How cloud computing is used in healthcare: use cases and examples

May 5, 2025 11 min läsning

Compared to traditional on-premise servers, cloud computing gives healthcare businesses an unparalleled level of flexibility, as well as access to real-time insights and cutting-edge functionality. But, talking from experience, some companies are still reluctant to harness it, citing data security issues, compliance risks, and implementation complexities as the major roadblocks.

Nevertheless, by 2032, the healthcare cloud computing market is expected to soar to $197.45B, exhibiting 17.6% annual growth. Although staggering, this growth is not surprising, as cloud computing is an underlying technology for many rising healthcare trends — my colleague Anastasia Ilkevich talked about them in one of her recent articles.

So, how can you leverage cloud computing for the healthcare industry? Read further to explore the major use cases, benefits, and risks of adopting cloud services for healthcare and make an informed decision for or against it.

Benefits of cloud computing in healthcare

The general reception for cloud computing in the healthcare industry has been rather positive, and industry statistics reinforce this. For instance, according to a KLAS report, two thirds of respondents already use or plan to implement cloud for medical image storing and processing. Here are the major benefits of cloud computing that healthcare businesses experience:

Better availability of patient data

With cloud-powered personal health records management solutions, patients no longer have to ask for a copy of their medical records — cloud computing gives them real-time access to their health data. Doctors, nurses, and lab specialists can securely collect and share information within the care team, making sure up-to-date records are always available.

Reduced operational expenses

Maintaining on-premises IT infrastructure is costly and resource-intensive. Cloud computing reduces expenses as it eliminates the need for physical servers and dedicated maintenance staff. Healthcare providers can scale their storage and computing power as needed, while cloud vendors handle security, updates, and backups.

Easy interoperability

Cloud-hosted solutions — say, a telemedicine app or an EHR — can be easily integrated and enable seamless data flows without redundancies and data loss. Cloud computing can even simplify data transformation to other formats, like HL7 or FHIR, enabling interoperable data exchange between cloud-hosted solutions.

Better software scalability

The amount of healthcare data is growing fast, and on-premise solutions don’t always keep up. On the other hand, cloud computing solutions can scale effortlessly and adjust to computing demand without costly hardware upgrades. It gives providers flexibility, allowing them to advance without worrying about performance bottlenecks.

Automated data processing and analytics

Manual data processing is time-consuming and prone to errors. Solutions rooted in cloud computing can automate key processes, from filling in patient records to analyzing patient and treatment data. Moreover, cloud-based AI tools help predict health risks early, forecast admission surges, optimize scheduling and staffing, and much more.

Förbättrad datasäkerhet

Protecting sensitive medical data is a top priority in the healthcare industry, and cloud providers respect that. They have advanced security measures in place, including end-to-end encryption and solid access controls. Cloud vendors are in the know of new threats plaguing the industry and address them rapidly to protect sensitive data.

Introduction of AI, ML, and telemedicine

With cloud computing, healthcare businesses get access to state-of-the-art AI, ML, and telemedicine services. Leveraging custom cloud solutions or ready-made SaaS platforms, healthcare providers and other companies can introduce virtual visits, AI patient chatbots, smart diagnostics tools, and many more.

Improved care coordination

Fragmented records can lead to misdiagnoses and treatment delays, but cloud-based systems keep medical data unified and accessible to care teams. Physicians and nurses can access records and effectively collaborate on treatment plans, all to provide the right care at the right time.

Want to get the most from cloud services for your healthcare business?

Types of cloud computing in healthcare

There’s no strict classification of cloud computing types. However, the most common way to look at it is to break down cloud computing solutions by deployment and distribution.

By deployment

Public

Public cloud services are owned and operated by third-party providers. Healthcare organizations use these computing resources over the internet to store and manage data, have access to specific tools and apps, or host custom software. It’s the easiest way to adopt cloud computing, you just buy a ready-made service.

Private

A dedicated cloud environment designed for a single organization, ensuring maximum security and control. Perfect for sensitive patient data, AI-powered diagnostics, and custom healthcare applications, private clouds meet strict compliance and performance demands.

Hybrid

Combining public and private clouds, this model offers the best of both worlds — scalability with enhanced security. Healthcare providers can store critical patient data on private servers while using public cloud AI, ML, and analytics tools for real-time insights.

Gemenskapen

Think of a community cloud as a secure, shared space built for organizations with common needs, like hospitals in the same network. While it allows these entities to collaborate on cloud resources, maintain the necessary security standards, and reduce infrastructure costs, based on my experience, this option is less popular among healthcare providers.

By distribution

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS delivers cloud-hosted healthcare applications, like EHRs, patient apps, and AI virtual assistants. With automatic updates, no local installation, and easy scalability, SaaS simplifies healthcare IT management and collaboration (at a monthly or yearly fee to the provider).

Plattform som en Tjänst (PaaS)

PaaS provides a cloud-based framework for building, testing, and deploying healthcare applications. Developers can create complex healthcare IT systems, data analytics platforms, and ML tools without maintaining and managing the underlying hardware infrastructure.

“When considering cloud computing implementation, I always advise looking beyond immediate needs. Healthcare data expands fast, and demands for AI, analytics, and interoperability evolve. A scalable cloud strategy lets you not just meet today’s requirements but also helps future-proof your systems for seamless operations.”

Anastasia Ilkevich

Portföljförvaltare inom hälsovård och medicinsk teknik

Use cases and examples

Now that we’ve covered the benefits and common types, let’s take a deep dive into the dominating use cases of cloud computing in healthcare.

PHR, EHR, and EMR management

For years now, cloud-powered health information systems have been used to store and manage patient records efficiently. Cloud-based EHR, EMR, and PHR solutions scale easily, sync patient data in real time, and streamline healthcare providers’ collaboration in the long run.

Practical example: Our team developed a cloud-based EHR system for a US MedTech company that led to a 36% decrease in administrative tasks and a 16% rise in daily patient appointments.

Real-time data tracking

Cloud solutions power mHealth and telemedicine platforms, enabling real-time health data tracking from wearable devices and remote monitoring tools. This leads to timely care interventions and better chronic disease management (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes).

Practical example: We overhauled a cloud-based health data management platform for a MedTech company. The platform integrates data from wearable sensors and IT systems, ensuring a stable electronic data capture.

Personanpassad medicin

Now that the interest in personalized medicine and multiomics has spiked, cloud computing is used to support this need. The technology allows healthcare providers to process vast amounts of patient data (medical records, genetic tests, etc.) and personalize treatment plans based on the detected insights.

Practical example: Working with a precision medicine diagnostics provider, we upgraded their cloud platform to ease patient-treatment matching. This led to an impressive 29% reduction in cloud computing costs.

Interoperable data exchange

With cloud computing, healthcare businesses build HL7 and FHIR-ready solutions and securely exchange patient data. Using cloud interoperability tools, companies can transform the data into the required formats and exchange it seamlessly.

Practical example: CureMatch, a company working in precision medicine, uses the HealthShare Message Transformation Service by InterSystems and AWS HealthLake to transform molecular profile data from the EHR into FHIR format to run analytics algorithms.

Clinical research and development

Cloud computing accelerates clinical research by providing vast storage and computational power for analyzing real-life patient data, trial results, and genetic information. Hence, research organizations speed up discoveries, conduct trials more efficiently, and access the most relevant data.

Practical example: We enhanced programvara för medicinsk forskning and introduced a specialized AI-powered search system for faster detection of relevant documents, annotation, and categorization. Overall, the software increased the data search speed 3x for scientists.

Drug discovery

Läkemedelsföretag leverage cloud-based AI and big data analytics to speed up drug discovery, reducing the time and cost of bringing new treatments to market. Such cloud platforms assist in molecular structure analysis, simulate drug interactions, and manage vast datasets.

Practical example: Innowise worked with a pharmaceutical company that needed a solution to streamline drug testing. As a result, our team implemented a cloud Salesforce data warehouse that aggregated clinical and R&D data and reduced drug testing time by 49%.

System för stöd till kliniska beslut (CDSS)

CDSS tools leverage cloud computing to help doctors make more accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions based on analytics insights. These systems look into patient data, medical histories, and real-time health information to recommend the best diagnostic, care, and medication options.

Practical example: We partnered with a neuroscience company and helped deliver a cloud-hosted brain function analysis app. Leveraging AI, the app helps detect subtle signs of possible cognitive impairment with 25% increased accuracy.

Don’t know where to start with healthcare cloud computing?

Risks and challenges companies face with healthcare cloud computing

While cloud computing brings immense benefits to healthcare, it’s not without challenges. Let’s delve into the most common ones and how to solve them.

Data security concerns

Storing sensitive patient data in the cloud naturally raises concerns about breaches, unauthorized access, and data loss.

Lösning: I always recommend opting for reliable cloud vendors and working with cloud implementation partners who have ISO 27001, ISO 27017, and ISO 27018 certifications and follow OWASP security principles. Encryption, strict access controls, and real-time threat monitoring are essential to maintaining a secure cloud environment.

Compliance considerations

Healthcare regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, requirements of the FDA and MDR, and others dictate strict rules for processing patient data, enabling security, and developing safe cloud medical software.

Lösning: From my experience, many compliance issues stem from a lack of preparation beforehand. That’s why I stress: you should have a solid framework from the start. Sign all needed documents with vendors (like the Business Associate Agreement required in HIPAA), plan compliance measures, and prepare audit-ready documentation throughout the project.

Cloud adoption barriers

Switching to the cloud isn’t just a technical shift — it’s a mindset change. Many healthcare businesses hesitate with it because of legacy systems, initial costs, or resistance from staff.

Lösning: The best approach is to start with a hybrid model, migrate critical workloads first, integrate healthcare data in the cloud, and train teams early. A well-planned transition minimizes disruption, builds confidence in the new system, and ensures the move to the cloud is smooth and beneficial.

Need for niche tech skills

Healthcare cloud projects aren’t just about basic IT skills. They require specific knowledge and deep expertise in areas like data interoperability, AI, real-time data tracking, and compliance. From my experience, companies often struggle with hiring these specialists internally.

Lösning: Partnering with a seasoned cloud computing implementation company like Innowise fills these staffing gaps. Engage our team for cloud development, and you’ll have access to a wide array of niche technical expertise. You’ll be able to scale the team up or down as your project progresses, saving yourself the headache of hiring someone new in-house.

Like many great technological advancements, healthcare cloud computing comes with challenges, but I know for sure none of them are insurmountable. With the right strategy and an expert cloud computing implementation partner, the hurdles become manageable.

Choose Innowise’s healthcare cloud services

If you need help adopting cloud computing at any stage, Innowise offers a full range of healthcare cloud services. Relying on our 18+ years of experience in the domain and drawing on the expertise gained through our successful cloud projects for healthcare, we can help you implement even the most complex solution at an optimal time and budget.

Cloud computing consulting

Not sure how to implement cloud computing to address the needs of your healthcare business? Our experts guide you through every step — from assessing your current IT infrastructure to defining a cloud strategy and planning new cloud-based solutions. We help you adopt cloud computing and enhance the security, scalability, and compliance of your IT workflows.

Cloud solutions development and implementation

Innowise’s team designs and builds cloud computing healthcare solutions tailored to your needs. Whether it’s an EHR, a telemedicine platform, or AI-baserad analys, we deliver secure, scalable, and interoperable systems. From architecture design to deployment, we handle every step to build a cloud solution for your healthcare business.

Cloud migration for healthcare

Moving to the cloud doesn’t have to be complicated. Innowise ensures a smooth migration of your healthcare data, apps, and workflows with minimal disruption. Whether you’re transitioning from a legacy system or optimizing a hybrid setup, we help you leverage the power of cloud computing. Our engineers follow OWASP, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 security standards to ensure your data is not compromised.

Avslutning

Cloud technology in healthcare streamlines how healthcare businesses manage data, deliver patient care, and handle daily workflows. That’s why going for cloud technology shouldn’t be just a one-time thing — it should be a long-term strategic decision.

Many of our clients have already leveraged cloud computing to reduce costs, improve care coordination, and future-proof their operations. If you’re considering this technology, let’s talk. Our team at Innowise is here to help you adopt cloud computing for healthcare and build a high-performing solution that fits your needs.

Dela:

Aleh Yafimau

Senior Technical Delivery Manager in Healthcare and MedTech

Aleh has a strong grasp of what makes healthcare and MedTech software truly work. He leads with both technical clarity and sector knowledge, making sure every project delivers long-term value — not just code that runs, but systems that matter.

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