Archiving firms purvey scalable storage offerings

Archiving may not be the most glamorous part of a PACS network, but it could be the most critical. And with procedure volumes and image complexity continuing to grow, choosing the right storage setup is more critical than ever.

Fortunately, storage vendors are continuing to develop and release archive configurations that meet a wide range of needs. Customers with low-volume storage requirements will find plenty to like on the show floor at this year's RSNA meeting. Many companies are showing archives designed for imaging centers and small to midsized hospitals, but that can scale appropriately as imaging demands grow.

Disaster recovery is also a major issue with any archive implementation, as exemplified by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated healthcare facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast. And as always, compliance with HIPAA provisions on data storage looms over everything.

Archiving firms are responding, emphasizing backup capabilities and technology such as replication in their offerings. Just click on the links below to learn more.