Cloud computing in healthcare set for $10bn worth by 2021

The healthcare market within the cloud computing industry is on course to be worth $10 billion by the year 2021, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan.

Following analysis of the level of revenue generated by healthcare cloud service providers and major growth opportunities within the sector, the research revealed that demand for improved efficiency is driving a change in attitudes within the usually slow-to-change industry.

Specifically, the future growth of cloud computing within the healthcare sector is expected to be rapidly advanced by challenges within data storage. According to the study, as the volume of healthcare data increases significantly, storage will become a larger challenge that can only be solved by the implementation of cloud computing.

The study revealed that healthcare decision makers are beginning to see the benefits of introducing cloud computing into the sector, finding that many believe cloud data storage is more secure than on-site alternatives, particularly when it comes to backing up data and preparing for a disaster.

As a result, the researchers stated that they expect to see industry developments that go beyond data storage for those who decide to adopt cloud computing within their organisation.

Commenting on the findings, Natasha Gulati, digital health research manager for Frost & Sullivan, said: "Growing awareness of the benefits of open platforms and increasing industry focus on interoperability and collaborative solution design are creating a huge demand for vertically integrated cloud platforms that open the data to multiple stakeholders who are willing to share the risks and the rewards of shared data assets."

Despite these findings, the study also showed that cloud adoption is likely to hit a peak in adoption as current opportunities become increasingly saturated.