Within Zuyderland Medical Center, a group of dedicated professionals is working on their Digital Healthcare Strategy, aiming to make healthcare more efficient, better, and future-proof.

Ambitious goals, major benefits

The goals are ambitious but clear: Zuyderland aims not only to better support healthcare with a new HIS-EPD (Hospital Information System – Electronic Patient Record) but also to lay the foundation for an integrated care platform and healthcare innovation. By the end of 2025, they plan to transition to an IT landscape fully based on Microsoft cloud. This means VMware will be completely phased out by the end of 2025. The implementation of infrastructure for the data center, workplace, and data platform must be ready in time for the HiX implementation. The fact that this appears achievable, as far as we can currently see, is testament to the dedication of Zuyderland’s staff.

The benefits are substantial. Zuyderland will soon have an IT organization capable of handling new technology, along with infrastructure where all applications are hosted on Azure or as SaaS. Thanks to our optimal mix, the costs will not exceed those of on-premises or data center implementation. Because Zuyderland works with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and all configuration is centralized and standardized, we can continuously improve maintenance and monitoring. Finally, this new infrastructure also provides room for a mature data platform.

Cloud-ready organization

Before the project began, Zuyderland had already done considerable groundwork in building a ‘cloud-ready’ organization. It’s essential to build an organization that can keep pace with developments, maintain cost control, and adapt to the continuous changes in the cloud. Only with this new set of skills and insights can you truly meet your organization’s wishes and requirements.

Supported by Rapid Circle, Zuyderland had also thought ahead about the optimal mix of functions and components in the infrastructure: an ideal combination of cloud and on-premises, complemented by fine-tuning, scheduling, scaling, and cost savings using all tools Azure offers. For this, Rapid Circle has the ‘Optimal Mix’ ready, based on experiences with other hospitals and organizations.

“For our cloud transformation, we sought collaboration with several partners who bring experience, knowledge, and solutions in this area, so that we can incorporate lessons from the past into our cloud transformation. Ultimately, this resulted in a partnership between Zuyderland and Rapid Circle, KPMG, and Microsoft.”

– Bert Pfeiffer, CIO Zuyderland Ziekenhuis

Seemless workplace integration

The rollout of ChipSoft HiX EPD on Azure prepares the hospital for a future where collaboration with regional partners, secure data-driven work, and better digital support for healthcare professionals are central. But to work effectively and safely with a cloud EPD, you also need a cloud-based workplace. We based this on Rapid Circle’s Cloud Workplace for Hospitals, with specific setups for different types of users.

Using Azure Virtual Desktop’s app virtualization, we can seamlessly integrate HiX with the workplace, which is also hosted in Azure. The high security level of Microsoft 365 is standard, thanks in part to Intune. This also eliminates the uncertainty of rising VMware license fees.

For shared PCs, we take a slightly different approach by delivering VDI through Azure Virtual Desktop. Zuyderland, Microsoft, KPMG, and we worked intensively together to execute this plan in a tightly managed, secure, and appropriately paced manner.

“Based on their previous experience, they have guided Zuyderland in developing the route to the cloud (for example, for applications). For the necessary modernization of the workplace (a new workplace), elements of Rapid Circle’s workplace concept were used.”

– Bert Pfeiffer, CIO Zuyderland Ziekenhuis

Cost control

Optimizing costs for the new IT landscape is a crucial part of the project. The most important lesson we learned about this in the past was that costs can be significantly reduced by moving various components (workloads) to the cloud gradually but together, rather than one by one. An important part of this is implementing a modern workplace based on Windows 11 where possible. This saves considerably on virtual desktop (VDI) costs.

Other measures we’re implementing at Zuyderland to minimize costs:

• Optimal utilization of all virtual machines by turning them on and off daily and using them ‘multi-user’ where possible.
• Tuning infrastructure in our ‘optimal mix’ by determining optimal sizing, automatic scaling and scheduling, and securing capacity needed continuously through long-term, cost-effective contracts.
• Setting up and training the IT organization to support this new management philosophy.
• Automating where possible, often enabling self-service, resulting in less IT work and lower costs.

Equally important for both costs and organizational functioning is the cleanup of legacy infrastructure and applications. In organizations moving to the cloud, sometimes old components aren’t removed after introducing new ones. This creates duplicate costs, which you want to avoid as they can harm your cloud transformation business case. This is one of the things Zuyderland has handled well, increasing the chances of a successful and cost-effective cloud transition.

“The migration and rollout are also carried out in this collaboration. I see it as crucial that we incorporate the lessons learned in other organizations. There is, after all, an ‘Optimal Mix’ of functions, settings (such as scheduling and scaling), and scripts for each hospital and thus each situation to ensure optimal operation, performance, costs, and cost management. This is an important part of this process.”

– Bert Pfeiffer, CIO Zuyderland Ziekenhuis

Modern technology, value-driven organization

But the business case isn’t the whole story. The move to the cloud also changes how the entire organization collaborates. Silos disappear, and especially the cooperation between business and IT becomes more flexible, productive, and better on all fronts. This is how a hospital transforms into a value-driven organization through modern technology.

Only then are you ready for future healthcare. Ready to accelerate with new ideas and technologies based on data and AI. Moving towards data-driven care, better integrated care, and organizing and delivering healthcare differently. Not thanks to technology alone, but thanks to Zuyderland’s passionate employees. They are the ones who conceive and realize innovation, made possible by the technological advances that Zuyderland is implementing, placing them at the forefront in the Netherlands.