Technology supplier B.I.C. Systems has completed a major technology overhaul project for the Royal Group of Hospitals in Northern Ireland and the Dental Hospital Health and Social Services Trust. The project involved implementing systems across four key hospitals in Northern Ireland.
The Belfast-based Dental Hospital Health and Social Services Trust has a staff of more than 6,000 people, including a quarter of all hospital doctors in Northern Ireland. It treats half a million patients every year.
The project involved the complete overhaul of the Royal Group of Hospitals’ technology infrastructure, centralising its network resources for information and replacing the existing desktops with a standardised desktop and server environment. As part of a partnership with Microsoft, B.I.C. Systems installed over 500 new desktops running a specifically designed version of Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office XP Professional.
B.I.C. provided simultaneous training for all users who were migrating to the new platform, complemented by an ITIL-based infrastructure helpdesk and remote support for all servers and storage area networks within the trust.
A critical priority for the project was the centralisation of network resources for information within the trust, in addition to the need for a standardised desktop and server environment.
Due to the critical nature of some of the data concerned, backup and support were deemed vital elements of the new infrastructure; B.I.C. installed CommVault Galaxy in conjunction with a HP automated tape solution that provides automated nightly backups. Core systems deemed critical for day to day operation were clustered over a number of Windows 2000 Cluster Servers.
By John Kennedy
