DiData to deploy virtual desktops for rural health alliance

Dimension Data will shoulder storage, networking, end-point and processing responsibilities for 125 healthcare centres in Victoria as the South West Alliance of Rural Health (SWARH) moves technology staff to more ‘productivity-focused’ roles.

The integrator has agreed to replace 4000 fat-client desktops with Cisco virtual desktop end-points for the alliance’s thirteen public health agencies, non-governmental organisations and medical clinics.

Software will be served from the alliance’s virtualised data centres in Warrnambool and Geelong.

SWARH chief information officer Garry Druitt said its relationship with Cisco and Dimension Data began with a 1999 networking deal that grew to include telephony a year later.

“If you use a Cisco validated design and have validated storage, they’re already managing your network, [and] they’re providing the end-point [devices],” he said, referring to deployment guides issued by the vendor.

“We now have the option to say well, let’s package the whole thing – we’ll rely on [Cisco and Dimension Data’s] expertise – and our techs will be managers of outcomes rather than managers of technology.

“We’re looking to our integrator and Cisco to combine their guarantees and deliver that [always-on] outcome by making one phone call.”

By “packaging and outsourcing” risk, Druitt hopes to sidestep risks involved in managing a complex IT environment and move his technology staff to more outcome- than technology-focussed roles.

The project will replace SWARH’s ageing Dell workstations with Cisco 2100-series thin clients in accordance with SWARH’s three-year hardware refresh strategy.

SWARH will also replace Dell Blade servers in its data centres with Cisco UCS equipment and procure and deploy some 200 TB of storage equipment from Cisco partner EMC.

Back-end infrastructure will be replaced every four years in accordance with SWARH’s current data centre strategy.

Along with the thin clients, SWARH users will be issued with Dell monitors and keyboards that will be refreshed every five to ten years, Druitt said.

The Cisco devices accounted for less than a quarter of the front-end costs and could be refreshed more often if needed, he said, adding that this would still be cheaper than the alliance’s current three-year refresh plan.

Druitt declined to disclose the value of the deal, stating that the project was funded from savings, including $1 million a year SWARH would otherwise spend refreshing a third of its desktop fleet.

Desktop virtualisation could also shave ten percent off SWARH’s annual power bill, he said, highlighting the increased efficiency of thin clients and remote power management capabilities.

The project commenced this week, with about 50 Cisco devices replacing Oracle Sun Ray thin clients in alliance member Barwon Health’s intensive care unit.

Druitt described it as a “trial” but said there was “no chance” that the project would not continue.

“If the trial doesn’t work, we’re no worse off than we are now,” he said. “[But] there’s no chance of that.

“This is going to be successful, it has to be successful and we’ve got the companies to make it successful.”