The healthcare sector is increasingly adopting hybrid cloud environments, although it’s been a slow process so far, with just 19% of healthcare providers currently taking advantage of mixed public and private cloud infrastructure.

Nutanix’s healthcare Enterprise Cloud Index Report predicted that adoption would rise to 37% in the next two years as healthcare organisations realise the benefits hybrid environments can bring, specifically when considering the protection of sensitive patient data and meeting regulatory compliance.

A third of healthcare businesses surveyed said security and compliance were the primary reasons they chose a particular cloud environment, although compatibility across applications was also a priority for more than half of organisations.

“Healthcare organisations especially need the flexibility, ease of management and security that the cloud delivers, 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,” said Chris Kozup, SVP of global marketing at Nutanix.

The report added that clinicians understand the value of taking a hybrid approach to the cloud in order to facilitate digital transformation efforts. Such a strategy means they can take advantage of enhanced services to offer patients, such as automated healthcare tracking, remote monitoring and telehealth.

“As our findings predict, healthcare organisations are bullish on hybrid cloud growth for their core applications and will continue to see it as the ideal solution as we usher in the next era of healthcare,” Kozup added.

“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.”