Modern healthcare enterprises recognize the need for digital transformation: according to one survey, 93% of healthcare organizations either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are in the process of planning one.[1] Digital transformation is essential to capitalize on the opportunities presented by advanced technologies like high-performance computing (HPC), real-time analytics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). However, applying those technologies isn’t always straightforward. Advanced digital solutions require healthcare organizations to collect, store, process, transfer and protect massive amounts of data, and many organizations lack the distributed digital infrastructure needed to do that.
The complexity of healthcare ecosystems further complicates the issue. To advance their digital transformations, hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, research institutes, universities, corporate R&D teams, and healthcare and life sciences companies of all sizes must come together in a centralized hub that can ensure interoperability across the ecosystem. This will allow data to move where it needs to go with high performance, scalability, security and reliability.
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NSPs help healthcare enterprises access digital services in more places
One of the main challenges surrounding digital transformation in healthcare is that ecosystem partners are often located far away from core metro areas, in places where colocation data centers, cloud provider on-ramps and other IT services may be hard to find. In cases like these, using traditional physical connections to create an ecosystem data sharing platform would be a complex and costly proposition at best.
To help address this challenge, Equinix partners with network service providers (NSPs) to make digital services available in more places, even to customers not located near an Equinix data center. Our joint customers can apply these combined offerings to create the on-demand data sharing platform they need, quickly and easily. They can do this even from remote locations, without incurring the cost, complexity and latency penalties that would otherwise come from connecting to multiple partners over long distances.
Finally, they can use NSP connectivity to tap into Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) offerings from Equinix Metal™. This allows them to transition to an operating expenses (OPEX) model, thus making the most of their limited resources and avoiding the risks involved with large up-front capital investments. In short, taking advantage of Equinix offerings can help healthcare organizations overcome the many challenges standing in the way of digital transformation, all while keeping costs and risks low. With their digital infrastructure needs met, they’ll have more time and energy to focus on what really matters: ensuring better care and outcomes for patients.
Equinix and euNetworks partner to advance digital transformation in healthcare
One NSP that is partnering with Equinix to strengthen data sharing in the healthcare ecosystem is euNetworks, a leading provider of bandwidth infrastructure services in Western Europe. euNetworks builds next-generation networks that deliver high-fiber count connectivity with unique and diverse routing. By connecting remote research locations and sites away from core metro areas, euNetworks supports the demand for rapid and reliable movement of data between healthcare communities and their ecosystems.
Together, Equinix and euNetworks are working to make their respective solutions more widely available to healthcare organizations across the EMEA region, including the U.K. Innovation Corridor between London and Cambridge. We also plan to add new on-net locations this year, helping bring upgraded NSP connectivity to other healthcare hubs throughout the region.
The U.K. healthcare sector provides a classic example of the challenges that arise when ecosystem partners that aren’t centrally located need to interconnect with one another. With healthcare organizations spread out across London, Cambridge and all points in between, the local healthcare ecosystem was beset by a lack of available digital infrastructure, interoperability issues that made data sharing challenging, and legacy networks that were difficult to scale based on changing demand. Together, these issues made it difficult for organizations to achieve digital transformation and capitalize on advanced technologies.
Together, Equinix and euNetworks extend the availability of our respective solutions, helping our joint customers take advantage of digital capabilities and service provider connectivity that would be essentially impossible to achieve otherwise. Equinix Fabric™ has emerged as the platform of choice for digital transformation in healthcare, helping organizations interconnect with each other across the U.K Innovation Corridor and other healthcare hubs worldwide. This is made possible by Equinix Fabric’s global reach and scalability.
The connectivity euNetworks provides means that organizations don’t need to be colocated in an Equinix facility to connect to the common data sharing platform. This means locations that were previously underserved with bandwidth infrastructure now have access to new network options. euNetworks helps bring Equinix Fabric and other digital services to customers, no matter where they are.
Tapping into Equinix Fabric via euNetworks also allows these organizations to consume other Equinix services, including:
- Equinix Metal, which enables an OPEX hybrid infrastructure model that keeps costs low and helps maintain data control to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations.
- Network Edge, which allows healthcare organizations to deploy virtual network functions from leading providers without the cost and lead time required for physical hardware deployments.
In addition to being available in areas where physical interconnection would be impractical, the virtual interconnection platform built around Equinix Fabric helps healthcare organizations easily scale bandwidth and add new infrastructure to keep up as their needs change. Together, Equinix Fabric and euNetworks services help healthcare organizations overcome one of the biggest challenges they face around digital transformation: creating a unified, on-demand data-sharing platform they can tap into quickly, easily and cost-effectively from wherever they are. With this platform, healthcare enterprises across the U.K. Innovation Corridor have everything they need to begin using advanced digital services like HPC and AI/ML to their full potential.
Equinix Fabric enables the right digital technologies in the right places
In addition to supporting data sharing across the U.K. Innovation Corridor via the euNetworks partnership, the flexible, on-demand connectivity enabled by Equinix Fabric helps organizations tap into leading cloud platforms, collaboration tools, and everything else they need to accelerate digital transformation and grow their business.
Equinix Fabric software-defined interconnection greatly reduces the cost and complexity of implementing a common healthcare data-sharing platform across a distributed ecosystem. Users can take advantage of our self-service online dashboard to establish new connections with a few simple clicks, greatly increasing their network agility. Equinix Fabric is currently available in more than 50 metros across the globe.
To learn more about the Equinix approach to hybrid infrastructure, and how our services can support digital transformation in healthcare and other industries, read our hybrid infrastructure ebook today.
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