Microsoft Makes Life-Saving Acquisition
By Michael Hickins
Source: Internet News.com
In helping save your skin, Microsoft (Quote, Chart) may also be saving its own.
The Redmond software behemoth's every move and misstep has been under
the microscope recently, but its acquisition of niche software maker
Azyxxi is one that came in under the radar.
And the implications could be huge.
Azyxxi collects data from all information systems in a medical center,
including patient records, EKGs, x-rays, CAT scans, and even streaming
videos of all cardiac catheterizations and other angiographic
procedures, according to Microsoft.
This is
significant because traditionally, hospitals store imaging films
separately from patient records, requiring additional retrieval time.
Azyxxi uses Microsoft's .NET Framework and Visual Studio .NET 2003, as
well as ASP.NET, to create a Web-accessible version so that physicians
can access medical records and images remotely from both desktop and
handheld devices running Windows.
Microsoft is known
more for developing platforms and encouraging its partners to develop
solutions for particular vertical markets.
According
to Laura DiDio, however, the company has also made forays into
verticals in cases where it sees huge potential for growth, such as
insurance, retail and even construction.
"With health
care, they're trying to penetrate a very key strategic global market.
It's a big, growing market, and it plays to their strength," DiDio told
internetnews.com.
From a strategic standpoint, the acquisition allows Microsoft to remain a growth company while increasing its strengths.
"It's definitely a move to differentiate itself from the Linux folks," said DiDio. "You've got to go where they ain't.
"If
you own the applications and the application stack -- all the other
commodity things at the bottom of the stack -- the hardware and the
server OS and the desktop OS will follow."
Thus
Microsoft is actually accomplishing two ends. It is establishing a
beachhead in a growth market and also demonstrating how the various
pieces of its puzzle fit together.
In addition to being a showcase for the interoperability of Microsoft products, Azyxxi is easy for caregivers to use.
Craig Feied, a physician who helped design the solution, said in an
article posted on Microsoft's site that it also gives physicians rapid
access to medical information, which is particularly useful in
emergency room situations.
"If you don't have the right data, it's easy to choose the wrong treatment and end up with a disastrous outcome," he noted.
