How can the digitalisation strategy in the healthcare sector be implemented without the costs for the necessary data centres skyrocketing? The answer: through standardisation. With a modular room-in-room standard solution from Rittal, Elbe Kliniken hospital group was able to save 70 per cent of the planned costs - money that can now be used for medical care.
Overview
- Project
- Elbe-Kliniken
- Location
- Stade, Germany
- Branch
- IT-infrastructure
- Challenge
Pressure to digitalise the healthcare system due to Germany’s Hospital Modernisation Act
Building a new data centre would be too expensive and complex
The costs of a new building include additional costs that are difficult to calculate- Solution
A Rittal standardised data centre solution
Room-in-room solution fully equipped and certified
Includes eight VX IT racks, liquid cooling package and technical room
Cost savings: 60 to 70 per cent
Thanks to the room-within-a-room solution, we were able to carry out our data centre redundancy project in Stade at a fraction of the cost involved in planning a customised solution from scratch, and it was also much faster.
Many things have to be clarified in advance: The level of protection required, the availability class and the IT strategy. A suitable location must be available for the new building that offers connection options for electricity, water and possibly also cooling. Last but not least, the finished building, including the equipment involved, must be approved and needs to comply with the recommendations of Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security BSI for basic IT protection.
In the case of Elbe Kliniken hospital group in Buxtehude-Stade, around €1 million was originally planned for the construction of the new data centre – and this was not the final limit. The IT department manager at Elbe Kliniken, Dr. Armin Ortlam, found this to be a huge sum for a medium-sized clinic. He thought about how at least part of the amount could be saved, money that could be used for other purposes. “With this in mind, we looked for a suitable ‘off-the-shelf’ option and found it at Rittal,” Dr. Ortlam says.
Advantages of standardised data centres
Standardised data centres, container solutions or room-in-room solutions are ideal for SMEs. Due to the standard production of standardised components and the equipment and cabling already being carried out in the factory, they are significantly cheaper than a new construction. All the basic protection requirements demanded by the BSI have also been met and the necessary approvals have been granted. That makes many things easy:
Costs reduced by 70 per cent
Dr. Ortlam opted for a standard room-in-room solution from Rittal. The difference to the solution originally planned was a staggering 70 per cent. Moreover, Dr. Ortlam did not have to worry about things like water and electricity connections or cooling; he only had one contact person to deal with and so managed to save valuable time. “Everything went smoothly for us in Stade – from logistics, planning and project management to installation and, finally, commissioning,” says the IT manager.
Liquid Cooling Package cooling concept
The 34-m² room-in-room solution for the Elbe Kliniken group was installed on one of the hospital's lower floors. This basic protection room is equipped with eight VX IT racks and the Liquid Cooling Package, but it can be expanded at any time. An 11-m² technical room for the UPS system and other technical installations adjoins the basic protection room. Rittal’s data centre solution also includes protection certificates against common physical hazards such as water, fire, dust or falling debris.