Datalink Allows Chicago Hospital System to Streamline Access to Patient Data

Datalink, a provider of data center infrastructure and services, today announced its cloud solution has allowed the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) to speed up access to patient care data on half a million patients for thousands of clinicians and staff personnel at nearly two dozen CCHHS facilities across the Chicagoland area, according to a company press release.

Cloud computing can allow all mobile devices in an organization to be synchronized, users to have access to all of their personal data at any given moment, the ability to organize and mine data from any online source and the ability to share that data – photos, movies, contacts, e-mail, documents, etc. – anywhere and anytime, according to a story by Rivka Tadjer.

The $3 million deployment will also give the CCHHS a data center infrastructure ready for future growth.

Datalink not only worked as strategic advisor on the project, but designed and deployed the compute network and storage components into a single, unified architecture FlexPod.

A recent survey found that 85 percent of the doctors and nurses contacted listed the availability of high-quality information as a top job priority, noting that this can only come from an infrastructure that is secure and always up and running. The study also noted that it’s a mistake for healthcare facilities to only focus on software, not infrastructure.

Based on a Datalink-validated reference architecture, the FlexPod solution includes technologies from NetApp, Cisco and Vmware, designed to provide secure access to data, with layers of computing power to prevent systems from going down.

Datalink developed the solution by using the capabilities of CCHHS’s existing “virtual data center infrastructure and deploying highly efficient and reliable site-to-site and failover disaster recovery capabilities,” according to the source.

Datalink also upgraded CCCHS’ back-up operations with new infrastructure and software from Quantum and Symantec.

“Datalink provided the right-sized solution that fit our operational and financial needs,” said Marlon Burns, CCHHS chief technical officer. “Datalink demonstrated the expertise and experience to seamlessly and effectively implement our virtual data center. The private cloud solution delivers measurable data center efficiencies and enables our staff to quickly access the data they need to care for our patients.”

When and if there’s a problem, Datalink will answer it with its OneCall(SM) unified support services, which supplement original equipment manufacturer support programs and provide solution-level assessment and resolution.