Over the past decade, the healthcare industry has heavily invested in cloud-based computing to modernize information technology (IT) infrastructure and to stand up cutting-edge IT solutions to better manage data and operational workloads. However, Michael Fredericks, Global APEX and Multicloud Healthcare Lead at Dell Technologies, said that this has put many organizations into what he calls a “multicloud-by-default” position, which can hinder the operational efficiencies that hospitals and health systems hope to realize.

“Organizations often wind up here haphazardly…You’ve got different lines of business that are now managing different workloads or applications in different environments, and that affects your overall efficiency and performance,” he explained.

With each cloud environment supporting its own native sets of technologies, many organizations end up with a “sprawl” of different cloud providers. This can result in issues with management and security, as well as generate unnecessary additional costs. But when healthcare organizations take a more strategic “multicloud-by-design” approach to their cloud landscape, according to Fredericks, they can obtain the benefits that drew them to cloud solutions in the first place.

Innovate without sacrificing security or performance

Digital innovation has accelerated thanks to public cloud technologies. Healthcare organizations have been able to take advantage of advanced data analytics, as well as new artificial intelligence (AI) applications. These enable organizations to innovate in the cloud and operationalize on-premises for best results. “The goal is to use common data storage components so you can easily take advantage of different offerings in the public cloud in the most efficient way possible,” said Fredericks.

Taking this approach allowed one healthcare organization to adopt an AI imaging solution for radiology. Operationalizing this solution in a private cloud environment enabled the organization to leverage the solution without taking on the costs or potential security risks that might come from storing data in multiple locations. “Through realizing its vision in a strategic way, we were able to help this healthcare organization implement an AI model that resulted in a 40% reduction in the amount of time it took for radiologists to read their exams,” he revealed. “This improves patient and clinician satisfaction while driving down cost.”  

Getting the most out of the cloud

To design the most effective multicloud environment, Fredericks said that healthcare organizations need to take a step back and understand what they are trying to accomplish by switching to a different cloud environment. Many organizations state that they want to get out of the “data center business,” he noted, but it’s important to understand what is driving that directive.

“Some might think that means the organization needs to move workloads to the public cloud,” he said. “But which will be the best for today? How about tomorrow? You need to dig into the why of that statement — and understand what business objectives the organization is trying to achieve.”

Where cloud-based innovation occurs today may not be the same place it happens tomorrow. But by working with experienced managed service providers who understand the intricacies of the healthcare space, organizations can better develop a multicloud-by-design strategy to host and manage cloud solutions that meet their specific needs, today and well into the future. In doing so, they can also ensure regulatory compliance and reduce the risk of cloud provider lock-in to glean even more value from their cloud investments.

“You want partners who are experts in the nuances of hosting healthcare workloads,” Fredericks said. “When you lay out your overall objectives, they can come back with a multicloud strategy that will improve efficiencies and benefit your organization in the long run.”