Facilitated Breakfast Discussion - Cloud Computing for Health System Strengthening

The TGHC Breakfast Discussion Series facilitates the Triangle's players in the field of global health getting to know each other and to get acquainted with what's happening locally in this dynamic field. TGHC is fostering an integrated approach to global health to stimulate action, with particular emphasis on the grand challenges and opportunities in the field today. At each meeting we will discuss a topic that will have been announced in advance. A short presentation by the moderator will introduce the topic and set the stage for discussion. No slides will be presented but a flip chart will be available for on the spot illustration. A moderated discussion will endeavor to shed light on the topic. We will stop right on 8.30 AM, but the room will be available for another 30 minutes for informal discourse for those that choose to stay.

THIS MONTH'S TOPIC:
"Cloud Computing for Health System Strengthening: One definition of cloud computing is 'the use of a 3rd party service to perform computing needs on a publicly accessible IP basis. The trend for cloud computing has been compared to the development of the electricity network a century ago. At that time, companies stopped having to produce their own power, and instead plugged into a national electricity grid. In the same way, individuals and organizations can now connect to a cloud of computing resources to fuel their information activities, rather than having to install software to run on their own hardware. Linked to this trend are some new low-power, low-cost devices that are also being referred to as computing appliances. This is because they are intended to be used out of the box to access emerging clouds of computing services, with no user software installation (such as Word, Excel, etc) being required. Amazon, Google, IBM and others have already embraced the cloud computing revolution, and it has the potential to change the face of the entire computing industry, especially in low- to middle-income countries seeking a low-cost alternative to purchasing software to run on local hardware. In our meeting, we will discuss the opportunities for, and challenges of, using Cloud Computing to strengthen health systems – both locally as well as internationally."

The breakfast forums are scheduled to occur on the third Thursday of each month unless otherwise noted.