CASE STUDY
Rapid Mobile Workplace Set-up Using Virtual Desktops
Summary
Challenge
Rapid set-up of approximately 200 employees to a virtual work-from-home environment in response to unplanned COVID-19 office closures.
Solution
Design, software procurement, and implementation oversight, to enable rapid implementation of a fully remote workforce.
Established a seamless and positive end user transition from an office to a home work environment.
Ensured protection of PHI and PII.
The Business Challenge
Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a $650M+ not-for-profit regional hospital system needed to transition all but essential workers to a virtual work environment to protect the health and safety of their employees, patients, and the community at large.
The organization considered a number of factors from the physical equipment their mobile workforce would use, to the level of personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) that would be transmitted remotely. The hospital system asked Entisys360 to propose a solution to rapidly create a mobile workforce that was agile, secure and provided a consistent user experience.
The Solution
Entisys360 proposed a remote workforce set up using virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) instead of employer provided desktops and laptops. Leveraging VDI enabled a more rapid roll out, use of employee or employer provided hardware, and centralized IT control to ensure security, data access, and a seamless user experience for all employees.
An initial discovery meeting between Entisys360’s engineering team and the healthcare system’s technology leaders focused on gathering requirements. From there, Entisys360 designed and architected a virtual desktop solution in line with the needs of the client. Specific focus was made on ensuring an easy transition for the end user, access of the right data by the right employees, and security of patient and proprietary information.
Upon approval of the proposed solution by the healthcare system’s leadership, Entisys360 procured the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops software, and provided advisory services and technical support as the client’s technology team implemented the solution.
The Impact
Entisys360’s expertise in virtual desktop technology, understanding of healthcare industry operations and nuances, and relationships with leading technology vendors enabled our client to quickly implement a mobile workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. This allowed the organization to maintain business operations with minimal disruption to their employees and customers.
The recommended virtual desktop approach resulted in a positive user experience as it provided flexibility for employees to choose their preferred device and created a seamless experience against what they are used to in an office environment.
Additionally, VDI provided our client’s business and technology leaders the controls they needed to ensure that sensitive data shared between virtual employees was secure, maintaining patient and business privacy.
Based on the positive experience with the VDI implementation, our client has now engaged Entisys360 to advise on a broader mobile workforce solution as a strategic business initiative. Specifically, the organization is considering a permanent virtual workforce set up for the Human Resource and Finance departments. This added flexibility will improve the client’s employee satisfaction, and the permanent transition could achieve a variety of additional benefits including reduced real estate costs, and improved talent access, among others.
Contact us today.
Learn more about how Entisys360 can address your healthcare technology needs through our leading edge advisory and technical solutions. To speak with an Entisys360 healthcare IT services consultant, contact us at healthcare@entisys360.com, or visit entisys360.com/markets/healthcare.
