Are Chromebooks a Right Fit for a Physician Office?

Introduction
For anyone involved in Healthcare IT they know there is always a need to find a mobile solution that is low cost and is secure.  This is even more evident as the new Healthcare reform becomes a requirement for physician practices.  So the question is whether a minimal device such as a Chromebook can be used in the physician practice. In today's EMR environment most of the vendors are either browser or Citrix based which is where this review will begin.

Background Chromebook

The Chromebook is the OEM version of the Chromium OS Open Source project which was initiated by Google.  From a user perspective, the Chromebook is strictly a browser based laptop that allows access to applications via the Chrome Web Store or ones that are truly browser based.  The Chromebooks are now available from Samsung and Acer.

Most Secure Browser
Earlier this year, the Chrome browser won Pwn2Own (a well known hacker contest) which caught the eye of a lot IT security analysts as the best new secure browser.  One of the kudos to the Chrome development staff is that are continually releasing security and performance updates.  In addition, the Chrome browser is becoming more and more compatible with applications that have been traditionally only usable by Internet Explorer.

Citrix Availability
In the Healthcare industry a lot of EMR and clinical applications have been provided to their users via Citrix for years now.  Recently, Citrix became available for user on the Chromebook which allows access to these applications whether they are hosted on a local or remote Citrix farm.  Unlike most traditional Citrix clients the one for the Chromebook requires that files be setup on the servers providing the access.

Zero Local Storage
One of the most attractive features of the Chromebook from a healthcare data security perspective is the lack of local data storage.  This is a big benefit to the IT support because it rules out the possibility of sensitive patient data being stolen if the laptop  is lost.  However, the downside is that it requires the physician to utilize cloud based services for email and office productivity tools.  One cost saving opportunities for not having local storage is the ability to eliminate encryption software on the laptops which is required in some states.

Relatively Low Cost Device
An OEM notebook can be purchased from $329 - $499 from the vendors mentioned above depending on whether you want a Wifi or 3g model.  Some may dispute the fact that is too much to pay for a laptop that only has a browser installed.  However, there are a lot of cases where EMR and/or consulting companies are convincing physicians need a standard laptop that at the cheapest is around $499 as well.  However, there are hidden costs with a full blown laptops such as licensing, security updates, and supporting staff.

Wrap Up
The Chromebook is a fairly new player in the laptop market and thus dont' have a large installs are not necessarily in place.  The take away should be that physicians should consider the best low cost and secure solutions for their practices as they look into deploying EMRs to meet the healthcare reform law.

Yet Another HP Tablet (TouchPad) is Not Ready for Healthcare

As the tablet wars continue and enterprises try to find an option to replace the iPad has led to the latest review of the HP TouchPad in the the healthcare setting.  The excitement surrounding TouchPad was based upon the OS features and the fact that it was being touted as business productivity tool.

External Hardware
Screen
The TouchPad supports 9.7 inch Diagonal LED Backlit multi-touch display with an XGA (1024 x 768).  While the responsiveness of the screen was better than its predecessor the Sltate, the TouchPad screen is inconsistent in its response to touch which makes for a frustrating experience.  The scrolling through screens was the one consistent item when interacting with the TouchPad.


Internal Hardware
Processor
The TouchPad comes with a 1.2Ghz Snapdragon dual core processor which should be more than enough horsepower for a tablet.  However, when using the tablet to do basic tasks (web surfing, email, twitter, etc) the TouchPad was slow to respond to requests.


Wireless/Cellular Connectivity
The TouchPad comes with a wireless NIC with integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n which should be well excepted by most network administrators as it allows them to better manage the devices access to enterprise resources.  The downside for connectivity is that the device does not come with a cellular card thus it is limiting to those individuals who are rode warriors where wireless isn't always available.


Operating System
The TouchPad is base upon the WebOS which has been revered as the one OS that is a true competitor to iOS.  The multitasking and gestures is by far the best feature of the TouchPad and operates flawlessly during testing.  The one surprising issue with WebOS is the crispness of the graphics of icons and applications.  It has to be assume that this is a short coming of the OS since the video hardware is as good as the original iPad but has a far worse graphical presentation.

Applications
One of the basic requirements for new challengers to the iPad is to ensure that there are enough applications available for the buyer.  The TouchPad is suffering the same fate as other tablet platforms in that there are not a lot of applications in general and very little for the Healthcare market.  What is surprising, is that one of the main mediums for accessing enterprise applications, no matter the industry, is Citrix and there is not a client available for the TouchPad although it was supposed to be available at launch.


Conclusion
While the TouchPad has some nice features and in most cases is better than some Android tablets, it is not ready to be a replacement for the iPad in the Healthcare environment.  

With OS X Lion: Apple Forgets to Consider Enterprise Customers

With OS X Lion:  Apple Forgets to Consider Enterprise Customers  

As was announced by Apple yesterday, Mac OS X Lion will only be available via the Mac App Store when it is released next month.  For enterprise customers, the change away from traditional media poses several challenges to be able to upgrade to the latest version of the operating system.  At first pass the following items will have to be addressed in order to upgrade to Lion:

Corporate iTunes Account

Picture provided by @Apple

Currently there are no means for non-educational institutions to establish a corporate iTunes account that allows for software purchases against credits.  Per the iTunes eula, the iTunes accounts is to be established for personal use.  Even if a company allows for a corporate credit card for iTune purchases this still has it challenges if they allow the staff to install personal items on their devices as iTunes does not allow for multiple accounts on a single device.

Mac App Store Doesn't Provide Download File
Based upon how the Mac App Store currently installs purchased applications there will be no means of downloading a traditional install file (*.dmg) that would allow Lion to be install on other workstations.

Next Steps
Hopefully between now and the release of Lion in July, Apple will take into consideration it's corporate customers and provide an additional means of purchasing Lion that will allow for easier upgrades.

Playbook Not Ready for Healthcare Enterprise Yet

At HIMSS this year I was able to test drive the BlackBerry Playbook and at the time thought it had the potential to be an alternative to the iPad.  The reason for this optimism was due to the form factor, display and multi-tasking while even knowing that the email was done via a bridge solution. 

This that optimism went away after reviewing the Playbook in an actual enterprise environment.  The lack of email was a show stopper as ATT currently is blocking the Bridge application. In addition, there is currently no Citrix client for the device either. When I inquired with a Citrix Rep there was apparent time frame for client to be released.

At this point in time, the Playbook is merely a consumer device that can't play in the enterprise.

A Step Away from Tech and a Step into a Kevin Eikenberry Coaching Session

A few weeks ago I was provided the opportunity to attend a Leadership Development series where Kevin Eikenberry was one of the speakers where he focused on coaching. Actually, Kevin was more of a facilitator of thought versus a traditional speaker. During this short session he was able to get the attendees to compile the following on coaching.

Coaching in 6 Words

• Teaching Others To Achieve Best Results
• Inspire Others to Exceed their abilities
• Empowering others to continually improve themselves
• Inspiring ongoing mutual development (individually/others)
• Challenge and guide toward collective goals
• Communicate, mentor, motivate to achieve greatness
• Bringing out the potential in others
• Motivate others to be their best

Great Coaches Are:

• Role model
• Encouraging
• Great listener
• Spiritual
• Trusting
• Demanding
• Celebration my successes
• Respected
• Energetic
• Reasonable
• Communicate
• Gives feedback
• Realistic
• Pushes the envelop
• Unconditional support
• Patient
• Loyal
• Develops other leaders
• Bold
• Decisive
• Wise
• Successful
• Asks questions
• Integrity
• Compassionate
• Insightful
• Visionary

In addition to the excellent content above on coaching, Kevin provide several memorable quotes which are listed below.

• Developing Others - One Competency of Remarkable Leaders
• Motivation is internal. We choose to make the decision.
• To be world class a coach does not mean you have to be the best at everything.
• People see their weaknesses most of the time versus focussing on their strengths as well. Build upon on your strengths while working on your weaknesses.
• Coach people you believe in. If you don't then you won't be successful.
• Make sure you provide specific positive and negative feedback.
• To be a good coach help others see their potential.

I have been following Kevin on Twitter  (@kevineikenberry) for several years and have always loved the content that he provides on leadership with his feed.  I was completely impressed at his ability to get the group to participate in this coaching session and highly recommend that everyone attend one Kevin's sessions is provided the opportunity.

Windows Phone 7 Not Ready for the Healthcare Enterprise

Recently, I was provided the opportunity to give a Samsung Windows Phone 7(WP7) a test drive. The phone itself felt great to hold and was easy to get setup for initial use. The WP7 user interface is as easy to use and intuitive as the iPhone. Once, I finished giving the consumer side of the phone a test it was time to put on my Healthcare IT hat to see if WP7 would work in the enterprise. For this review, the following areas were reviewed as they are the basic requirements for healthcare.

No Device Encryption
In the majority of cases, mobile healthcare devices are required to be encrypted in order to ensure protection of possible patient data on the device. WP7 lacks any sort of device level encryption and for that matter very few add-on tools to encrypt the phone. This lack of encryption also plagues Android devices but is being addressed by using tools like Good Technology (mailbox encryption client). However, at the time of this review there is no Good client for WP7.

No Citrix Support
Traditionally, a lot of healthcare enterprise applications are connected to via Citrix. Currently, the Receiver Client from Citrix is available for Android, BlackBerry and iOS devices but is not available for WP7. In doing some searching I was unable to determine if or when the Receiver client would be available for WP7.

No VPN Support
Although not required by all persons in healthcare there are instances where VPN is required for access to certain systems. Unlike the iPhone, WP7 does not have any native support or apps for VPN connectivity.

Lack of Enterprise Management
Until recently, there has been a absolutely no enterprise management tools to support WP7.  None of the major vendors that support iOS and Android today provide support for WP7.  The only enterprise support for WP7 is via Microsoft System Center 2012 which is still in beta.

Lack of Healthcare Apps
One of the major attractions of the iOS devices for physicians is the number of "medical" apps that are readily available for those devices.  In doing some some rudimentary searching of the WP7 marketplace it was immediately obvious that it lacked the number of medical apps that iPhone and now Android owners have come accustomed to.  In searching iTunes it was determined that there were over 2000 "medical" related apps as compared to less than 100 for WP7.  If there is more than 100 medical apps than it would be hard to determine that, as the searching in WP7 Marketplace returns results for more than just apps.

Summary
Although, WP7 is a very easy to use mobile platform there is still a long way for it to go before it is a viable alternative to Android and iOS.  For those that had an early iPhone, WP7 is essentially at that same point.  Microsoft has targeted the consumer sector with WP7 but have may forgotten it's business customers that pay millions each year for their software solutions.  Hopefully, with future updates for WP7, Microsoft will add the necessary functionality needed for an enterprise environment and provide a viable alternative to Android and iOS.