Looking to capitalize on the opportunities for organizations in healthcare IT, enterprise applications vendor SAP this summer formed a new organization, the Connected Health group, and named Thomas Laur as the organization's new president.

The new Connected Health group brings together several existing initiatives within SAP to address the healthcare market holistically, SAP said, in its announcement of its formation in August.

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Laur brings many years working in business and healthcare to the new role, most recently as the CEO of Sutherland Healthcare Solutions. His experience has put in in the catbird seat for observing trends in IT in general and the healthcare IT market in particular.

"Healthcare globally is going through unprecedented change as a result of new medical insights, technological advancements, and the changing expectations of patients," Laur, said in a statement when his appointment was announced. "Because SAP technology supports the entire cycle of care, from providers to researchers to patients, we are uniquely positioned to drive digital innovation across the healthcare system through a connected health platform. I'm thrilled to join the SAP team at this critical moment in the evolution of healthcare."

To find out more about the trends in healthcare IT and why this is such a critical moment in its evolution, we caught up with Thomas Laur for this podcast interview.