A new report from Softcat offers an exclusive snapshot of the healthcare IT landscape and what technologies organisations are prioritising in the year ahead.
The findings are based on the views of nearly 1,250 organisations in the UK and Ireland, across 23 industries including Healthcare.
Looking at a sector level, the report reveals 69% of healthcare organisations are now prioritising Digital Workspace solutions above all other technology areas.
Technology is playing an increasingly important role in patient care and with a secure digital workspace, clinicians have the flexibility and mobility to enable healthcare delivery and improve care from almost anywhere, beyond surgery or hospital walls.
Digital Workspace solutions put people first and technology second. They enable true collaboration and deliver a great user experience by securely connecting people, applications, data and devices together, helping employees to do their job seamlessly – wherever they are.
Cyber Security is the second most cited technology investment area for the next year, with 55% of healthcare organisations saying it’s an important part of their IT strategy.
Maintaining robust cyber security is a challenge in often complex and widespread healthcare networks, where sensitive patient data is stored and shared to improve patient health and care.
And as healthcare becomes more digitalised, the sector will only attract more interest from cyber criminals looking to exploit vulnerabilities for monetary gain. Therefore, cyber resilience in healthcare is now a high priority and organisations are being encouraged to take a proactive rather than reactive approach to securing networks, devices and data.
IT asset management is ranked as the third most important IT priority within healthcare, according to the study, with 52% of respondents citing it.
Healthcare organisations typically have complex and sprawling IT estates, often including legacy software and systems, which can make keeping track of the security and compliance of all assets a challenge.
To make this process simpler, IT leaders need to seek out a more complete picture of the types of devices that need protecting, along with information such as what operating system they run and the ports/service they need to utilise to ensure there are no security gaps in the network.
Importantly, organisations were also able to rank sustainability as a focus for the first time. And 28% of those in the healthcare sector (compared to a 10% cross-sector average) cited sustainability as an important factor in their IT strategy for the coming year, signalling a shift towards greener and more ethically conscious decision making.
Technology has a vital role to play in supporting organisations in meeting their sustainability goals, to ensure compliance with tightening legislation and help the global community meet science-backed climate targets.
Richard Wyn Griffith, Managing Director of Softcat commented on the findings:
“Over the past 18 months or so, the healthcare sector has been heavily challenged; working hard to limit the impact on business-as-usual or respond to unprecedented surges and pivots in demand.
“People, empowered by technology, have made navigating this uncertain and disruptive period possible. And this will only continue as we learn to live and thrive with new ways of working.”
