REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 19, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has completed its migration to Microsoft’s technology platform — including Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Systems Management Server 2003 — helping the third-largest privately held hospital system in the United States simplify its IT infrastructure and save money.
Methodist is an integrated healthcare delivery system employing more than 10,000 associates and admitting over 63,000 patients per year. Previously, the healthcare system had operated in a Novell-based environment. It migrated to Microsoft’s platform to help lower its IT costs and decrease complexity in its environment. By putting Microsoft software in place, Methodist can better manage its core infrastructure capabilities — such as administering groups, deploying desktops and managing permissions — as well as lower its overall IT costs.
As part of the project, Methodist deployed Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, System Center Operations Manager 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. It also converted all its file and print servers to Windows-based technologies. The migration work was jointly performed by Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) and BT INS Inc., a leading provider of IT consulting and software solutions.
“This project was one of the most smoothly run and error-free IT projects that we have ever experienced,” said Andrew Fowler, senior vice president and chief information officer of Methodist Healthcare. “It’s a rare pleasure when you can roll out a project of this magnitude on time and on budget. This migration impacted nearly all of our associates, yet I didn’t hear a single negative comment or complaint from anyone in the organization.”
Project highlights include the following:
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Utilizing Microsoft Active Directory to improve operational and configuration issues in Methodist’s existing environment, and moving to the Windows Server 2003 technology set
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Deploying SMS clients to 95 percent of the known systems in the environment
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Migrating private and Novell GroupWise archive data while establishing a repeatable process to complete the remainder of the migration
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Completely migrating and removing Novell dependencies on 6,500 workstations
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Migrating 100 percent of the printers to a new, highly available, Windows-based print cluster
“By migrating to Microsoft software, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare will benefit from using a familiar, easy-to-use and widely supported platform that can grow with its business and maintain flexibility to address changing customer needs,” said Steve Aylward, general manager, U.S. Health and Life Sciences Group, at Microsoft.
About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Founded in 1918, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is an integrated healthcare delivery system, constituting the third largest private hospital in the U.S. Spanning a two-county area, the system comprises seven hospitals with a combined 1663 beds, a home health agency and several clinics. Nearly 2,000 physicians serve the organization, and approximately 10,000 people work for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, making it the second largest private employer in the Memphis area. Affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 669-bed Methodist University Hospital is the system’s flagship facility.
About BT INS
Founded in 1991, BT INS has grown into one of the world’s leading providers of IT consulting and software solutions. Its focus is on helping organizations effectively use technology to achieve their business goals. BT INS solutions enable our customers to reduce costs, increase flexibility, strengthen security, ensure compliance and improve efficiency.
About Microsoft in Health and Life Sciences
Microsoft provides standards-based products and technology to help the health and life sciences industries break down information barriers between the disparate IT environments across pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, physicians and health professionals, provider organizations, government and private-sector employers, health insurers, and consumers. Microsoft’s vision for knowledge-driven health utilizes the company’s market-leading technology to help people in the healthcare provider, payer and life sciences organizations integrate their systems, dramatically enhance collaboration and increase information sharing and learning – ultimately resulting in the ability to deliver high-quality products and services to patients and consumers worldwide. More information about Microsoft in health industry can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/healthcare.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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