IBM Planning and Design Services for Data Center, Keep WakeMed Operations Running Smoothly

WakeMed Health & Hospitals selected IBM (NYSE: IBM) to help plan and design the move of its data center as part of a multi-million dollar commitment to information technology to support patient care and hospital operations.

WakeMed's data center contains the health care information for more than 500,000 patients who are treated within the hospital system annually. The data center has grown significantly and currently houses more than 56 terabytes of data, including everything from medical records to billing information to critical heart labs and images -- that's twice the amount of text housed by the U.S. Library of Congress.

"With this kind of move, you only have one chance to get it right," said Denton Arledge, Vice President of Information Services, WakeMed. "This data center supports every facet of the hospital system -- from patient care to operations to finance -- and it had to stay up and running while we moved the equipment to a new, secure location miles away from our main campus."

IBM's Site and Facilities Services consultants teamed with WakeMed’s technical staff to plan the move, which included millions of dollars worth of equipment and hundreds of miles of cable that support WakeMed’s 11 different sites in Wake County. IBM also worked with WakeMed to ensure design of the new data center would meet the health system's future needs.

"In this type of situation, nothing beats experience," said Ric Anderson, IBM Project Manager. "I've worked on numerous data center moves for our clients and that experience really pays off when you're working on an intricate project like this one."

The data center was moved to a secure location featuring a new command center that allows WakeMed staff to monitor their systems 24/7. Redundant systems were put in place so that in the event one system goes down, another system provides backup so there is never an interruption in service. Security and data center operational procedures were also enhanced to improve the overall efficiency of the center.

IBM’s Site and Facilities Services business unit delivers leading services in four areas: IT Facilities Consolidation and Relocation Services, which was implemented with WakeMed; Data Center and Facilities Strategy Services; IT Facilities Assessment Design and Construction Services; and Specialized Facilities Services.

About WakeMed Health and Hospitals

WakeMed Health & Hospitals, one of the first hospital systems in the country, is a private, not-for-profit health care organization based in Raleigh, N.C. The 851-bed system comprises a network of health care facilities throughout Wake and Johnston Counties, including: a Level I Trauma Center and tertiary referral hospital and rehabilitation hospital in Raleigh, a community hospital in Cary, a comprehensive outpatient center and freestanding emergency department in North Raleigh, seven outpatient rehabilitation sites, two skilled-nursing and outpatient facilities, a 100+ physician multispecialty practice, and home health services. The system includes two accredited Chest Pain Centers and one JCAHO-certified Stroke Center. Throughout the system, there are an additional 118 beds under construction. WakeMed also provides management services for Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn, NC. Centers of excellence include cardiac and vascular care, women's and children's services, physical rehab, emergency and trauma, orthopaedics, neurosciences, home care and numerous wellness and community outreach programs. WakeMed's team of 7,000 nurses, technologists and medical support staff and more than 1,000 affiliated physicians serve the residents of North Carolina using the most advanced technologies and facilities to ensure the finest in health care.

For more information, visit: www.wakemed.org