January 29, 2024
CloudWave’s 2024 Predictions Part 5: Continued Growth and Adoption of Multi-Cloud Architectures
Throughout CloudWave’s 2024 healthcare IT predictions series, we have discussed the shifting nature of cybersecurity funding, how healthcare CIOs will navigate the opportunities, challenges, and cybersecurity risks of new artificial intelligence technologies, the impact of increased cybersecurity regulations and funding at the state level and the realization that cybersecurity is no longer the exclusive domain of IT professionals. Our final installment explores a strategy gaining significant traction: the adoption of a multi-cloud approach.
In alignment with the overarching themes of financial constraints and strategic decision-making that are the foundation of many of the trends we predict for 2024, multi-cloud environments will become the norm as organizations look to optimize workload placement across public, private, and hybrid clouds. The move from traditional data centers continues, with healthcare organizations seeking to manage costs, performance, and reliability in the cloud. Similar to the evolution of cybersecurity, the initial rush to adopt new technologies is giving way to a more measured approach, with organizations reassessing their cloud expenditures.
Finding the right balance of performance, cost, reliability, compliance, and security for each application will be critical. Healthcare organizations must carefully evaluate which workloads are suitable for the cloud. For example, migrating healthcare workloads to the cloud without a well-thought-out plan can lead to increased costs, especially for applications that operate along with the 24/7 nature of healthcare services. Conversely, some workloads are not suitable for the cloud at all, especially when safety, regulatory, or reliability issues are a concern. Architecting the right mix of public, private, and multi-cloud resources and determining the optimal environment for each workload is vital to maximizing cloud technology resources while minimizing the risks.
Recognizing that a single solution won’t meet every need, many organizations will implement a multi-cloud strategy incorporating a mix of public, private, and hybrid cloud elements. This balanced approach provides more flexibility and control over workload placement, enabling organizations to optimize each application’s environment to match its unique requirements. For example, a healthcare organization may choose to host patient-facing web applications in the public cloud, keep sensitive data in a private cloud, and connect the two using a hybrid cloud model.
In 2024, the question for most healthcare organizations is no longer whether to use cloud services but how to utilize them best. A multi-cloud architecture enables healthcare enterprises to tap into the benefits of each model and gain a competitive advantage.
Partnering with an experienced third-party managed cloud provider with the expertise and resources to guide healthcare organizations in adopting a strategic multi-cloud strategy that aligns with their specific needs and regulatory obligations can be invaluable throughout this process. With a thoughtful, tailored strategy for managing workloads across environments, multi-cloud can deliver cost savings and agility benefits without compromising performance, compliance, or security.
Need help determining your ideal cloud mix? CloudWave offers complimentary half-day Cloud Transformation Workshops. One of our expert technical consultants will evaluate your environment and help you begin to define a plan based on your specific needs and workloads. Contact us to schedule yours today.