Healthcare organisations are fast adopting hybrid cloud as a result of increasing security and compliance concerns, according to a new study.
The Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index identified that hybrid cloud adoption in healthcare is expected to jump from 19 per cent to 37 per cent worldwide in two years, as providers address critical technology needs.
The healthcare industry in Australia has been hit with multiple security concerns of late, with the sector topping the list of notifiable data breaches for the fourth consecutive quarter and the number of data breaches involving My Health Record rising year-on-year.
The study found that 28 per cent of healthcare respondents named security and compliance as their top decision criterion in choosing where to run workloads.
In its attempt to improve its current state, the report revealed that healthcare ranked third in the number of hybrid cloud deployments currently running, by industry.
It also found that more than half of the respondents noted inter-cloud application mobility as essential, demonstrating the need for seamless movement of applications and associated data, networking services and security policies between different types of clouds.
Nutanix ASEAN, India and ANZ Vice-President Neville Vincent said the ANZ industry is increasingly leaning toward adopting hybrid clouds that combine private and public cloud services as an ageing population, rise in chronic disease and increased health costs mean it’s pertinent for industry to invest in the next generation of infrastructure that preserves quality of care.
“Australia and New Zealand have always provided a premier healthcare system for their citizens but… a host of technical and social factors are putting increased pressure on our hospitals and healthcare professionals,” he said.
“There is no quick cure for these issues, but investing in next-generation IT infrastructure is the first step in preserving our quality of care and bringing healthcare to the individual rather than the other way around.”
Vincent said infrastructure innovations like hybrid cloud allow hospitals to manage different applications and data types, take advantage of automation and create new service lines such as telehealth or remote monitoring, leading to improved patient engagement.
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Nutanix Global Marketing Senior Vice-President Chris Kozup added that hybrid cloud provides the flexibility, ease of management and security requirements of healthcare and allows for providers to undergo a digital transformation of healthcare delivery.
“And this need will only become more prominent as attacks on systems become more advanced, compliance regulations more stringent, and data storage needs more demanding,” he said.
“With the cloud giving way to new technologies and tools such as machine learning and automation, we expect to see positive changes leading to better healthcare solutions in the long run.”
