University Hospital rechts der Isar

Distinguished German Hospital Saves 50% in Hardware Costs and 95% in Power Consumption with Sun Ray Virtual Display Clients

The University Hospital rechts der Isar at Munich Technical University is dedicated to high quality healthcare, research and education. With 3,700 employees, the hospital has more than 31 separate clinics as well as 1,100 beds. Every year approximately 40,000 people benefit from in-patient care and 170,000 receive out-patient care.

Customer Challenges

Enhance patient care and reduce risk of medical error
Improve information security
Reduce energy and maintenance costs
Streamline workflow and boost efficiency
Ensure smooth migration to thin clients from PC environment

Solution

The hospital centralized patient data and replaced its PC-based configuration with a highly-scalable, reliable and energy-efficient server network connected to virtual display clients.

Business Results

Provides mobile personnel access to life-saving applications from any location
Maintains seamless introduction due to Windows interface
Protects sensitive patient information
Consumes 95% less power than PCs
Decreases administrative and maintenance costs
Saves 50% in hardware acquisition over PCs

Products and Services

Story Details

In paving the way for faster, more comprehensive patient care, the University Hospital rechts der Isar plays a major role in pioneering innovation at the Munich Technical University and contributing to its stream of 14 Nobel Laureates.

As such, the hospital is at the forefront of embracing new technologies that enable doctors to compare records and diagnoses while preserving patient privacy. It not only centralized patient information, but saved 50 percent in hardware acquisition costs by replacing its existing desktop PC configuration with Sun Ray virtual display clients.

" Now multiple users can share a workstation without hesitation, and the hospital knows that sensitive patient data is well protected behind the thick wall of the computer center. "

— Dr. Manfred Haerdtner, Deputy Director of the Computer Center, University Hospital rechts der Isar

In early 2007, the hospital opened a state-of-the-art neurology center, and now neurosurgeons, radiologists and caregivers can move from any Sun Ray client to another and resume their desktop sessions with instant right-where-they-left-off access to vital patient data via a Sun Ray smart card and password. For example, they can prepare information for a joint council meeting right at their core desktop, then pull out their card, move to the Sun Ray client in the interdisciplinary center and present the information to colleagues—without losing a single thing.

Physicians have also been using the workstations to access a variety of diagnostic measurements such as computer tomography images showing the circulation in the blood vessels of the brain. For their patients, this means prompt life-saving care—especially during a stroke, when every second counts.

There have been several other benefits, as well, says Dr. Manfred Haerdtner, deputy director of the computer center. The introduction of the solution throughout the hospital was seamless to employees due to a Microsoft Windows interface. Security, availability and back-up have improved by centralizing the information as a SAP-based core application running on redundant Sun Galaxy servers. Plus there has also been a decrease in the hospital’s overall administrative effort. Software updates or patches, for instance, can now be deployed on one server instead of 600 clients, and new clients are easily set up by a simple log-on procedure.

The virtualization opened the door to healthy energy savings, too. Each of the eco-friendly workstations only consumes 4 watts of power, less than a conventional light bulb, compared to a PC, which requires 80 watts or more. That represents a 95 percent power reduction.

Today around 2,100 employees share access to 600 Sun Ray workstations, and the hospital is looking at replacing its laptops as well. Additionally, the hospital is currently testing how the virtual display clients perform under the special conditions of an operating room.

Innovation is the order of the day at this hospital and the team is continually seeking to expand on its Sun solution—benefitting patients and saving lives.