Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) consist of a network of computers dedicated to the storage, distribution, and display of medical images. Images are distributed and stored in an independent format known as DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine). Once images are acquired, they are sent via DICOM to the PACS server. Accessing these images for review can be achieved in a few ways; individually licensed workstations and web based clients. Individually licensed workstations require a licensing key inserted in a USB port to enable a diagnostic viewing application. The key must stay attached to the computer for the application to function, which limits the user to licensed workstations. On the other hand the Web Based Client utilizes the internet as means of communication and rather than a USB key being used to authenticate a certain user/workstation, a user name and password is used. Login can be achivied from any computer that has access to the internet.
