Cloud PACS in India — encrypted imaging storage and remote reading

Most Indian imaging centres need two things at once: fast local viewing when a radiologist is on-site and reliable remote access when the reader is elsewhere. A purely cloud-based PACS can make local reading dependent on internet performance. A purely on-premise PACS can make remote reporting difficult. A hybrid PACS combines a local reading path with managed cloud access, so the centre does not have to choose only one.

What is a cloud based PACS system?

A cloud based PACS system receives, stores, organises, and makes medical imaging studies available through remote infrastructure managed for clinical imaging. PACS stands for Picture Archiving and Communication System. Unlike a folder on a consumer cloud drive, PACS understands DICOM studies, patients, series, modalities, and the worklist used by a radiology team.

In day-to-day use, a modality such as CT, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, or mammography sends a study into the PACS workflow. Authorised users can then find that study, open it in the diagnostic viewer, prepare or approve a report, and make the result available to the centre. Cloud access removes the need to copy studies into email, messaging apps, or one-off transfer links whenever a remote radiologist needs to read.

“Cloud PACS” can describe several architectures. Some systems store and serve every image only from the cloud. Others keep a local component at the imaging centre and mirror studies for remote use. RDx PACS uses the second, hybrid approach: local access supports fast on-site reading while encrypted cloud storage supports remote reporting.

How the RDx cloud PACS workflow works

1. The modality sends the study. Standard DICOM modalities feed the PACS rather than relying on manual uploads for every case.
2. The local component makes the study available on-site. Radiologists inside the centre can work over the local setup instead of downloading every image over the public internet.
3. The study is mirrored for remote access. The cloud tier makes the case available to authorised remote readers through the same organised workflow.
4. The radiologist reads and reports. The viewer supports MPR, 3D reconstruction, MIP, window and level presets, measurements, annotation, and prior comparison. Reporting, templates, speech-to-text, and AI-assisted drafts sit beside the images.
5. The centre receives the finished report. Role-based access keeps radiologist, front-desk, and typist work focused, while the final PDF can use the centre’s letterhead.

This is important because remote access alone is not a complete radiology workflow. A useful system must connect acquisition, viewing, reporting, status, and delivery. Otherwise the team still spends time moving files, confirming whether a case was received, and matching reports back to the correct study.

What RDx Cloud PACS includes

• Encrypted DICOM storage: Studies are stored in DICOM-aware encrypted cloud storage — not a generic drive. Your imaging data stays structured and protected.
• 100 GB per site: Covers approximately 500 cases per month for a typical mix of CT, MR, CR, and ultrasound studies.
• 30-day retention: Studies remain accessible for 30 days in cloud, with local copies on-site for longer access.
• Remote reading from anywhere in India: Radiologists can open, measure, annotate, and report studies from any location with a browser — no VPN, no file export, no separate sharing link.
• Same worklist, local and remote: On-site and remote radiologists see the same pending queue. Studies do not need to be manually assigned or duplicated.

The 100 GB and approximate case volume are planning guides, not a guarantee that every centre will store the same number of studies. A CT or MRI examination can be much larger than an X-ray or ultrasound study. Before choosing a tier, estimate using your actual monthly modality mix and representative study sizes.

Who a cloud PACS system suits

Cloud PACS is especially useful when the reporting radiologist is not always at the scanner location. That includes diagnostic centres using visiting consultants, hospitals that need after-hours or on-call coverage, diagnostic chains routing studies between branches, and teleradiology providers receiving work from multiple clients.

A single centre can also benefit when it wants occasional remote access and an additional off-site copy. If the radiologist is always on-site and the internet connection is inconsistent, however, the local path remains important. The right architecture should reflect where images are acquired, where they are read, what modalities produce the largest studies, and how long the centre needs immediate cloud access.

Cloud vs on-premise vs hybrid PACS

The best choice is not determined by the word “cloud.” It depends on reading location, internet reliability, internal IT support, study volume, and the cost of downtime. This summary shows the practical difference.

For a deeper architecture and cost discussion, see the guide to cloud PACS vs on-premise PACS in India. The practical buying test is simple: ask the vendor to demonstrate the workflow with a representative CT or MRI study, not only a small sample file.

Internet, storage, and retention planning

Cloud PACS performance depends on both bandwidth and consistency. A centre should measure upload behaviour during its busiest period and include the largest routine study type in the test. Average speed alone can hide short drops that interrupt an upload. The implementation discussion should cover how the queue resumes, how staff see whether a study is available remotely, and whom they contact if an urgent case is delayed.

Storage planning should begin with monthly study counts by modality. Multiply each category by a representative average study size, then add headroom for growth and unusually large examinations. Retention is a separate decision: cloud retention describes how long a study remains immediately available in that tier, while the centre’s longer-term archive and clinical record obligations should be planned with its own policies and advisers.

RDx Cloud PACS includes 100 GB per site and 30-day cloud retention. Local copies support longer on-site access. If your centre needs a different retention pattern or has a high proportion of large multi-series examinations, discuss that before rollout rather than assuming a headline case count will fit every workload.

Security and access questions to ask

Medical imaging contains sensitive patient information, so a cloud PACS review should cover more than whether the storage is encrypted. Ask how accounts are created and removed, which roles can open images or edit reports, whether access and report actions are recorded, and how the organisation responds when a staff member changes roles or leaves.

Also clarify who is responsible for the workstation, local network, user passwords, backups, and incident response. Cloud infrastructure does not remove the centre’s operational responsibilities. RDx PACS provides encrypted imaging cloud storage, role-based access for radiologists, front desk staff, and typists, and tracked access and report actions. Each organisation should still document its own access policy and validate the deployment against applicable legal, contractual, and clinical requirements.

Cloud PACS pricing and total cost

RDx cloud storage is an add-on at ₹999 per month, inclusive of GST. It is used with the primary RDx PACS plan, which is ₹1,299 per month for five shared seats. The primary plan includes the PACS server software, diagnostic viewer, reporting workflow, speech-to-text, and AI-assisted drafts. See the PACS pricing and cost page for current plan and add-on details.

When comparing providers, look beyond the storage price. Ask whether viewer licences, reporting, dictation, support, data migration, modality connection, additional users, downloads, or remote access are charged separately. Also count the operational cost of a local server: hardware, drives, UPS, power, maintenance, backups, and the time needed to restore service after a failure. A lower monthly number is not automatically a lower total cost if essential workflow pieces are excluded.

Cloud PACS implementation checklist

• Map the workflow: List every modality, acquisition location, reporting location, user role, and final-report destination.
• Measure representative studies: Test typical and large CT, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound examinations rather than relying on a generic bandwidth estimate.
• Confirm identifiers: Agree how patient details and accession information will be entered so duplicate or incomplete work is reduced.
• Define roles: Decide what radiologists, typists, front desk users, administrators, and referring teams need to see and do.
• Plan downtime: Document what staff do if internet access, a modality connection, or a workstation is temporarily unavailable.
• Run a controlled go-live: Connect and test each modality, complete sample reports, verify letterheads and downloads, then train the people who will use the system every day.

Centres preparing their first deployment can use the fuller PACS setup guide for diagnostic centres to plan hardware, networking, staff roles, reporting, and go-live.

Cloud PACS FAQ

What is a cloud based PACS system?

It is a PACS that uses managed remote infrastructure to receive, organise, store, and provide access to DICOM imaging studies. A clinical PACS keeps patient, study, series, and modality information structured and connects viewing to the radiology worklist and reporting process.

What does RDx Cloud PACS include?

RDx Cloud PACS includes encrypted DICOM-aware cloud storage, remote reading access, the same shared worklist for local and remote radiologists, 100 GB per site, around 500 cases per month, and 30-day cloud retention.

How much does Cloud PACS cost?

Cloud storage is available as an add-on at ₹999 per month inclusive of GST. It is used alongside the primary RDx PACS plan, which is ₹1,299 per month for five shared seats.

Is Cloud PACS better than on-premise PACS?

For many Indian centres, a hybrid model works better than choosing only cloud or only on-premise. Local access keeps on-site reading fast, while cloud storage supports secure remote reporting and backup.

What internet connection does a cloud PACS need?

The answer depends on case volume and modality mix. CT and MRI studies are usually much larger than X-ray or ultrasound studies. Test upload and remote viewing with representative cases during busy hours, and confirm how interrupted uploads recover.

Can cloud PACS connect to CT, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound?

Yes. RDx PACS supports standard DICOM modalities including CT, MRI, X-ray or CR or DX, ultrasound, and mammography. Each modality and site should be checked during onboarding because local network and device configuration vary.

How should a diagnostic centre compare cloud PACS providers?

Compare the complete workflow: modality connection, upload behaviour, diagnostic viewer, reporting, remote access, user roles, retention, support, pricing, and downtime handling. Ask to see your normal case types and confirm which services are included in the quoted price.

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