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Virtualisation is the right
prescription for MedicX
Looking after information technology isn't a problem for
healthcare premises investment and
development
company MedicX. ROCC has provided comprehensive IT management
services since 2007, allowing MedicX to concentrate on rapidly
growing its business. Thanks to an IT infrastructure project
carried out by ROCC in 2010, the company now also uses
virtualisation for increased resilience and easy future
expansion.
MedicX is one of the UK's leading healthcare premises development and investment companies. Delivering innovation and excellence, Godalming-based MedicX completed its first primary care centre in 1997 and now manages a portfolio of £250 million healthcare properties across the United Kingdom.
Marketing Manager Mark Davis (who has responsibility for IT and telecommunications) says that the company has tripled in size since 2006 and a network of regional offices. While such success is welcome, the rapid expansion put increasing pressure on the IT infrastructure.
MedicX relied on four conventional Windows servers covering file storage, print and email as well as running software for property management, accounts and remote access. Storage space was fast running out while ageing personal computers were faltering under heavy use.
"We simply did not have the capacity with the previous IT solution," said Davis.
New horizons
In setting out the IT objectives, MedicX's management
wanted a robust infrastructure to last several years. Another
requirement was increased resilience along with modern, energy
efficient platforms.
"I wanted to move onto new technology and be able to introduce different solutions."
The goals also included secure remote access coupled with consistently-specified laptops and desktops for a more productive user experience. Any new investment had to support file sharing with good inter-office connectivity and provide a powerful platform for responsive user applications.
MedicX approached several possible suppliers and asked for appropriate solutions. With no fulltime IT staff in-house, supplier selection was crucial for reliability, quality of service and timely practical assistance.
"It was not just a cost-comparison but also service deliverables," said Davis. "We wanted to feel secure and confident that our IT partner was going to be around for a long period of time."
A "detailed presentation" backed by a comprehensive project plan saw ROCC come top-of-the-list. It provided the best technical approach within budget while meeting future business requirements. Although ROCC offered cost-savings by redeploying some existing servers to regional offices, the key was virtualisation for increased resilience.
"ROCC's solution seemed to be innovative. They also had the experience and a dedicated help desk with accredited working processes."
Phased implementation
ROCC quickly assigned a project manager, beginning a phased
implementation in April 2010. Davis describes the working
relationship as "more of a partnership approach" with advice and
practical help backed by well-proven project management
techniques.
"ROCC had a project team to manage the process, keep me up-to-date and just focus," said Davis. "ROCC broke the project down into very simple language so it wasn't daunting, complicated or difficult. It was very straightforward."
The heart of the new IT infrastructure involves two new physical servers connected to a 1.4TB storage area network. Citrix XenServer was used to create four load-balanced virtual servers for file and print, Exchange email, property management and accounting software as well as BlackBerry support. Two old servers were reused for the Nottingham and Chorley offices and connected to the ROCC DataSecure service. Other work included a firewall, SSL gateway, improved wireless access, user training and PC replacements.
Completed without a hitch, the project owed much to ROCC's understanding of the business as well as its professionalism and commitment. ROCC's technical experience in server virtualisation and the latest Microsoft systems helped ensure that was no downtime in working hours.
Improved user confidence
Although the project has increased storage capacity,
resilience and flexibility, it also went further. A new secure
SSL portal for remote working gives staff greater freedom with
enterprise-level security. Enhanced infrastructure control
includes role-based access, rapid applications deployment and
effortless nightly backups. Fixed-price standard PC replacements
now help budgeting too.
"Operationally, we don't have the worries on space. We can actually store more information online for the team. We've now got over a terabyte of storage," said Davis.
A virtual server fail-over configuration coupled with the ROCC DataSecure service, spam filtering and virus detection provides even more user confidence. ROCC is viewed as the company's in-house IT team, doing everything from software updates to backups.
"We now have a bullet-proof IT infrastructure and we don't have to worry about things going wrong," said Davis. "ROCC are a reliable, substantial operation that we have a good working relationship with. I trust them and they deliver a good service."
As MedicX continues to expand, the deployment of additional virtual servers, applications or more disk storage will be simple as well as economical. For example, thin client connections to the pharmacies are currently under consideration. Constantly mindful of its customer's business needs, ROCC often makes good technical suggestions too. This totally-managed IT service is helping drive the business forward.
Learn More:
Visit the MedicX website
