A few years ago, most fertility clinics I knew, and many companies in other sectors too, preferred to keep their systems in-house.
One or several servers in an air-conditioned room (I’ve even seen some with fans…), a trusted technician, and the comforting sense of having complete control over their data.
Today, that model is fading away.
The cloud is no longer the future, it’s the present. And although it still raises some doubts in certain healthcare environments, its advantages are hard to ignore.
The key difference lies in where the system is hosted and managed.
In an on-premise model, the software is installed on the clinic’s physical servers.
In contrast, a cloud-based EMR runs on external data centers, accessible from anywhere with a secure connection.
Advantages of the Cloud Model
- Remote access and flexibility:
It allows professionals to work from different locations or even from home, something unthinkable just a few years ago.
How many doctors have found themselves needing to access a patient record during a conference or a meeting outside the clinic? - Automatic updates:
The system stays up to date without depending on the clinic’s IT staff or requiring service interruptions. - Enhanced security:
Cloud providers invest heavily in encryption, redundant backups, and regulatory compliance (such as GDPR or HIPAA) at levels few clinics could achieve on their own.
It’s like having a cybersecurity team watching over your data 24/7 — without having to keep them on payroll. - Scalability:
If the clinic grows or opens new locations, the system can easily expand without purchasing new servers.
What once took weeks of installation and configuration can now be solved with a simple change in the subscription plan.
Risks and Perceptions
Resistance to change still exists, and not without reason.
The main concerns are usually loss of control over data, vendor dependency, and connectivity: “What happens if the internet goes down?”
There’s also a psychological factor: many clinics feel safer knowing their data is “right here,” even though that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better protected.
The challenge is to understand that security doesn’t depend on the physical location of the data, but on how it’s managed, who has access, which protocols are in place, and how risks are monitored.
Trends: finding the hybrid balance
In healthcare, the hybrid model (part local, part cloud) has become quite common.
Why?
Because many clinics already have older systems or equipment that require direct connections — think of incubators, analyzers, or lab workstations — and can’t rely entirely on internet access.
At the same time, they want to take advantage of what the cloud offers: flexibility, remote access, and lower maintenance requirements.
For example:
An EMR may be hosted in the cloud, allowing access from multiple locations and devices.
But lab images and videos might still be stored locally for faster access or regulatory compliance.
This balance helps clinics move toward digital transformation without giving up the control that local infrastructure provides.
And as technology evolves, more and more functions shift to the cloud — not to eliminate the hybrid model, but to make it smarter and more adaptable.
Conclusion
The choice between cloud and on-premise is not just a technical one — it’s a strategic decision.
It depends on the clinic’s size, its level of digital maturity, and the trust it places in its technology partner.
One thing is clear: the global trend is moving toward more connected, sustainable models, with the cloud playing an increasingly central role.
In the end, what truly matters is not where your data is, but how you use it, and how you ensure its security, accessibility, and clinical value.
