Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust deploys Brocade solution to aid digital shift

ICT infrastructure manager Nigel Hall tells Computing why the trust opted for the Brocade server solution

With the NHS pushing to implement reforms to digital patient records and administrative systems, many healthcare bodies have been required to refresh elements of IT infrastructure in order to prepare for a new way of working.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust - which serves more than 420,000 people and employs over 7,000 - is just one of many organisations within the NHS that have had to update network infrastructure in preparation for when digital records become the norm.

The trust has selected Brocade's VDX 6740 Ethernet fabric switches for its server rooms. The top-of-rack (ToR) switches feature 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports with 40 GbE uplinks and were selected to ensure hospital staff can quickly access information from any location as the NHS moves towards going paperless.

According to Nigel Hall, ICT infrastructure manager at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one of the key attractions of Brocade was the flexibility the Californian data centre networks solution firm could offer in comparison with other providers.

"What I found with other vendors was that they were unable to be as flexible as Brocade could be with regard to their switch fabrics," Hall told Computing.

"Brocade's solution allows us to connect 32 devices in their fabric, which other providers couldn't do. From our point of view, that gave us massive flexibility in how we implemented the solution."

Part of the procurement decision, Hall explained, was based on the fact the Brocade solution could be deployed across multiple locations.

"We're looking at deploying the switches across two server rooms eventually and therefore we're in a position whereby we can be very flexible how that is configured and deployed into one single fabric, whereby with another vendor it was a case of you'd have to split those fabrics into two separate switches," he said.

Currently, six VDX 6740 switches are installed with a further six to come at another site in the near future. Hall said that with Brocade, it won't be necessary for the data to pass through the core network, which translates into better data availability.

"We'll actually be able to traffic much more efficiently at 40 GbE. It's a very robust solution. We've got a situation where we're not utilising uplinks, everything's always on, we're utilising all the links that are available therefore connectivity between each of the switches is using all of the uplinks," he said.

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Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust deploys Brocade solution to aid digital shift

ICT infrastructure manager Nigel Hall tells Computing why the trust opted for the Brocade server solution

In addition to providing improved connectivity, the trust's deployment of Brocade's solution has enabled simpler management of server infrastructure.

"We've got a solution that removes the complexity and removes complexity of management; we don't have to manage these in individual switches, we've got a situation where we can manage it all as one virtual switch," said Hall.

"It simplifies the network, we've got less connectivity in the way of physical cabling, because we're using direct attach cables from our servers and infrastructure to connect to the switches, it actually simplifies the configuration."

Brocade provided direct support when the trust needed extra help with the solution, something Hall told Computing was not the case with other vendors in the past.

"It's nice to talk directly with Brocade," he said. "Without naming other vendors, you could end up at times not necessarily talking direct to the manufacturer but it's good to get through to a Brocade engineer."

Hall also praised the way Brocade tailored its solution to his specific needs.

"We're not constrained by configurations we saw with other solutions in the sense you don't have to do it a certain way. It was a case of ‘'you want 12 switches you can connect them together in a way that's best for you and you can crack on with it'. It's very flexible and simple to configure and we're very happy with it."

It hasn't been long since Brocade was deployed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust, but Hall already sees the switches as "a key part" of infrastructure. He added that the Trust could have chosen a cheaper supplier, but instead it opted for performance over cost.

"We made a good decision buying the right solution; not necessarily the cheapest solution, but it was the right solution for us," said Hall.