Diagnosing the Data Demand: How to Plan for Modular Data Center Deployment in the Healthcare Industry
Date posted: September 9, 2014 Posted by adminSucceeding in today’s digital world has challenged the healthcare industry to streamline operations for greater efficiency and safety as well as better manage hundreds of thousands of patient health care records. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought more than 30 million new patients into the system, stimulating an immediate need for more data processing and storage capacity. Additionally, because the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires health care records to be stored online for a significant period of time, hospitals and clinics are sure to see a strain on their systems in the coming years as they contend with handling this sharp increase in data.
As a result of these pressures on the healthcare industry, many facilities are turning to modular data center deployment for additional space and capacity as an alternative to field-build construction. However, in order to get the most value out of this approach, data managers in the healthcare industry should consider the following three tips:
- Plan for scalability
The ability to scale on demand as a center’s patient roster grows over time gives owners more budget flexibility and efficiency at managing their bottom line. With the increase in requirements imposed on the market, being able to adequately plan for future growth is a critical component toward containing budgetary requirements over a significant period of time. The utilization of modularity in a healthcare-oriented data center opens the door to save capital expenditure on the construction costs and total energy cost of the facility. The key when building the facility is to have a plan that will allow for flexibility, should growth happen more quickly than expected.
- Keep abreast of current market trends
The healthcare market has utilized various forms of modularity for a while now. From operating rooms to MRI units and executive offices, the industry has grasped the advantages of prefabricated components and where they will help with costs, schedule, and efficiencies. Don’t be afraid to utilize modularity in data containment. It will enhance all of these advantages, without losing the securities required to adequately meet their customers’ needs.
- Prioritize Physical and Virtual Security
For the healthcare industry, the most important item for a data center facility operator is the security of the patient information they are containing. Employing the highest level of security is always a major concern whether it is in the redundancies of functional utilities to eliminate data disruptions, the structure of the wall system surrounding the facility, or accessibilities to sensitive areas within a facility. Take what method of security you’d like to implement into consideration early on in your modular design process as it will assist in allowing a seamless transition once the facility is complete. The increase in electronic medical records, picture/x-ray archiving and pharmaceutical coordination pushes the operator to look for ways to build an impenetrable structure. Building in a modular fashion will allow ample options to address these concerns without having to add significant overall costs. Modularity opens the door to designs that build added protections into a limited footprint.
If you need help evaluating whether or not a modular solution or the components of one might be right for your healthcare institution’s needs, contact Data Centers Delivered today or browse to see previous projects we’ve completed. We’ve partnered with several businesses to help them answer why modular data center design solutions make sense for their operations. We can help you too.