Taking Healthcare IT In-House: How One Multi-Clinic Provider Modernized Secure File Access Without VPNs

Healthcare organizations are under constant pressure to do more with less—serve patients faster, enable staff across locations, and protect sensitive information under strict privacy requirements. At the same time, many providers still rely on legacy file servers, third-party-hosted environments, and VPN-based access, which can be difficult to scale, costly to manage, and frustrating for end users.

This is the story of a multi-clinic healthcare organization in the United States—supported by an overseas operations team—that set out to regain control of its IT infrastructure. Their goal was clear: build a flexible, self-hosted file access platform that keeps sensitive data on-premises while improving access, scalability, and department-level control.

The Goal: Autonomy, Flexibility, and Better Administrative Access

The organization had been using third-party hosted servers to support internet-facing access and administrative workflows. Over time, that approach became restrictive:

• They wanted more control over infrastructure and policies

• They needed more flexibility for admin access and file workflows

• They anticipated growth and wanted a scalable model that wouldn’t force constant redesign

• They needed a solution that could support multiple departments with clear separation

In healthcare, “good enough” access isn’t good enough. Systems must be secure, auditable, and reliable—especially when users span clinics, regions, and time zones.

The Challenge: Secure Access to Sensitive Data Without Growing Complexity

Like many healthcare teams, they faced a familiar set of constraints:

• Sensitive data stored on NAS/file servers that must remain under organizational control

• VPN dependence that created friction, performance issues, and administrative overhead

• Scaling across departments without mixing access, permissions, or data boundaries

• The need to potentially migrate older data into a more modern structure

• A desire to modernize without ripping and replacing existing storage

They didn’t just need “file sharing.” They needed a model that keeps data where it belongs while enabling cloud-like access for healthcare professionals and administrators.

The Turning Point: A Self-Hosted Platform With Cloud-Like Convenience

During discovery, the organization prioritized a solution that would:

• Provide VPN-less access while maintaining strong security

• Keep sensitive information on-premises (not copied into a third-party cloud)

• Support departmental segmentation with clean separation and administration

• Offer scalable storage options, including the flexibility to integrate cloud storage when appropriate

• Enable customization options such as white labeling for a consistent user-facing experience

That’s where CentreStack became a strong fit. It allowed them to modernize access to their existing NAS/file server data while keeping control in-house—without forcing a full infrastructure replacement.

Why CentreStack Fits the Use Case

CentreStack supported what the organization needed most: control, security, and scalability—without sacrificing usability.

Key benefits that aligned with their requirements included:

• Secure, VPN-less file access for staff working across clinics and remote locations

• On-premises data control, keeping sensitive information on internal storage

• Scalable expansion as new departments and teams came online

• Stronger operational efficiency, reducing manual processes and access bottlenecks

• The flexibility to support cloud storage integration as needs evolved

Importantly, they could expand gradually—starting with a core department, validating success, then extending access to additional teams.

Results: More Control, Better Operations, Clear Path to Scale

After implementing the new approach and expanding licensing to support another department, the organization gained:

• Greater autonomy over their IT environment

• Improved operational efficiency through easier, more consistent access

• The ability to scale file access and storage without redesigning their architecture

• Stronger confidence that sensitive data could remain under their control while still being accessible to authorized staff

For healthcare organizations balancing security, compliance, and multi-site productivity, this model offers a practical path forward: modern access without losing ownership of critical data.

What This Means for Healthcare IT Teams

This story reflects a broader shift happening across the healthcare sector: moving away from brittle remote-access models and toward platforms that provide cloud-like usability while meeting real-world requirements for privacy, control, and segmentation.

If your organization is trying to modernize file access, reduce reliance on VPNs, or bring infrastructure back in-house, some approaches don’t require a full rip-and-replace.

Call to Action

If you’re exploring a self-hosted, secure way to provide VPN-less access to on-premises healthcare data—while keeping control, scalability, and departmental separation—CentreStack can help. Reach out to learn how to modernize access to your existing storage with a solution designed for security-conscious environments.