The Benefits of Single-source Data Access
To deliver the systems and information to support this big data explosion, healthcare organizations must be able to access and integrate information from multiple sources. Investing in a data virtualization solution to easily integrate vital data and enable an internal eDaaS (Enterprise Data as a Service) platform for employee access is an important first step. It provides the single-source access point from which data can extend. (More on this topic later).

According to Gartner Research, data virtualization usage is expanding to improve the speed and flexibility of enterprises’ aggregation of known disparate data, and in anticipation of the future additions of unknown data sources, as well as for consolidating data access. Being able to easily access data is increasingly important as, according to published IDC7 research, spending on big data technologies and services grew by 30 percent in 2014, surpassing $14 billion, driving the need for “data-optimized platforms,” capable of leveraging high volumes of data and/or real time data streams.

Data warehouse vs. data virtualization
The enterprise “Data Mart” concept is not new, yet the advanced technologies that can make it successful are. Newly released data virtualization solutions take it further by enabling the data to be easily accessed by more end users with unprecedented speed and simplicity, making the creation of a true Enterprise Data as a Service Model concept a reality.

Real Time Access
While pulling data together in a data warehouse integrates data across disparate platforms, it brings several limitations. First, the unified data must conform to a predefined schema for all consumers of the data, requiring customization for each report. Second, data warehousing relies on scheduled ETL (extract, transform, load) processes, making real time analysis difficult. These and other limitations slow data interaction, to the frustration of IT and business users alike. However, the most significant difference is that data virtualization allows eDaaS to deliver vital information in real time.

Use Data as Needed
Data virtualization masks data’s source location, structure and format from the user. And, because some of the newest data virtualization solutions employ RESTful Web services (Representational State Transfer) the data is quickly and easily connected, more intuitive to view and analyze, and shared in user-friendly formats. In the end, modern data virtualization provides the passageway that makes unified data available to all end users and allows them to use data in a format they need, not how the data source dictates.

Easily Grant Entitlements
With data virtualization, not only is information more easily attainable, it is also more easily managed. Some of the newest solutions offer multi-level data entitlement features that enable an administrator to grant or deny access to data from a complete data source, down to opening just a specific field within a data file. In addition, with these new solutions data access management can be adjusted instantaneously, via any mobile device.

Reaping Long-term Benefits from Data Virtualization
Data virtualization gives healthcare enterprises the ability to take applications and extend them by including data from other sources. Leveraging data virtualization makes possible the integration of data from any location, be it a physician practice, pharmacy, lab, patient portal, hospital, insurance carrier or remote monitoring device.

In addition, data virtualization provides for greater data accountability and agility and provides the ability to foster further internal collaboration among physicians, clinicians, staff, and patients. On the back end, it benefits IT staff by making possible the creation of one centralized platform to control, monitor and respond to requests for data. This means real time, up-to-date, remote data access regardless of whether you have a data warehouse. And a more stable, consistent development environment makes it possible to maximize IT talent and resources, freeing them up to deal with more pressing IT matters within the healthcare organization.

Finally, having multiple ways to access the data and deploy the finished application means much more flexibility in the way future applications are developed and deployed, such as mHealth apps, patient portals and other highly in-demand applications. This, in turn, helps healthcare entities attract patients in these highly competitive times.

6 considerations when selecting a data virtualization solution
For organizations looking to invest in a data virtualization solution, it’s important to keep an eye out for several key capabilities that have only recently come to market in newer data virtualization packages:

• IT and Stakeholder Ease of Use: A data virtualization platform should be simple and intuitive for both IT staff and data end users. Look for a solution that requires no coding to set up, deploy or use. One that employs features such as drag-and drop data mapping and mobile access is ideal.
• Legacy and Open Systems Connectivity: Look for a solution that not only connects a variety of modern data sources and locations, including relational, NoSQL, on-premises and cloud, but insist on one that also integrates all legacy data to hold-off expensive migrations.
• Read/Write Data Interaction: Look for a data virtualization solution with bi-directional interaction. If you are only able to access information and not subsequently send back updates to the source(s), you are only getting half of the benefit of a true data virtualization platform. Many of the data virtualization solutions today only allow access to data.
• Multi-level Enablement:  A comprehensive virtualization platform will allow multi-level, flexible access control. Look for a solution that allows an administrator to grant or deny access to data at many levels, such as by groups, roles or individuals.
• Mobile Access: Data access requests don’t always happen Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, especially in healthcare. Make sure your data virtualization solution is accessible remotely via any browser so that access to data can be established and granted when it is needed, without requiring a trip into the office.
• No Coding, eDaaS Enablement: Enterprise IT staff have enough on their plates – look for a data virtualization solution that helps IT save time and effort by enabling an internal eDaaS platform.

Meet immediate commitments, solve management issues
According to Forrester Research, growing investments in new data management capabilities highlight the importance of solving tough information management problems. Enterprise architects must seek solutions with long-term, enterprise benefits that also help project teams deliver on immediate commitments. Use unmet data integration requirements to evaluate data virtualization and introduce it into your enterprise. Develop an information integration architecture that employs a canonical business model at the center and then work with internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for enterprise-wide deployments.

Data virtualization can provide single point, real time access to multiple, diverse data sources, including third-party, mainframe, relational, NoSQL, Cloud, etc.

Unlike data warehousing or competing data virtualization solutions, data flows bi-directionally, meaning it can call data for integrating into various applications or analysis tools, as well as send updates back to the original source when needed. What’s more all interaction is real time so the data called is always relevant and accurate without synchronization issues.

For IT and data governance administrators, it makes providing data access easier for the end user and more manageable for IT while supporting data governance policies.

Virtualization enables connecting to legacy data in minutes, even the notoriously "hard-to-access" mainframe data. As enterprises are no longer forced to migrate off older technologies, they can let data remain on the original platform and still achieve seamless, intuitive access, for the long haul, or choose to migrate data on their terms. In the end, organizations immediately realize the benefits of migration without the risk or investment of time, capital and energy to migrate.