When a multi-location healthcare platform deploys AI, it hands over more than patient records. It hands over its operating playbook: how calls are answered, how schedules are built, how recalls run, how new locations are onboarded. Over time, the AI system also accumulates configurations and custom workflows tuned to the business. The question every sponsor should ask early is simple: who owns all of that?
What Is Actually at Stake
Four kinds of assets get created or captured when AI runs a healthcare platform's operations:
- Proprietary data: patient, scheduling, referral, marketing and performance data across every location.
- Operating playbook: the policies, scripts and standards that make the platform run the way it does.
- Configurations: how agents, workflows and integrations are set up for each location and service line.
- Custom-built IP and workflows: automations and logic built specifically for the platform.
Under many software agreements, some of these end up owned or controlled by the vendor. That creates lock-in during the hold period and friction at exit.
Samara's Position: Ownership Always Belongs to the Client
With Samara, ownership rights of proprietary data and playbook, configurations, and custom-built IP and workflows always belong to the client enterprise. That is true regardless of who hosts the infrastructure. Samara's AI OS (the Rollup Engine and the Operations Engine) runs on the client's enterprise infrastructure and powers the client's Enterprise Sovereign AI OS.
Two Hosting Models
| Hosted and managed by Samara | Self-hosted by the client | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the infrastructure? | Client | Client |
| Where does it run? | A secure GCP instance | The client's own environment |
| Who manages it day to day? | Samara | The client |
| How does Samara get access? | As the managing operator | Credentialed and authorized by the client |
| Who owns data, playbook, configurations and IP? | Client | Client |
Which Model Fits?
Choose Samara-hosted when:
- The platform wants the fastest path to production without building cloud operations capacity.
- The internal IT team is focused on integrating acquisitions, not running AI infrastructure.
- The sponsor wants ownership without operating burden.
Choose self-hosted when:
- The enterprise already runs a mature cloud environment with its own security controls.
- Policy requires all PHI and operating data to stay inside the enterprise's own tenancy.
- The IT team wants direct control over access, monitoring and change management.
Questions to Ask Any Healthcare AI Vendor
- Who owns the configurations and custom workflows you build for us?
- Can we take our playbook and data with us if we leave or sell?
- Can the system run in infrastructure we own?
- How is your access to our environment credentialed, logged and revoked?
- Will you sign a BAA, and what are your HIPAA and SOC 2 controls?
For a broader checklist, see questions to ask a HIPAA-compliant AI OS vendor, or review Samara's security and compliance approach.
Next Step
Book a demo to walk through both hosting models against your platform's security and IT requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns the data and IP when a platform uses Samara?
The client. Proprietary data and playbooks, configurations, custom-built IP and workflows always belong to the client enterprise.
Can Samara host the infrastructure while the client owns it?
Yes. The infrastructure can be owned by the client and hosted and managed by Samara on a secure GCP instance.
Can the client self-host?
Yes. The client can own, self-host and manage the infrastructure, with Samara credentialed and authorized to operate on it.
Does the hosting model change ownership?
No. Ownership of data, playbooks, configurations, custom IP and workflows stays with the client under both models.