Access Cements Leadership in Healthcare Data Archiving with Fourth Best in KLAS Award

PEABODY, MA – February 04, 2026 – In a powerful affirmation of customer trust and product excellence, Access, a global provider of integrated information management solutions, has been named Best in KLAS for Data Archiving in the newly released 2026 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report. This marks the fourth time since 2021 that the company has secured the top honor in this critical healthcare IT category, signaling a consistent and sustained leadership position in a highly competitive market.

The recognition is based on direct, anonymous feedback from thousands of healthcare professionals and underscores the tangible impact of robust data management on patient care. Access achieved an impressive overall score of 95.4, a notable 3% increase from its 2025 performance, reflecting strengthening client satisfaction across key pillars including Culture, Loyalty, Operations, Product, Relationship, and Value.

The Gold Standard of Recognition

To be named Best in KLAS is widely considered the pinnacle of achievement for healthcare technology vendors. The award is conferred by KLAS Research, an independent firm renowned for its rigorous and impartial evaluation methodology. Unlike other industry awards, KLAS rankings are not determined by a panel of judges but are derived entirely from extensive, in-depth interviews with the software and services' end users—the clinicians, IT staff, and administrators on the front lines of healthcare.

This user-centric approach provides an unfiltered view of a vendor's true performance, making the Best in KLAS designation a reliable benchmark for healthcare organizations seeking to make informed technology investments. It signifies a vendor’s ability to not only deliver a superior product but also to forge a true partnership with its clients.

Adam Gale, CEO of KLAS Research, highlighted this collaborative aspect in the announcement. “The Best in KLAS awards recognize the vendors who consistently deliver excellence through partnership with healthcare organizations,” Gale stated. “Winning this award means customers trust you to help them succeed in our rapidly changing healthcare landscape. This means helping them to improve patient care, achieve better outcomes, and find true ROI.”

Navigating the Data Deluge in Healthcare

The repeated recognition for Access comes at a time when effective data archiving has transitioned from an IT back-office task to a strategic imperative for healthcare systems. The industry is grappling with an unprecedented explosion of data, with some estimates suggesting healthcare generates nearly a third of the world's total data volume. This deluge is fueled by the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), advanced medical imaging, and a growing array of digital health tools.

While this data holds immense potential for improving diagnostics and treatment, it also presents significant challenges. Healthcare organizations must securely manage vast archives of patient information to comply with stringent regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which mandates long-term data retention and protection. Simultaneously, they face intense pressure to decommission outdated and costly legacy IT systems without losing access to the critical historical data locked within them.

Effective data archiving solutions address these challenges directly. By migrating inactive data from expensive primary systems to a secure, cost-effective, and accessible archive, hospitals can reduce IT overhead, enhance the performance of their live EHRs, and mitigate the significant financial and legal risks associated with data breaches or non-compliance.

A New Badge for a Unified Vision

While Access is no stranger to the Best in KLAS podium, this year's award carries special significance. It is the first time the company has received the top honor specifically for its Access Unify | Health brand. This distinction validates the company's focused strategy in the healthcare sector and the success of its unified platform.

“We are honored by the recognition and deeply grateful for our customers’ continued trust,” said Tony Skarupa, CEO at Access. “While this is our 4th Best in KLAS award in six years, it is our first for the Access Unify | Health brand. This win validates our commitment to placing the customer at the center of everything we build as an information management and records archiving leader.”

Access Unify | Health is a cloud-based, SaaS solution designed to archive structured and unstructured data from a wide array of legacy clinical and financial systems. By providing a single, consolidated repository for historical information, the platform empowers healthcare providers to retire multiple old systems, streamlining their IT environment while ensuring clinicians retain a complete, longitudinal view of a patient’s medical history.

From Cost Center to Strategic Asset: The ROI of Archiving

The impact of implementing a top-tier archiving solution extends far beyond simple data storage. For healthcare executives and financial officers, the return on investment (ROI) is compelling and multifaceted. Industry analyses suggest that by archiving data and decommissioning legacy applications, healthcare facilities can slash associated maintenance, licensing, and infrastructure costs by 50% or more.

These savings free up critical budget and human resources that can be reallocated to patient-facing initiatives and other strategic priorities. Furthermore, optimizing primary storage by offloading inactive data improves the speed and responsiveness of active EHR systems, boosting clinician efficiency and satisfaction. This operational enhancement is crucial in high-pressure clinical environments where rapid access to information can directly influence the quality of care.

Beyond cost savings, modern archiving platforms transform historical data from a liability into a strategic asset. With data properly organized and accessible, healthcare organizations can leverage it for clinical research, population health analytics, and operational business intelligence, uncovering insights that can lead to improved outcomes and more efficient care delivery models. The consistent high marks from customers demonstrate that Access is not just selling software, but delivering a solution that provides tangible financial and clinical value across the healthcare enterprise.