Life in the Real World
VMware Customer Snapshot*
“Nurses and doctors don’t really care about the underlying technology. They just want it to work, and help them do their jobs better. The fact that our users have so readily adopted our VDI-powered workstation on wheels shows that this solution really works for them.”
Laura Armistead
Unix Support Team Manager, Kindred Healthcare
KINDRED HEALTHCARE
Kindred Healthcare is one of the largest long-term healthcare providers in the U.S., with a network that includes about 250 nursing centers and more than 80 long-term acute care hospitals, totaling more than 38,000 licensed beds. The Fortune 500 company boasts approximately 600 locations spanning 38 states.
Kindred needed a better way for its nursing and physician staff to access patient data at the bedside—while complying with the security controls of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and using as little hardware as possible to ensure mobility and usability.
Kindred elected for a hosted desktop solution using VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and leveraging the power of VMware Infrastructure 3. The result is Kindred’s “Workstation on Wheels” or “WoW” system.
CHALLENGE
Kindred Healthcare needed a mobile computing solution to allow bedside access to patient data, while ensuring HIPAA compliance.
SOLUTION
VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) running on wirelessly connected thin clients mounted on rolling carts.
VMWARE AT WORK
VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
- Thin clients running remote display protocol (RDP) for accessing virtual desktops
- VMware Infrastructure 3 Enterprise, featuring:
- ESX Server 3 with VMFS
- VirtualCenter 2
- VMotion
- Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
- High Availability (HA)
DEPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT
- ESX Server and VirtualCenter on 2-CPU
- HP DL360 with 8 GB RAM
- Thin client solution: Neoware
RESULTS
- Roaming, mobile workstations lowered workstation-to-bed ratio.
- 400 mobile virtual desktops deployed as of Q4 2006
- Thin client architecture means less power than a full PC, and a much smaller cart.
- Applications hosted at server level means disconnection from wireless network doesn’t require an application restart; improves reliability.
- Quicker provisioning of workstations than with a stand-alone PC.
- Centralization eases patch and upgrade management.
- Central control of access to sensitive data ensures HIPAA compliance.
- Cost reductions have helped provide better end-user support while keeping budgets flat.
- Enthusiastic adoption by demanding user base
*Reprinted with permission from VMware. VLSystems did not do work at Kindred Healthcare but can provide services described in the snapshot. Original document can be found at http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/customers/07Q2_ss_vmw_kindred_healthcare_english.pdf
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