to do too many things , the foundation is weak , and it ’ s just a matter of time before it crumbles .”
As well as equipment-related challenges , Skerdi also has to stay on top of complex and ever-changing government regulations around health care risk and compliance .
“ We need to know what we can and cannot do ,” he says . An example is data residency .”
The example he cites is protected health information ( PHI ) data .
“ We cannot move PHI data outside of Canadian borders , and ensuring that we comply with this is part of our processes ,” Skerdi says , and adds that implementing changes while maintaining safeguards around PHI data is vital .
“ The Cloud has opened our horizons significantly but you always need to be aware of what we can do and cannot do . Not everything can and should go to the Cloud , and we have built criteria around this .”
Not all health care solutions can go in the Cloud As an example of what should , and shouldn ’ t , go on the Cloud , Skerdi references large data-sets that need to be “ transitioned both ways ”.
“ For data that needs to be pushed out and pulled back in , the Cloud is not always the best solution .”
A case in point , he says , is THP ’ s picture archiving and retrieving solution , which involves 2.5 billion files .
Skerdi adds that “ digital pathology is the next big one ”, and that he and his team are planning a solution around this that will contain files amounting to a colossal two petabytes or more ( a petabyte is equal to 1,000 Terabytes ). And that ’ s just the first tier of data .
“ These solutions might not be ideal for the Cloud ,” he says . “ These will need to be on-premises or hybrid .” thp . ca 11