As we enter 2018, the NHS focus on digitalisation will continue apace as many Trusts look to undertake complex migrations, supporting new technology and upgrades, as well as a continuing trend of local mergers. To achieve successful and smooth deployment of these migrations, the NHS must ensure careful planning and robust preparation.
Plan for success
The NHS IT is bracing itself for a year of change due to a variety of factors – Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships forming, Microsoft upgrades, Accenture NHSmail2 and local Trust mergers.
Through all this, NHS IT teams are under pressure to ensure these complex migrations do not have significant impact on patient care. Yet, the importance of planning and conducting IT enhancements is often under-considered throughout a Trust.
Analyst firm Gartner in its report entitled ‘Deliver Data Center Migrations on Budget by Securing the Right Project Resources’ outlined the challenges faced by organisations in migrations, stating that there are a number of ‘commonly underestimated areas’ that should be addressed.
One of the main areas outlined by the Gartner report is the demand for ‘IT to maintain operational performance with minimal (or no) downtime’; this is an ongoing issue for the NHS 24/7 environment. Trusts rely on systems, so despite the complexity of the update or change, ensuring it happens quickly and efficiently is fundamental to the impact on patient services.
Key planning considerations
For IT teams to manage installations effectively, there are a number of key considerations that can help to achieve a successful delivery:
- Pull in expertise – complex migrations do not happen every day, so getting people who are experienced in NHS migrations is crucial.
- Knowledge of the architecture is essential – ensure the people involved are experts in the systems and understand the wider implications.
- Evaluate and plan for knock-on effects – explore all scenarios and assess additional security elements that may need to be integrated.
- Ensure new infrastructure meets governance and compliance requirements.
- During deployment, ensure all the necessary people, both internal and external, are available and ready to support if and when needed.
- Evaluate, test and monitor!
Tried and test approach
BDS Solutions are specialists in managing NHS IT migrations, as well as offering a range of identity and access management solutions. Careful planning, utilising the right team, with the right expertise is the only way to mitigate risks to deliver successful migrations and robust solutions.