Designing an IT infrastructure for an acute hospital

[ClintBarton]

Hello,

I thought I’d turn to the Ars crowd for some advice on the future of IT infrastructure at a 1000 bed acute hospital in the UK. We used to be at the cutting edge of technology (one of the first to adopt VMware and IPStor) but due to financial restrictions our overall IT infrastructure is falling behind not just where we’d like to be but where the business is demanding we are. My main focus is on improving client side computing which is currently provisioned through about 4500 Windows XP SP3 desktops and 1000 laptops. We have an Active Directory domain and (unfortunately) roaming profiles. Probably about 40% of the staff frequently use different computers on different wards. We have a terminal services environment to provide a cut down desktop with some key clinical apps – a hangover from when we had lots of thin clients. Our email is hosted offsite by NHSmail. We have an Aruba wireless infrastructure with good coverage serving mobile laptop ‘carts’, wireless IP phones and some PDAs and iPads. Our users most often complain about slow logons and access to applications. They’re starting to demand the use of iPads (or similar) for bedside computing. I believe our main challenges are:Divorcing the applications from the workstations, making apps and data accessible anywhere, anytime from any deviceQuick access to those applications Centralised data but accessibleAgility for the business to determine the types of device it wants to use (it shouldn’t matter if you’re accessing from a PC, laptop, iPad, phone)Affordable Move to Windows 7 for traditional PCs – these won’t be going anytime soon and have their place.Fast user switching – or the ability for different uses to go to a device and authenticate as themselves without waiting for logoff and logonSo I’ve been looking at application virtualisation (Citrix, App-V) combined with AppSense to virtualise / abstract the user settings/data. I wanted to combine that with some form of centralised private cloud data storage. I realise there is also VMware ThinApp and a couple other vendors doing the same thing.Do you think I’m heading in the right direction with the right technology? I foresee a time when the majority of clinical staff rarely sit down at a desktop PC or laptop but instead conduct most of their computing on some form of mobile device. But there will always be traditional fixed workstations in offices and other areas. We’re stuck trying to migrate people to Windows 7 and Office 2010 and its a huge task when really it shouldn’t be. We spend far too much time troubleshooting individual problems on individual workstations. We’re bogged down in ‘old IT’ when we should be agile and streamlined in the way IT is delivered.

Please help

I didn’t find the right solution from the internet.

References:

https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1180027

Motion graphics agency

Thank you

 

 

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