Healthcare organizations can be fined significantly if this agreement does not exist.  The agreement also provides valuable information on how the hosting provider will handle PHI after service termination.

Healthcare IT departments cannot afford to select the wrong hosting provider.  Any glitches in maintaining and securing PHI can result in serious fines and penalties.  So, at a minimum, a hosting provider must be able to provide concrete answers to the questions above.  A solid relationship between the healthcare IT department and the hosting provider will provide the necessary assurances and peace-of-mind for HIPAA compliance.

For additional information on healthcare IT and how to invest in HIPPA compliant hosting, contact CoreLink Data Centers today.

How to Vet a HIPAA Hosting Provider

Given the consequences of violating HIPAA regulations can be disastrous, healthcare IT must carefully and thoroughly evaluate prospective hosting providers.  Obviously, the top goal for any healthcare IT organization is to protect confidential patient information and avoid HIPAA violations.

When outsourcing IT operations, healthcare organizations must trust their vendors to meet HIPAA requirements.  So, to provide the highest level of compliance assurances, healthcare IT needs to ask potential hosting providers the following questions.

• Has the hosting provider been audited by an objective, third-party organization?  The outsourcing vendor needs to be compliant across all 54 HIPAA citations and 136 audited components.  If healthcare IT partners with a HIPAA compliant data center, chances are the organization will pass any and all related audits.

• How does the hosting provider meet HIPAA standards for protecting PHI?  A qualified hosting provider will be able to provide details on services, such as private firewalls, data encryption, separate production databases, and more.  A comprehensive security plan should be communicated to healthcare IT departments.

Updated regulations provide stricter requirements for breaches.  For example, if more than 500 patients are affected by a breach, the healthcare organization must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the media.

Approximately 372 HIPAA violations were reported between January 2010 and March 2011.  These violations impacted over 11 million patients.   Physical security was the leading reason for data breaches. Compromised security of data servers, laptops, and lost mobile hard drives led to a majority of the breaches.

In the second part of this series we will discuss how to choose a HIPPA hosting provider. For more information on Healthcare IT, contact CoreLink today.

When analyzing data center solutions, service providers are making investments today to accommodate changes over the next several years.  If companies understand where outsourcing vendors are headed, they can understand where they need to go from an IT standpoint.  Looking at how data centers address cloud computing, collaboration, analytics, flexibility and speed can impact results.

The following data center solutions are currently the major focus for providers:

Speed.  Today’s data center solutions are also focusing on faster time to realize benefits.  Providers have to carefully balance the need to customize solutions to address specific requirements with standardizing to deliver solutions fast, economically and reliably.  Both provider and customer need to develop solutions together to find the best approach.

By understanding how data center providers are gearing up for market change, companies can position themselves to achieve the best advantages.  Outsourcing can offer a multitude of data center solutions to create real business value.

For additional information on data center solutions, contact CoreLink Data Centers today.

Even if the economy starts to pick up soon, businesses and data centers are operating with a new mindset.  They’re planning for ongoing volatility and uncertainty well into the future.  As a result, data center providers are investing in technologies, infrastructures and business practices likely to payoff in this type of business climate.

The following data center solutions are currently the major focus for providers:

Integrated Analytics.  By selecting data center solutions with advanced analytics capabilities, companies gain visibility into information never before accessible.  Improved information enables a big-picture approach and results in better decision-making.  In addition, enhanced information allows companies to focus more on financial compliance and controls.

Flexibility.  With ongoing market uncertainty, companies must be able to respond to demand quickly.  At a moment’s notice, a business may need to scale up or down its operations.  If data center solutions incorporate the maximum levels of flexibility in delivery models, companies will be better positioned to achieve their goals.

As organizations require increased flexibility, the breadth and depth of outsourced data center solutions will expand.  In fact, some providers are building capabilities to take on company processes considered core to the organization.

Continue to read our blog for more inf0rmation on data center solutions, or contact CoreLink today.

The following data center solutions are currently the major focus for providers:

Cloud Computing Technologies.  The integration of public and private cloud solutions can deliver significant business value to companies.  Data centers want to invest in solutions specifically designed for fast deployment of IT resources so companies can benefit from immediate cost efficiencies, scalability, increased performance and access to ongoing technology innovations.

Cloud computing allows companies to adjust to changing market conditions quickly and without the capital expense.  By moving to a services-based model, businesses can achieve the highest levels of financial flexibility.

Industry-Specific Collaboration Solutions.  Service providers are designing data center solutions to offer more end-to-end capabilities.  In other words, companies want to integrate all business processes as much as possible.  To do this, technology is required to work across all functions.  The goal is to create a more fluid working environment among a company’s employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

Creating vertical integration and connecting data from different sources remains a goal for many companies and their data center partners.  With access to all kinds of information, companies can proactively address business issues and make better decisions.  In addition, companies position themselves with more competitive advantages by building more collaborative IT environments.

In part three, we will continue to look at various data center solutions. For more information on data center solutions, contact CoreLink today.

For example, drivers affecting outsourcing include market volatility, market differentiation, limited capital, collaboration, globalization and re-evaluating the work process.  And, the speed at which companies and outsourcing providers address these forces will impact their success.

The Current and Longer-Term Focus for Data Center Solutions

Even if the economy starts to pick up soon, businesses and data centers are operating with a new mindset.  They’re planning for ongoing volatility and uncertainty well into the future.  As a result, data center providers are investing in technologies, infrastructures and business practices likely to payoff in this type of business climate.

In part two of this series, we will discuss data center solutions that are currently the major focus for providers.

Third, Chicago data centers must be carrier neutral to provide companies with the most flexibility.  By being able to choose the carrier, companies can ensure the lowest costs possible and not be locked into costlier options mandated by the data center provider.

Fourth, a third-party outsourcing provider must have business continuity and disaster recovery planning in place.  For example, equipment should incorporate redundancy and fail-over capabilities to eliminate outages.  Fire protection and suppression, as well as Very Early Smoke Detection systems must be incorporated within the facility.  And, all systems must be monitored 24/7/365 to provide the maximum assurance of systems availability.

Fifth, and finally, Chicago data centers must be well designed to accommodate future growth and new technologies.  Third party data centers typically have the necessary resources to foresee trends, plan accordingly and upgrade facilities and equipment as needed.

For additional information or see how Chicago Data Centers can help your organization overcome market challenges, contact CoreLink today.