Nutanix Study: AI, Security, Drive Healthcare IT Modernization

Nutanix’ recent study sheds light on the pressing need for IT infrastructure modernization in the healthcare sector, driven by factors like Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, and sustainability. The sixth annual global Healthcare Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) survey by Nutanix, a hybrid multicloud computing company, reveals a significant uptick in hybrid multicloud adoption among healthcare organizations. This surge in adoption underscores the industry’s intensified focus on IT modernization to effectively leverage AI capabilities, mitigate security risks, and embrace sustainability practices.

The study forecasts a doubling of hybrid multicloud usage in healthcare over the next one to three years, highlighting the growing urgency for IT decision-makers in healthcare to revamp their infrastructures. Managing vast amounts of personal health information (PHI) while adhering to stringent regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) presents unique challenges for healthcare organizations. Hybrid multicloud solutions emerge as crucial enablers, offering streamlined operations, enhanced patient outcomes, and increased clinician efficiency.

Scott Ragsdale, Sr. Director, Sales, U.S. Healthcare at Nutanix, notes a remarkable uptick in technology adoption within the healthcare sector, driven particularly by AI and the imperative of data portability. An overwhelming majority (80%) of respondents across industries, including healthcare, plan to invest in IT modernization, with 85% specifically earmarking funds for AI support. This strategic focus on future-proofing infrastructure underscores the industry’s commitment to staying ahead of evolving technological trends.

Key findings from the Healthcare ECI report include:

– Healthcare organizations are rapidly embracing diverse IT operating models, with current and planned mixed IT deployments surpassing the global average. Over three-fourths (73%) of respondents in the healthcare sector reported utilizing multiple IT models, reflecting a substantial increase from previous years.

– Workload portability and AI support emerge as top priorities for IT infrastructure investments among healthcare organizations, with next year’s budgets aligning closely with these strategic objectives.

– Security and compliance concerns drive enterprises, including healthcare organizations, to relocate applications to alternative infrastructures, emphasizing the need for agile and adaptable inter-cloud workload portability solutions.

– AI holds significant promise in healthcare but presents challenges in implementation, with respondents prioritizing AI support in IT infrastructure investments while acknowledging the complexities associated with AI deployment.

– The foremost challenges faced by healthcare IT departments revolve around multi-environment operations, security, and sustainability, with data management compliance and integration emerging as top concerns.

Conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of Nutanix, the survey encompassed 1,500 IT and DevOps/Platform Engineering decision-makers globally, spanning diverse industries and regions. These findings underscore the imperative for healthcare organizations to embrace modernization initiatives to address evolving technological, security, and sustainability demands effectively.