How is secure Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) reshaping the way healthcare organizations operate? By utilizing remote work with DaaS, healthcare is transforming into an agile industry predicated on efficiency. Christian Boucher explains.
No industry was thrown into the chaos of the pandemic more than healthcare. Frontline medical staff worked under tenuous conditions and caregivers pivoted to telehealth, but what about the vast workforce that supports operations behind the scenes? When a large U.S.-based network of 17 hospitals needed to roll out a secure remote work solution to nearly 40,000 employees, they answered this very question with advanced virtual technology. Healthcare transformed for good.
At the preliminary stages of the pandemic, the large hospital network was not set up for a widely dispersed remote workforce. Their leadership team knew they needed to equip office employees with a secure way to remotely access their files and apps. The hospital reviewed different options such as virtual private networks (VPN), but they opted for a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) approach. This is because it secures any type of app or desktop from the cloud to any device.
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DaaS allows the hospital’s IT team to deliver all the applications, files, and tools that an employee needs. In addition, it does so in a unified, personalized workspace, regardless of where people work or what device they use. What’s more, with a predictable subscription model, DaaS makes it easy to scale up or down on-demand. Everything worked seamlessly together, enabling remote patient advocates or other employees with secure access to all necessary apps and patient records. Healthcare took a much needed giant leap forward with remote work.
Deploying a DaaS Solution for Remote Work
Healthcare organizations adopting work-from-home solutions are now relying on DaaS solutions. They have proven themselves to be more reliable, secure, and scalable as opposed to technologies like VPNs. This was discussed in detail at this year’s HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, because all organizations are looking to capitalize on this ‘new’ solution.
Varying degrees of administrative and infrastructure management are often handled by a vendor. Even so, a highly scalable DaaS solution can be set up rapidly without a heavy lift from teams of on-site engineers. Additionally, some DaaS solutions offer built-in integration with major public cloud providers like Azure, AWS, or Google. This is in addition to allowing customers to leverage their own data center investments.
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While many non-clinical roles have transitioned to remote work, physicians and clinicians are also adapting. There are countless stories of field hospitals being built over weekends and triage facilities taking over every space available at health systems across the world. Telehealth usage grew significantly during the initial periods of the pandemic and continues to see remarkable growth. Today, health networks remain focused on adapting to a drastically changed work environment. In fact, according to a recent study, 66% of knowledge workers stated it’s very important for them to work remotely – on any device – moving forward.
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IT Management Made Easy
DaaS solutions aren’t just a boon for employees. IT teams can easily manage the deployment as well. Administrative actions are pushed to thousands of devices within minutes. This includes delivering enterprise apps, updating security policies, and remotely wiping devices. Plus, zero-touch enrollment enables health organizations to rapidly scale operations. This is done by simply shipping devices directly to staff and configuring credentials via the cloud.
Long-Term Impact on Healthcare
The rapid change in how and where people do their jobs has prompted healthcare organizations to focus on innovation. This shift in philosophy serves as a strong catalyst for growth. Prior to COVID-19, only 9% of employees said their employer was introducing new ways of working. Since virtual work has become the norm, 78% of employees now report their employer is planning to or has already introduced new ways of working. Healthcare organizations that embrace and adopt a DaaS-centric strategy for remote work will not only benefit in the short term. They will be positioned as the category leaders of tomorrow as well.
About The Author:
Christian Boucher is Chief Healthcare Strategist/Evangelist for Citrix Healthcare Solutions. At Citrix he helps build secure, unified digital workspace technology. These technologies help organizations unlock human potential and deliver a consistent workspace experience wherever work needs to get done.
Appendix:
1: https://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/documents/off-site/the-state-of-security-in-a-hybrid-world.pdf
2: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/health-care-workforce-trends.html
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