CASE STUDY: Anchor Medical Clinic Finds a Cure for its Ailing Network with Secure and Proactive Solutions from IntegrIT Network Solutions.
IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc. specializes in providing quality, cost-controlled IT support services to the SMB market in the greater Seattle area. They set up smart and affordable computer networks and IT systems tailored to the way their customers do business.Their customers rely on them to ensure their intellectual property is protected in the form of digital assets and to provide best of breed technology solutions that fits their budget and business model… allowing them to remain focused on their core competencies. IntegrIT Network Solutions continually strives to help its customers keep technology as simple—and cost-effective—as possible. IntegrIT Network Solutions is committed to finding solutions to help its customers to stabilize IT budgets, increase productivity. and eliminate technology headaches.
“Thanks to IntegrIT Network Solutions, our network is properly configured, stable, and protected from outside intrusions. Knowing my data is safe and recoverable in the event of an outage or disaster gives me much comfort. With IntegrIT’s services & solutions, our network is reliable and much more efficient. The best part is, IntegrIT takes care of all my IT needs so I can pay attention to my clients. Investing in IntegrIT’s IT services has saved us 4+ house a day, which equates to more billable time!”
History
Anchor Medical Clinic is a direct medical practice serving individuals and families. As a direct medical practice, founder Dr. Heidi Rendall, M.D. and her staff are allowed the time and flexibility to provide patient-focused health care at affordable prices without the hassle and limitations of insurance. Anchor Medical Clinic has been providing exceptional heath care since 1982, serving the communities of Snohomish, Island, and King Counties.
The clinic is a member of American Academy of Private Physicians (AAPP), a professional organization of physicians promoting a direct financial relationship with their patients in order to restore the integrity of the patient-physician relationship. Their mission is to ensure that physicians and patients retain the right to design and implement practices that enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, service, and value of healthcare.
Anchor Medical Clinic first called on IntegrIT Network Solutions back in 2005 to help stabilize its network to improve productivity, security, and continuity. After a thorough review of Anchor Medical Clinic’s current network setup, IntegrIT found several performance issues, including improper configurations and lack of redundancy. Through careful planning and execution, IntegrIT enabled Anchor Medical Clinic to accomplish its objectives and realize many benefits, including improved functionality, productivity, reliability, and compliance with legislation for client data.
Challenge: Unstable Network Due to Improper Configurations, Vulnerabilities, and Unreliable Connectivity
For three years, Dr. Rendall and her staff at Anchor Medical Clinic were frustrated by ongoing problems with their network infrastructure. Multiple times per day, the office would experience drops in network connectivity. The staff had very limited options for dealing with these issues – causing 20+ hours of lost employee productivity per week.
“Before hiring IntegrIT, I never knew on any given day if our computers were going to work or not or how long it was going to take to fix a problem,” said Dr. Rendall. “I never knew if what I had was under warranty or if what I had was put together in a ‘make-shift’ manner.”
To enhance their employees’ productivity and best protect their valuable client data, they needed to update their IT infrastructure, including hardware and software.
Solution: Deployed a New Server and Reconfigured Infrastructure, Security
After careful planning, IntegrIT Network Solutions started with things that directly affected the firm’s operations.
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Replaced unstable and unreliable desktop server with a legitimate file and application server, giving staff the ability to share information more efficiently without interruption.
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Stabilized the network and the interoffice connectivity by adding Router/Firewall, establishing a reliable and secure method to connect the remote workers to the main site.
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Reconfigured the firm’s software and printers, allowing proper and full utilization by staff.
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Abandoned limited POP3 email service in favor of a Microsoft Exchange system that allowed Anchor Medical Clinic staff to easily synchronize contacts and calendars, and to ensure that no client communication was lost due to email service limitations.
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Addressed stringent privacy and security concerns by implementing a strong disaster recovery program to gain compliance with client and regulatory mandates, such as HIPAA
Once all office infrastructure worked well, IntegrIT Network Solutions took over day-to-day management of the company’s IT infrastructure, providing helpdesk PC support, 24×7 monitoring of its server and network, proactive maintenance, and off-site back-up.
“My practice has gone through some major changes in the last 5 years, and IntegrIT has been a big part of that,” says Dr. Rendall. “They guided us and showed us how to make things workable, how to make it easy, and how to protect private information to ensure we are following the guidelines. I really want to pay attention to my patients; I don’t want to worry about the mechanics. IntegrIT has made that possible.”
Results: A Secure and Reliable System that Runs Smoothly and Efficiently without Constant Interruptions and Downtime
The biggest benefit Dr. Rendall has seen since hiring IntegrIT is that she no longer is concerned about her IT and security. She and her employees are more productive because their network has little to no downtime anymore. If any issues do arise, the downtime is minimal due to IntegrIT’s Help Desk services.
IntegrIT provides Anchor Medical Clinic with reliable 24/7 support and uses IT best practices to ensure system uptime and reliability. With proactive maintenance and constant monitoring of Anchor Medical Clinic’s system, IntegrIT engineers are able to respond to issues immediately and often times prevent disruption to Anchor Medical Clinic’s users before they occur.
By all accounts, the computer systems are stable and the end users are extremely happy. Anchor Medical Clinic staff are able to stay focused on providing excellent patient care with IntegrIT providing 24/7 monitoring of the network, along with regular system checks and key updates. IntegrIT has been a valuable resource to their practice.
For founder, Dr. Heidi Rendall, the math on new IT investments is simple: a tool that saves 4+ hours a day has increased the firm’s revenues by creating more billable time. “We rely on IntegrIT for all our IT needs and to monitor our network, which helps us provide the type of service to our patients that they demand. Their proactive monitoring service provides me with great comfort!”
To learn more about Anchor Medical Clinic, visit their Web site at http://www.anchormedicalclinic.com/
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Nice post.Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog!
Thanks,
Network Support DC
Thanks. We enjoy helping others. Technology is a wonderful tool… but can be daunting for some. I am glad to hear folks are finding value in our posts!