Perhaps one of the most relatable issues in the cloud is healthcare IT. The dawn of this era signals the mounting interest of the sector to automate their database and capitalize on high level analytics solutions. This is what supercomputing powerhouse IBM realizes this via its breakthrough technology, Watson. The interest in this product ballooned after beating celebrated champions in the game show, Jeopardy. It was built to parallel how human thinks and decides with the use of computing. Now, Watson will be utilized commercially by WellPoint to deliver patient care and diagnosis solutions and reduce costs.

WellPoint’s Chief Medical Officer, Sam Nussbaum, M.D. is thrilled by Watson-based services that their organization will use: “There are breathtaking advances in medical science and clinical knowledge, however; this clinical information is not always used in the care of patients. Imagine having the ability to take in all the information around a patient’s medical care — symptoms, findings, patient interviews and diagnostic studies. Then, imagine using Watson analytic capabilities to consider all of the prior cases, the state-of-the-art clinical knowledge in the medical literature and clinical best practices to help a physician advance a diagnosis and guide a course of treatment. We believe this will be an invaluable resource for our partnering physicians and will dramatically enhance the quality and effectiveness of medical care they deliver to our members.”

General Manager, Watson Solutions, IBM Software Group provided details on how Watson technology will benefit the healthcare industry: “With medical information doubling every five years and health care costs increasing, Watson has tremendous potential for applications that improve the efficiency of care and reduce wait times for diagnosis and treatment by enabling clinicians with access to the best clinical data the moment they need it. WellPoint’s commitment to innovation and their work to improve how care is delivered and benefits administered make them an ideal partner for IBM’s software and services to pioneer new efficiencies in health care.”

The improvements seen are aligned with Chief Executive Samuel Palmisano’s vision of creating a phenomenal energy and retain market leadership through constant innovation and exploring opportunities beyond the limits. But above all this, what will constantly fuel medical engines in the cloud is big data. Recent reports have revealed the immense use of relentless flow of information in science laboratories and give birth to virtual lab rats for experimental simulations. Present surge in healthcare spending for cloud services is a testament of the industry growth.

This technology is looming with massive potential that even other giants in the industry like HP are trying to emulate. At the onset of its launch, there have been implications of commercial use of IBM’s Watson supercomputers. The applications within the Watson system can also be potentially exploited by other fields including engineering, science, manufacturing and even call centers.