The healthcare industry today is on the cusp of full digitization adoption, and healthcare providers are focusing on patient experiences and patient outcomes to generate competitive advantages.

Healthcare environments present some unique challenges and require network architectures that are secure and flexible:

• Compliance with industry regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to manage sensitive patient health information
• Support seamlessly and reliably the internal connectivity of patients, doctors, nurses, medical equipment and IoT devices
• Provide external integration with partners, organizations and cloud applications.

Information Technology is at the heart of digitized healthcare. One of the most profound shifts occurring is innovation in patient monitoring and patient diagnostics, by interconnecting medical devices such as infusion pumps, patient monitors, ultrasound and MRI devices. A digitized infrastructure paves the road to innovations such as improved surgical outcomes using augmented reality, that are bound to radically change healthcare as we know it today.

Cisco Software Defined Access (SD-Access) enables IT staff to go past the drudgery and limitations of traditional networking operations through a fully-automated, fabric-based network. Network segmentation, dynamic identity-based access and security policies are built into SD-Access to support all device types across Wired, Wireless and Remote access to reduce cost and improve efficiency of day-to-day network operations.

One example of an SD-Access adopter is the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), that has over 30,000 connected devices, and needs to be able to respond securely and quickly to allow the care givers to keep their focus on delivering life-changing cures. CHLA has managed to improve the network availability, and strengthen the network security by deploying Cisco ISE and Cisco Umbrella. Going forward, the SD-Access will help CHLA reach their goal of connecting every visitor, patient, doctor, nurse, mission-critical equipment and research institution securely and easily. As Marty Miller, Chief Technology Strategist at CHLA, said, "SD-Access is clearly the future", and it is here now to help support the future of healthcare.