19 December 2013

Part of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Musgrove Park Hospital is the largest general hospital in Somerset, serving a population of more than 340,000 and employing 4,000 staff.

Prior to implementing a more comprehensive network monitoring solution, the hospital’s IT team used some basic monitoring for key systems but this was very limited. “We would often only know about issues when users reported systems offline,” explains Mike Isaac, network and systems manager.

After investigating alternative solutions, and following a recommendation from another NHS organisation, Isaac decided on Paessler’s PRTG Network Monitor to oversee the hospital network. The system monitors everything from servers and UPSs to network switches across three locations which include two acute trusts and an offsite office building.

The PRTG monitors both the hospital’s internal and external network and is set up on 10,950 sensors. It can be overseen via a web interface using Windows and Mac OS PCs, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. In the event of a problem, support staff receive SMS and email alerts which means that they can ensure the IT is running smoothly even when their off-site.

Before introducing PRTG, one typical issue was that hard drives ran out of space and eventually caused a system to go offline. Now, the team receives an alarm when a drive has 10 per cent of free space left and can plan ahead to resolve the issue before systems go offline. “If one PC fails, users can move to another one. But if a server-based application goes down this isn’t an option – especially if any treatment plans or patient records have to be looked up in that system,” says Isaac.

He adds that since introducing PRTG, system downtime has been reduced, and his team has been able to target its work so it is more focused. “The amount of maintenance we do has not changed, but with such a high number of servers and switches, PRTG enables us to prioritise within the team the areas where an issue might occur before it happens.”

Isaac says by implementing PRTG, the IT team can now offer a more reliable service for the hospital, ensuring medical staff are able to deliver frontline care.