Highly available and easy-to-manage virtual workstations guarantee reliable and safe access to data and applications for health care professionals
BENEFITS
- Highly available and safe workstations for health care professionals
- Effortless operations management leaves room for innovation
- Automatic updates and upgrades without downtime
- Centralized dashboard for the entire infrastructure
- Scalable and flexible for adopting new developments
CHALLENGE
Amsterdam UMC is the result of a merger of the AMC and VUmc. As an academic medical center, the organization has three core tasks. In addition to delivering quality health care, its focus lies in research and education. The support of all these activities in the dynamic world of health care demands high standards for the IT environment, especially because the continuity and availability of workstations for doctors and nursing personnel directly impacts health care in the Amsterdam region. For this reason, the two existing infrastructures will be integrated in the coming years, creating one environment for optimal user support. On the other hand, it is key that the IT infrastructure is flexible and scalable enough to integrate new developments quickly. Lastly, the Amsterdam UMC wants to manage the environment efficiently and centrally.
SOLUTION
In order to guarantee a stable and safe virtual workstation for users and support the migration to Windows 10, Amsterdam UMC planned to overhaul the existing IT infrastructure. Several options were explored during research: among them was a solution based on the traditional approach. Switching to a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) was also taken into consideration here. Nutanix HCI was chosen because its concept met the most important standards regarding availability, flexibility, and efficient management. “Nutanix is leading in the world of HCI and offers robust and future-proof technology. Moreover, their solutions can be managed centrally. This way, we control the entire stack,” says Khalid El Adib, Team Leader Workstation Management and Development at the Amsterdam UMC.
In close consultation, Nutanix built a proof of concept, including performance tests conducted by an independent party. This was the jumping-off point for the migration of the virtual workstation environment to a hyperconverged infrastructure based on Nutanix AOS and AHV. These choices offer Amsterdam UMC the flexibility and scalability to adopt future developments as well. Additionally, operations management was significantly simplified with Nutanix Prism.
RESULTS
Both parties worked closely together on the design and rollout of the new infrastructure. As El Adib says, “The collaboration was very constructive and pleasant, creating a real partnership. Our people were properly trained and certified in advance. The implementation process, including testing and production deployment, was well coordinated and completed almost flawlessly.”
The new environment offers 28,000 users a highly available and safe workstation. El Adib explains: “These workstations are largely used by health care professionals. Now they can access data and applications quickly on different devices. The underlying hardware is stable and was delivered in accordance with the design. This way, the continuity of health care is guaranteed.”
Operations management has been significantly simplified as well. Nutanix Prism gives Amsterdam UMC a dashboard for the entire environment, ensuring an up-to-date overview of infrastructure components at all times. Although Amsterdam UMC manages the environment in-house, Nutanix will monitor the environment proactively. When anomalies occur, action will be taken in consultation. Upgrades and updates can also be rolled out faster now. With Nutanix simplifying operations management, the IT team can spend more time on innovations.
THE FUTURE
Amsterdam UMC now has a solid foundation with several building blocks to support the transition of the IT environment and the organization. El Adib says, “Developments are moving at lightning speed, both within our organization and in the health care market. This means that a scalable IT infrastructure with minimal management efforts is key, giving us the flexibility to expand or downsize when needed, and keep innovating in the years to come.”