The promise of cloud PACS is alluring: reduced costs, increased scalability, and improved accessibility. But what happens when your “cloud” solution is just a repackaged version of your old on-premise system? You might be stuck with a “lift and shift” solution, and that could be costing you more than you realise.

Many healthcare providers are eager to embrace the cloud, and for good reason. The cloud offers the potential to streamline workflows, improve collaboration, and reduce the burden of managing complex IT infrastructure. Unfortunately, some vendors offer “cloud” solutions that are little more than a “lift and shift” – essentially taking your existing on-premise PACS and hosting it in the cloud.

While this approach might seem like a quick and easy way to move to the cloud, it often comes with hidden costs and limitations. You’re essentially replicating the inefficiencies of your on-premise system in the cloud, without reaping the true benefits of cloud technology.

• Inflated infrastructure costs: “Lift and shift” solutions often require dedicated servers and infrastructure in the cloud, leading to higher ongoing costs compared to true cloud-native solutions. You’re paying for resources you might not even need.
• Limited scalability: Scaling a “lift and shift” solution can be complex and expensive. You’re often still constrained by the limitations of your original on-premise architecture.
• Vendor lock-in and hidden maintenance Costs: While the vendor handles the maintenance, “lift and shift” often comes with complex contracts and potentially higher maintenance fees. Furthermore, you could be locked into a specific vendor due to the complexities of migrating a replicated on-premise system. This can lead to unexpected costs and limit your flexibility.
• Missed opportunities: “Lift and shift” solutions often don’t take advantage of the latest cloud technologies, such as serverless computing and automated scaling. This can limit your ability to innovate and optimise your workflows.
• Inefficient resource utilisation and higher compute costs: Cloud compute and memory resources, while offering high availability and scalability, are often more expensive than on-premise infrastructure. With ‘lift and shift,’ if your PACS software isn’t designed for the cloud, you’re forced to scale vertically – meaning upgrading to larger, more powerful servers. These larger servers often sit idle for significant portions of the day (e.g., overnight), wasting resources and driving up costs.

AdvaPACS takes a different approach. Our cloud-native architecture is built for the cloud, not just moved there. This means:

• Optimised resource utilisation: We leverage the power of cloud computing to dynamically allocate resources based on your needs. You only pay for what you use, saving you money on infrastructure.
• Seamless scalability: Scaling your storage is easy and affordable. We can quickly adapt to your changing storage needs, ensuring you always have the capacity you require. And because AdvaPACS is cloud-native, we leverage horizontal scaling, dynamically adding and removing servers to match your workload. This ensures optimal performance and cost-efficiency, unlike ‘lift and shift’ solutions that rely on expensive vertical scaling.
• Reduced maintenance: We handle the underlying infrastructure and software maintenance, including automated updates, freeing up your IT team to focus on other critical tasks. This reduces your maintenance burden and ensures you always have access to the latest features and security patches.
• Innovation: Our cloud-native platform allows us to continuously deliver new features and functionalities, keeping you at the forefront of medical imaging technology.

When evaluating cloud PACS solutions, it’s crucial to understand the difference between “lift and shift” and true cloud-native architecture. Ask your vendor about their approach to scalability, resource utilisation, and maintenance. Don’t settle for a solution that simply replicates your existing problems in the cloud.

AdvaPACS offers a true cloud-native experience, designed to unlock the full potential of cloud technology. Contact us today to learn how we can help you transform your medical imaging workflow.