Remote management of medical IT infrastructure

Most hospital procedures are supported by RIS/HIS systems. This enforces continuous operation of IT systems, servers and archives. The slightest downtime can trigger a complicated situation in the operation of a medical facility. Proven solutions minimize downtime of key systems in the server room, by allowing them to be triggered by authorized persons from any location, at a convenient time. These solutions have already proven themselves well in other fields such as banking and telecommunications.

In medical centers, there is often a need to separate the workstation's input/output devices(monitor, keyboard, mouse) from the computer's central processing unit. This can be accomplished using so-called KVM signal extenders (e.g., Vertiv HSM). These devices provide access to multiple computers over a standard IP network infrastructure and allow users to share resources. These solutions offer 4K-quality video over a single fiber-optic link. These systems are ideal for applications requiring high resolution and zero latency, such as video transmission during surgery or for remote sessions for doctors. The IP-enabled KVM extender allows computing equipment to be placed away from the station and the user, in secure, temperature-controlled environments. Designed to improve work quality and reduce IT costs, the system provides powerful administrative tools and connection control for network resources without compromising image quality.

Why use remote access solutions: 

• remote access from anywhere, anytime, via TCP/IP network
• Quick response and full access in case of emergency
• Centralized management and administration, so the entire server room on one screen
• Security with multi-level access rights and data encryption
• Scalability and independence of the hardware and software platform

Healthcare facilities require constant connectivity to support critical applications and devices needed for every element of patient care. Continuous network connections, and new devices constantly being added to the network, can increase the likelihood of failure. Bandwidth-intensive medical applications such as medical IoT devices, electronic medical records (EDM) and picture archiving systems (PACS) are critical to healthcare organizations, but place a significant strain on the network.

Emergency access to medical facilities 

Server consoles(Vertiv or Opengear) provide the secure, continuous network availability needed to meet stringent regulatory requirements, reduce costs and improve patient experience. Proven to provide complete network resiliency, these devices address the complex challenges facing healthcare facilities today. Simple to manage, quick to deploy and scalable to thousands of locations, they are compatible with any healthcare environment.

Solutions that allow remote management of medical IT infrastructure should be a cornerstone of any medical facility's disaster recovery plan. Software (such as Lighthouse Enterprise) provides full visibility into our network, and Smart Out-of-Band allows engineers to monitor, manage and fix IT issues from any remote location. Combined with failover to the cellular network, which provides continuous availability through 4G LTE, they are able to continue normal operation of medical systems until the problem that occurred on the primary network is resolved.

This group of products is based on the companies' solutions:

Opengear | Vertiv