As the storage and use of big data gains greater traction in medical settings, the demand for greater electronic information storage capacity continues to challenge hospital CIOs. The
ability to continue to expand an on-premises data center is also challenging for healthcare real estate planners as they compete for space with high revenue hospital clinical offerings.
The concept of a hybrid data center scheme, with some infrastructure maintained on site and the balance of storage capacity and other services on the cloud, is gaining wider acceptance. Aside from converting IT infrastructure from a capital expense to an operating one, the onus and cost of maintaining the necessary firmware, hardware, and associated security now resides with third-party cloud storage providers. The result is a different form of on-premise data center and supporting infrastructure that still demands high uptime and resilient infrastructure support systems.
The intent of this guide is to assist hospital capital planners, facilities engineers, and CIOs optimize on-site infrastructure requirements necessary to meet today’s—and tomorrow’s—needs for resilient on-premises data centers that leverage cloud-based services.
