Chapter 1
Two years ago this EMR (Electronic Medical Records) vendor sent us a proposal, including their requirement to buy from them an inhouse server for their software, and to pay them for its maintenance in our premises. That proposal also included a number of workstations, printers, scanners, etc.
Chapter 2
Now they showed up again, with the same software, this time offering their “Cloud SaaS” option, which requires, among other things:
- Acer Rcache Faxing PC running Windows (for faxing through POTS, which we don't have, since we only have ethernet connections, and have been using an internet fax service for years now)
- VisiFax Software License
- Two faxing modems
- 4 Port Digi Neo
- HP 1810-24G- Switch (we already have a DLINK 1026G switch, which works fine)
They explain that, even though we don't need this”
faxing computer”, we need it as a “
cache server”, to connect through
VPN with their super-secure “
cloud server” which is highly protected inside a doomsday-proof bunker (think Terminator 3); the demo guy took several minutes to explain why this super-server is great because it runs Linux and why Linux is awesome (he didn't know our shop is Linux only); after which, he said that “
on the client side we have to use Windows because VPN is more robust that way”. This “
cache server” will be the hub to which the rest of our workstations (all of which are REQUIRED to run Windows on bare metal) will connect through a web interface.
Whoever that needs to connect to that “Cloud” service will need a
VPN to their super-server, which they will be happy to set up, for a fee.
Questions
Why VPN, when other "Cloud EMR" vendors use a regular web interface and require only to have a functioning web browser?
Why a “cache server”?
Inhouse software moving to the cloud: surprising demands for SaaS
