How PTP Helped Modernize HALO for Scalable, Secure, Cloud-Based Image Analysis
A leading healthcare organization partnered with PTP to migrate legacy HALO pathology workflows from on-premises infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS), creating a more secure, scalable environment for digital pathology and AI-driven image analysis. The new cloud architecture improved secure data access, supported collaboration between clinical and nonclinical teams, and reduced the operational complexity of managing fragmented, manual workflows.
The Challenge
The customer’s original environment relied on two separate on-premises servers supporting clinical and nonclinical teams, each with independent databases tied to the HALO application.
This legacy setup created several operational challenges:
- Manual downloading and uploading of image folders into HALO
- Limited scalability for computational pathology workloads
- Complex access management across teams
- Increased infrastructure maintenance overhead
- Lack of elasticity for compute-intensive image processing
- Difficulty supporting modern AI and machine learning workflows in pathology
The organization needed a secure, scalable cloud architecture capable of supporting growing digital pathology demands while improving performance and reducing operational complexity.
The Solution
PTP collaborated closely with the Indica Labs team to architect and deploy a modern AWS-based HALO environment designed for secure access, scalable compute, and streamlined operations.
AWS Architecture & Cloud Migration
PTP designed and deployed a new cloud-native AWS environment while managing the migration from the customer’s existing on-premises infrastructure.
Key components included:
- Amazon EC2 instances running HALO clients and processing nodes
- Amazon RDS for MySQL to consolidate and manage pathology databases
- Amazon S3 for scalable image and study storage
- AWS Storage Gateway for seamless SMB file access
- Amazon Route 53 for DNS routing and connectivity management
- Microsoft Entra Domain Servicesintegration for identity and access control
Secure Access & Identity Management
To improve security and simplify user access, PTP implemented centralized identity and permissions management using Microsoft Entra ID.
This included:
- Configuration of Entra ID applications and Security Groups
- Secure authentication for HALO Instance Manager and HALO Link
- Automated SMB drive mapping through Active Directory Group Policies
- Role-based access to clinical and nonclinical study data
- Secure VPN and on-premises connectivity routing
These improvements reduced administrative complexity while strengthening security and governance across the environment.
Scalable AI & Image Processing Infrastructure
Digital pathology and AI-assisted image analysis require high-performance compute resources capable of processing large datasets efficiently.
To support these workloads, PTP worked with Indica Labs to deploy scalable HALO processing nodes on Amazon EC2. This allowed the customer to dynamically scale compute resources based on demand while leveraging HALO Cloud Services capabilities such as starting and stopping client environments as needed for cost optimization.
The result was a more flexible and AI-ready infrastructure capable of supporting advanced pathology workflows and computational analysis.
For a broader comparison of cloud-based image analysis platforms, see our VisioPharm vs. HALO for biotech image analysis on AWS guide.
Data Migration & Automation
PTP developed PowerShell automation scripts to identify pathology image folders previously detected by HALO in the on-premises databases and securely migrate them into designated Amazon S3 buckets for both clinical and nonclinical teams.
This automated migration process helped:
- Reduce manual effort
- Improve data consistency
- Accelerate cloud adoption
- Minimize disruption during transition
Documentation & Operational Enablement
To ensure long-term success, PTP created comprehensive operational documentation for both end users and administrators.
Deliverables included:
User Guide
A step-by-step guide covering:
- Accessing HALO applications in AWS
- Using HALO clients and workflows
- Accessing shared storage environments
Technical & Administrative Guide
Detailed documentation covering:
- AWS services used within the environment
- Entra ID configuration and onboarding
- User provisioning workflows
- S3 storage access management
- Ongoing administrative procedures
Business Outcomes
By migrating HALO to AWS with support from PTP, the customer achieved:
- Improved scalability for digital pathology and AI workloads
- Simplified and secure user access management
- Centralized pathology data storage and processing
- Reduced infrastructure maintenance overhead
- Enhanced operational flexibility and cost optimization
- Faster access to pathology studies and computational resources
- Cloud-ready infrastructure designed to support future AI initiatives
Why It Matters
As healthcare and life sciences organizations continue adopting AI-powered pathology and image analysis solutions, scalable cloud infrastructure becomes essential for innovation, collaboration, and operational efficiency.
PTP helped this customer modernize its digital pathology environment with a secure AWS architecture purpose-built for AI-enabled healthcare workflows.
The result is a future-ready platform that supports advanced image processing, streamlined operations, and scalable growth for modern pathology initiatives.
Ready to Modernize Digital Pathology on AWS?
PTP helps healthcare and life sciences organizations migrate pathology workflows to AWS with secure access, scalable compute, centralized data storage, and AI-ready infrastructure. Modernize legacy environments while improving performance, collaboration, and operational efficiency.
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FAQs About Digital Pathology Migration on AWS
What is digital pathology migration on AWS?
Digital pathology migration on AWS is the process of moving pathology workflows, image storage, databases, and related applications from on-premises infrastructure into a secure, cloud-based environment. This helps healthcare and life sciences organizations improve scalability, simplify access, and support more advanced image analysis workflows.
Why do healthcare organizations move digital pathology workflows to AWS?
Healthcare organizations move digital pathology workflows to AWS to improve scalability, reduce infrastructure maintenance, centralize image data, and support secure collaboration across teams. Cloud infrastructure also makes it easier to support compute-intensive pathology workloads and future AI initiatives.
How does AWS support AI-powered digital pathology?
AWS supports AI-powered digital pathology by providing scalable compute, secure storage, managed databases, and cloud services that can handle large pathology image datasets efficiently. This makes it easier to process studies, support image analysis workflows, and scale resources based on demand.
What are the benefits of modernizing HALO on AWS?
Modernizing HALO on AWS can improve secure data access, simplify administration, centralize pathology storage, and reduce the complexity of maintaining fragmented on-premises environments. It also creates a more flexible foundation for computational pathology, AI-assisted image analysis, and long-term operational efficiency.
How can digital pathology teams manage secure access in the cloud?
Digital pathology teams can manage secure cloud access through centralized identity and permissions management, role-based access controls, secure authentication, directory integrations, and controlled connectivity between cloud and on-premises environments. These measures help protect pathology data while making access easier to manage across clinical and nonclinical teams.
What should organizations look for in a digital pathology cloud migration partner?
Organizations should look for a partner that understands digital pathology workflows, secure cloud architecture, identity and access management, data migration, and operational enablement. The right partner should be able to modernize legacy environments while improving performance, supporting compliance, and preparing the organization for future AI and image analysis initiatives.