Sussex NHS trusts improve IT resource management

Health authorities deploy resource management system, cutting helpdesk costs

Sussex NHS trusts improve resource management

Sussex Health Informatics Service (Sussex HIS), which provides IT services to all 11 NHS trusts in the Sussex region, is implementing a resource management system to streamline its IT infrastructure.

The new system, Novell's ZENworks, will deliver asset management, remote desktop control and application deployment.

The rollout will enable Sussex NHS organisations to have a unified view of their IT resources, making the network more secure and easier to manage.

The system is being piloted throughout East Sussex to 6,000 users with plans to expand the system to cover all 25,000 Sussex HIS users.

The rollout is part of a larger deal in which Novell’s enterprise-wide agreement with NHS Connecting For Health, signed in October 2005, grants any NHS trust licenses and training to use ZENworks Suite at no cost.

Sussex HIS head of IT Steve Orman says the IT infrastructure spans 11 trusts throughout the region in disparate locations.

‘We needed a robust resource management solution that was capable of working over low bandwidth connections,’ said Orman.

‘The system gave us a reliable remote desktop solution as well as a clear upgrade path to use other modules further down the line,’ he said.

Benefits of the implementation include the ability to run asset reports centrally and enable remote desktop control resulting in reduced helpdesk costs.

Remote desktop control will also offer the ability to manage a mixed environment and automatically deploy operating systems, configurations and software on thousands of desktops and laptops from a single location.