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As people live longer, healthcare costs are
increasing and health-related standards
are threatened. This has led to pan-
European initiatives aimed at reducing
expenditure while improving services.
One country at the forefront of this drive
is The Netherlands.
Efficient technology is one of the most
powerful remedies for improving service
levels and lowering costs, and the Dutch
Government is developing a nationwide
system for the secure and reliable
exchange of medical data. Its national
Electronic Patient Record (EPR)
infrastructure is soon to be introduced and
local service providers are now working to
ensure that their systems are aligned with
this national initiative to meet European
EPR regulations.
The high cost of implementing new
Information Communication Technology
(ICT) can be a problem for individual
organisations which has led to mergers.
One example was the merger of Tabitha,
and Zorggroep Amsterdam, both providers
of care for the elderly, and DkJ, which
supports mentally disabled people. These
three Amsterdam-based companies now
operate as Amsta with 2,500 employees
and 4,000 clients in 28 locations around
the city.
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Following the merger, a €1.5 million
business case was drawn up for
Information Communication Technology
(ICT) investment. A new server park was
built using HP servers and storage
products but Amsta also needed a new
secure and future-proofed network. It had
to be able to adapt to the demands of the
larger organisation, offer high levels of
security, be compatible with the
Netherlands’NEN 7510 regulations for
management of information security and
be cost effective. The solution that best
met these criteria was ProCurve
Networking.
“Implementing high-performance
networking was a crucial element in our
plans because the old organisation had a
two Gigabit backbone with Nortel switch
equipment, which was no longer
sufficient for the new organisation that
was three times bigger,” says Shahab
Davoudi, head of ICT for Amsta. “We
needed a network that could adapt to our
current and future needs because all of
our 2,500 staff will soon be using
computers. As well as connecting the 28
current buildings, we are constructing five
new locations and have to accommodate
200 home users. We are also replacing
paper-based work with input from
handheld devices so wireless mobility is
important. We needed a very strong, fast
backbone and routing, and after looking
at companies like Cisco and Nortel, we
decided that ProCurve would totally cover
our needs because it fits those criteria
better than any other vendor.”
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With over 200 switches to control, Amsta’s
network features ProCurve Manager Plus
2.0, the advanced Microsoft Windowsbased
management platform that allows
administrators to configure, update,
monitor and troubleshoot their ProCurve
devices from easy-to-use central screens.
Intelligent edge ProCurve 5400 series
switches meet Amsta’s needs for security,
mobility and convergence thanks to the
ProCurve ASIC chip technology that
delivers intelligence and control right to
the edge of the network. The Amsta
network also includes 2610-PWR series
switches; the next generation of
enterprise stackable edge switches, with
features that enhance network edge
connectivity and convergence for medium
and large enterprise customers.
Wide Area Network (WAN) connections
are provided by The Netherlands’ leading
fixed-line and mobile telecommunications
company, KPN, through its latest ePacity
configuration which protects connectivity
by automatic rerouting in the event of a
failure.
Because its current Trapeze wireless
network is not compatible with the rest of
its equipment, Amsta plans to switch to a
wireless network, using the ProCurve
5400 switch’s versatile port capacity
which will also support its plans for a
future VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
telephony system.
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“Our new network had to comply with
NEN7510 which is similar to the ISO
international standard for information
security,” says Davoudi. “Unlike other
networks, ProCurve is fully compliant
which was another important reason for
choosing this vendor over the
competition.
“Also, when the Dutch Government
launches its EPR system next year, our
ProCurve network will be connected by
WAN to the central database and they will
be able to exchange information using the
same protocol that is used in all
countries.”
Because patient medical records are
involved, high levels of security are vital.
Amsta achieves the necessary level of
security with the ProCurve Network
Access Controller 800, which
automatically authenticates all computers
that attempt to connect with the network.
This enables administrators to fix levels of
access and ensure that only authorised
devices gain entry.
Following implementation of the new
networking solution, Amsta has also
installed a Mitel 3300 VoIP solution
running on ProCurve 2610-PWR switches.
By utilizing a single converged network
Amsta can now connect its 28 buildings on
a single phone system, and in this way can
completely eliminate long-distance
charges between sites. Fewer PSTN phone
lines are required and any additions,
moves or changes to IP phones can be done
quickly and easily, resulting in a
significant reduction in support and
maintenance costs.
“ProCurve has provided our organisation
with a stable network which gives our
carers and administrative staff easy and
secure access to the information that they
need, to ensure that our patients get a
better and quicker service,” adds Davoudi.
“I have been in the ICT business for some 20
years and I consider myself an expert in
switch technology. When compared with
other leading vendors, it is my opinion that
the latest ProCurve switches are the best in
terms of quality and performance; and they
come with excellent support and a free
lifetime warranty♦. ProCurve is easy to use
and is excellent value for money when
compared with other vendors,” concludes
Davoudi.
Amsta was formed following a merger
including DkJ, Tabitha and Zorggroep
Amsterdam on January 1st 2007. Amsta is a
care organisation where everyone counts.
Amsta offers personal support, care and
well-being to the elderly and people with a
mental disability. Especially for those who
cannot get help elsewhere because of
complex support situations. Amsta’s clients
can count on professional, practical and
especially loving support.
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STRATO Rechenzentrum AG, one of Germany’s biggest web hosting companies wanted to provide a secure, cost-effective network linking 30,000 dedicated servers to the Internet and to replace a fragmented central infrastructure with a robust integrated solution.
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Replace existing equipment with a range of ProCurve switches and HP hardware which deliver the necessary security and power to replace its central fragmented infrastructure.
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- Strato is able to use its own proprietary software with ProCurve equipment for individual monitoring and management of 30,000 server customers.
- The ProCurve solution provides required high levels of security.
- High quality of ProCurve equipment means fewer breakdowns and improved reliability.
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- ProCurve solution guarantees customers privacy and freedom from interference.
- Optimum price/performance ratio enables Strato to pass on excellent service and savings to its customers.
- PoE allows Strato to offer new keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) service to customers.
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The ProCurve Networking business unit of HP delivers wired and wireless enterprise networking products, services and solutions. The foundation for ProCurve's business model is the Adaptive Networks strategy in which networks are adaptive to users, applications and an organization's needs. ProCurve was positioned in the challenger quadrant in research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc.'s 2006 Magic Quadrant Report for Global Campus LANs and is the No. 2 networking company worldwide measured in both ports and Ethernet switch market revenue according to Dell'Oro Group.
♦For as long as you own the product, with next-business-day advance replacement (available in most countries). The following products and their related family modules have a one-year warranty with extensions available: The ProCurve Routing Switch 9300m Series, ProCurve Switch 8100fl Series, ProCurve Access Control Server 745wl and ProCurve Network Access Controller 800. Stand-alone software may have a different warranty duration. For details, refer to the ProCurve Software Licence, Warranty and Support booklet at www.procurve.eu/warranty
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