Tulane University SoPA Selects "Architechting Cloud Computing Solutions"

Last week, Packt Publishing announced that "Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions" by Kevin L. Jackson and Scott Goessling was selected for use by the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement, Applied Computing Systems & Technology Program as the textbook for their mandatory Enterprise Architecture - Hardware course starting Spring Semester 2019. I am proud and honored to be trusted by such a prestigious institution. Being an "Amazon Bestseller" cloud computing publications the book is doing well. This recognition from Tulane University, however, clearly supersedes that commercial success. 

According to Tulane SoPA, they pick the text based on its:

• Specific support the institution's mission of providing high-quality degree and certificate programs that are directly relevant to the needs and interests of working adults;
• The holistic approach enabled the University to quickly and effectively update their applied computer technology curriculum;
• Effectiveness in addressing a business relevant, cost-effective and efficient approach to the adoption of cloud computing and the pursuit of digital transformation; and
• Adaptability of hands-on activity chapters for course labs, which provided a much needed practical extension to the curriculum

The course labs will use Burstorm Cloud Infrastructure Modeling and Design online software to create and modify cloud infrastructure designs in real-time.  This capability uniquely supports the iterative "what if" business-driven analysis capability critical to modern information technology infrastructure design.

Tom Thomas, of the Tulane University's School of Professional Advancement, said, "We selected "Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions" because of the book's practical approach to important business requirements." Scott Goessling, Burstorm Vice President Cloud Services adds, "Successful IT transformation requires new skill sets and real-time data delivered via automated and insightful enablement platforms.  Tulane University quickly identified "Architecting Cloud Solutions" as a very innovative way to train and enable the development of next generation of technology leaders and strategists." 

"Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions" reaches  #3 on the "Amazon Best Sellers" list for Cloud Computing

Tulane University, School of Professional Advancement (SoPA)

SoPA offers high quality, distinctive undergraduate and graduate professional programs to a diverse student population in New Orleans and beyond. The school dates back to 1886, when it was founded as the outreach division of Tulane with a mission to offer courses to teachers. While the school's offerings have greatly expanded and changed over time, its focus on programs relevant to working adults has remained. The Applied Computing Systems & Technology program offers flexible degree and certificate options based on the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) published model. Students enrolled in this program will be prepared to pursue careers in information technology, cybersecurity, and programming. The curriculum balances advanced problem-solving techniques and business acumen with practical solutions for computer-based problems. Courses cover an in-depth range of topics in the information systems and technology fields.

Packt Publishing

Founded in 2004 in Birmingham, UK, Packt's mission is to help the world put software to work in new ways, through the delivery of effective learning and information services to IT professionals. Working towards that vision, we have published over 6,000 books and videos so far, providing IT professionals with the actionable knowledge they need to get the job done - whether that's specific learning on an emerging technology or optimizing key skills in more established tools. As part of our mission, we have also awarded over $1,000,000 through our Open Source Project Royalty scheme, helping numerous projects become household names along the way.

Burstorm

Burstorm is a cloud technology platform company enabling enterprises, service providers and systems integrators to model, design, benchmark and optimize cloud infrastructure.  Combining an easy-to-use drag-and-drop modeling application with a continuously updated catalog of service provider assets, the Burstorm platform helps organizations more quickly and accurately assess and select the optimal computing storage, networking and data center solutions for their digital transformation to the cloud.

(This content is being syndicated through multiple channels. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of GovCloud Network, GovCloud Network Partners or any other corporation or organization.)

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5G Wireless Technology Connecting Healthcare

Healthcare is in the middle of massive change. Called digital transformation by many, this term describes the industry’s pursuit of the many promises offered by connected patients, connected caregivers, and connected hospitals. While the goals of this transformation are many and varied, a recent HIMAA Media survey revealed the top four as:

• Seeking improved quality of care (68%);
• Delivering better clinical outcomes (54%);
• Improving communications and care coordination (54%); and
• Reducing readmission rates (42%).

Key obstacles preventing attainment are limited budget (53%), privacy/security concerns (47%) and clinical resistance to the adoption of digital technologies (43%).

The promise of connected healthcare, however, is being leveraged today by Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health in Chicago. This system, which encompasses multiple hospitals and healthcare providers across the city, is using both AT&T's 5G network and its multi-access edge computing (MEC) cloud-based edge IT service environment.

Working with Rush, AT&T Business is helping to deliver on the connected healthcare promise through 5G technologies by expanding telemedicine, delivering near real-time remote healthcare monitoring and delivering a capability to transmit large imaging files quickly. According to Anthem, 86% of doctors say wearables, which are a common type of remote monitoring, increase patient engagement with their health. Additionally, wearables are predicted to decrease hospital costs by 16% in the next five years.

With 5G, healthcare systems can enable mobile networks to handle telemedicine appointments, which can significantly increase the reach of the program. When healthcare systems utilize this technology, patients can often get treated sooner and have access to specialists otherwise not available. It can also allow doctors and other staff members to collaborate more efficiently. According to a study by Market Research Future, this is a crucial need because the telemedicine market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5% from 2017 to 2023. By using IoT devices, healthcare providers can monitor patients and gather data that can be used to improve personalized and preventive care.

Adding a high-speed 5G network to existing architectures can help quickly and reliably transport substantial data files of medical imagery, which can improve both access to care and the quality of care. An example is the Austin Cancer Center where the PET scanner generates huge files — up to 1 gigabyte of information per patient per study. With 5G they can now send study results as soon as the patient leaves the scanner.

Rush System for Health is not alone in this move towards a connected healthcare environment. To realize the Connected Patient promise:

• 70% of patients surveyed are using Mobile and patient digital health tools;
• 67% of patients surveyed are using Emails, texts, phone reminders, scheduling, appointments, payments;
• 62% of patients surveyed are using Comprehensive cybersecurity program; and
• 47% of patients surveyed are using Patient teleconferencing

To realize the Connected Caregiver promise:

•  57% of Caregivers surveyed are using Integrated electronic health record platform;
• 40% of Caregivers surveyed are using Teleconferencing between caregivers;
• 34% of Caregivers surveyed are using Patient teleconferencing; and
• 44% of Caregivers surveyed are using Mobile devices for virtually seamless access to patient data.

To realize the Connected Hospital promise:

• 73% of hospitals surveyed are using Wireless bedside telemetry;
• 82% of hospitals surveyed are using Simplified check-in with self-service and mobile applications; and
• 79% of hospitals surveyed are using Enhanced in-room entertainment and education.

In accomplishing digital transformation, healthcare organizations must leverage secure telecommunications and digital technologies. AT&T can help these organizations transform the continuum of care—from the waiting room to the operating room, to the living room—with edge-to-edge technologies, including networking, mobility, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, and more. Visit https://www.business.att.com/industries/healthcare.html  for more information.

This post was brought to you by AT&T Business. For more content like this, visit https://www.business.att.com/ 

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Maria Lensing: The Network Platform for Healthcare’s Future

As a girl, Maria and her family traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to get cancer treatment for her sick brother. The miracle she observed, as the healthcare providers saved her brother’s life, ignited a passion for healthcare. Unfortunately, that passion didn’t apply to blood, so she went into electrical engineering and biomedical engineering, eventually falling in love with networking and data. Now Maria Lensing, Vice President of AT&T Healthcare Solutions, is in the perfect position for pursuing her dual passions of healthcare and advanced technology.

 

Maria’s interview with Dez Blanchfield started with this story as they talked AT&T healthcare solutions just ahead of HIMSS 2019 in Orlando Florida. HIMSS 2019 is the annual convention hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. This American not-for-profit organization dedicates itself to improving health care quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and access through the best use of information technology and management systems. Listening to Maria, her primary goal, when working with AT&T’s healthcare industry clients is helping them:

·         Deal with the growth, aggregation, consumption, and distribution of data;

·         Manage devices of the Medical Internet of Things ecosystem, that use data (i.e., Fitbit, health sensors, medical instruments);

·         Self-define the healthcare provider engagement model (How do I engage my patients? How do I engage my doctors? How do I engage my payers? How do we prepare for the future?); and

·         Maintain security and privacy across all of these connections.

During the engaging and far-ranging discussion, the pair talked about how healthcare spending has grown significantly in the United States, most of which from private investors. That private investment is allowing for more innovation. While on the bright side, this innovation is driving longer lifespans, a dichotomy also exists. As people are living longer, we now have seniors that are suffering multiple chronic diseases: not diabetes or arthritis for instance, but diabetes and arthritis. Also, while urban areas are enabling telemedicine with 5G, the rural community in the US doesn’t have the same high bandwidth wireless coverage. 

As AT&T FirstNet rolls out to provide high bandwidth wireless capability to first responders, it can also improve our society’s ability to deliver telehealth solutions to our rural community elders. Imagine a First Responder drone, connected via high bandwidth wireless technology, delivering a medical sensor to a distressed patient. Through that network, healthcare providers could collect and interpret critical data as the initial conversation is taking place. This scenario could deliver lifesaving care almost immediately. The intersection of technologies like 5g, IoT, smaller computer chip form 

factors and better batteries coming together with lower prices for connectivity can create the perfect environment for healthcare innovation. Availability of these technologies pushes our concepts around the delivery and consumption of healthcare services into realms we've never experienced before.

AT&T Business is Delivering The Network Platform for Healthcare’s Future today. Called Edge-to-Edge, by moving computing power closer to the edge,  it delivers the data needed to support the required action. Be that action needed by the doctor holding a phone or action by a subcutaneous implant (an under the skin implant used to deliver a drug over a long period). By connecting quickly and reliably to the desired endpoint, data can be analyzed faster which leads to faster action.

With technologies like software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN), AT&T healthcare solutions team is not talking about replacement technology. They’re talking about technology that extends and enhances existing infrastructure. SD-WAN can also reduce the management costs and allow a business to seamlessly transition between all of those other critical technologies (i.e., MPLS, 5G, LTE, WiFi) so that the experience becomes truly mobile. By understanding this difference, the healthcare IT executive can focus on how all these technologies seamlessly transition data back and forth so that the healthcare team can deliver the best possible patient experience. According to Ms. Lensing, that is what’s meant an Edge-to-Edge solution.

All of this change is happening I an environment which sees the healthcare consumer expectation changing dramatically as well.  In the past, making an appointment and showing up at the doctor’s office at the appointed time was expected. Society has gone past going to the neighborhood health clinic for care when they feel sick to now some expect their wearable health monitor to collect real-time health data, use an artificial intelligence-driven assistant to diagnose an illness, and order the correct medication over the internet.

For more, please listen to the Conversations with Dez podcast.  For more on this, visit the AT&T Healthcare Solutions page for more information. 

This post was brought to you by AT&T Business. For more content like this, visit https://www.business.att.com/

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