Ben Heather, News Editor from Digital Health, recently made a visit to the headquarters of the North West Shared Infrastructure Service (NWSIS) to find out why and how this model of connected community infrastructure has worked so well for more than ten years.
NWSIS provides proven and tested infrastructure services and a governance model that allows each ICT provider to retain autonomy for their own assets and service users whilst providing deep levels of integration with their business partners.
The cornerstone of this environment is a network directory service (Microsoft Active Directory) which spans all member organisations and locations. Established in May 2002, the Active Directory service has enabled numerous inter-organisation functions ranging from basic file shares to advanced communication services. This has been fundamental in fostering a unique spirit of co-operation between the stakeholder organisations.