If like me you enjoyed gazing out of the window at school, watching the clouds go by during double maths this is for you. Everything seems to be in the cloud these days; music, pictures and all the app things I use to try and make my life a little easier. But as much as I enjoy gazing upwards what is it all really about? What does it mean for you and your clinic? Let’s start at the beginning.

What is the cloud?

In the simplest terms, the cloud means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. That’s probably almost as much as you need to know but please read on!

When you store data on or run programs from the hard drive, that’s called local storage. Everything you need is physically close to you, which means accessing your data can be fast and easy, for that one computer. But there are downsides. When information is only stored on your computer’s hard drive you are at risk from all of the usual dangers in life; coffee spills, loss of computer …. computer dying, I’m sure we all have stories along those lines. So what does it mean to have your information in the cloud?

Well, “The Cloud” is a buzzword that suggests everything is floating in the sky. But the reality is that the cloud is not floating above our heads, it is a physical infrastructure, its many computers all over the world. Unsurprisingly many people don’t take the time to wonder where their data actually goes or how it gets there they are just happy that it works.

What are the benefits to working in the cloud?

Working in the cloud can allow your clinic to be nimble, efficient and cost-effective. If your clinic quickly needs access to more resources, it can be scaled up quickly in the cloud. Also, if you experience any of the events mentioned above which would have a serious impact on your business your information will be safe as it’s not directly inside the damaged or lost computer. I hope that all makes sense now? Now for the really clever TM3 bit.

Cloud and Data storage

At Blue-Zinc we have a systems team who manage and develop the TM3 business cloud and as we are always trying to improve things we came up with the best possible solution available. The team has taken the flexibility of the cloud but rather than having your information roaming on random servers somewhere your data is stored in the UK (data centres certified with ISO 27001 and ISO 9001) on dedicated servers which Blue-Zinc own and the guys lovingly maintain and polish on your behalf. Security patches are regularly applied to our servers to ensure that any vulnerabilities are patched as soon as they’re identified. In addition, the SQL server database with encrypted VPN services gives users the highest levels of security available and all data is automatically backed up for you!

Feature-rich private practice software

So, with TM3, you have flexibility and safety all in one. It also means that you have access to our other cloud services Pronto, Online bookings and many more features which 10,000 practitioners worldwide enjoy on a daily basis. So, for now, my head might be in the clouds but at least I know where my data is!