Healthcare is experiencing rapid data generation and storage that outpaces most organizations’ infrastructure. The digitization of imaging, diagnostics, and patient records has changed healthcare. Unstructured data from systems like EHR, PACS, and genomics has grown. This increase in data means healthcare now makes up almost a third of the world’s total data.
Yet most of this goes unused. Nearly 97% of healthcare data sits untouched in storage, spread across siloed systems. Although rarely accessed, it still consumes significant IT resources and budget.
For many organizations, the problem starts with outdated storage infrastructure. Legacy NAS systems were not designed to meet the scale or flexibility that modern healthcare demands. Nor were they created for malware defense, cyber resiliency, or remote worker access. Therefore, NAS replacement is top of mind for many IT leaders. As costs continue to rise and data becomes increasingly difficult to access, IT leaders are adjusting their approach. They are choosing modern strategies that improve teamwork, enhance security, and support long-term innovation.
Legacy NAS Is Not Built for Today’s Challenges
Traditional NAS may still be common, but it is no longer equipped for the realities of healthcare environments. Most healthcare systems operate across multiple hospitals, clinics, and labs, and need fast, reliable file access at every location. Instead, legacy NAS often forces users to rely on slow VPNs or cumbersome file transfers.
Security is another growing concern. Healthcare remains a top target for ransomware, yet many legacy systems lack features like immutable backups and zero-trust architectures. As a result, data remains vulnerable, and recovery can be slow or incomplete.
At the same time, overprovisioning remains widespread. IT teams often purchase more capacity than they need to be on the cautious side. This leads to higher costs and inefficient resource utilization, with no clear path to scaling down when needed.
Modern Storage Is a Strategic Investment
The most forward-thinking healthcare organizations are shifting their view of storage. They don’t see it as just a technical detail. Instead, they see it as a foundation for business agility, innovation, and resilience.
This shift includes moving to a hybrid cloud architecture built on a global file system. These models deliver the best of both worlds: fast, local access to files combined with centralized governance and security. Clinicians can access data quickly across facilities without compromising compliance or adding new complexity for IT.
These modern platforms are also elastic. They can scale up or down without disruption, supporting new sites, mergers, or service lines as they emerge. And by unifying data across locations, they create the consistent foundation required for analytics, automation, and AI-driven initiatives.
How to Modernize Your NAS for Secure, Ransomware-Resilient Remote Access
Download the full eBook, Why Legacy NAS is Failing Healthcare, to find insights and best practices on:
- Four major forces reshaping healthcare data strategy
- The hidden operational costs of relying on legacy systems
- How organizations are building secure, scalable storage environments that support both clinicians and transformation goals
- Steps to start your storage transformation today
If your team wants to work better together, lower risks, or prepare for AI and analytics, this guide gives useful next steps
