Acme Medical Center WAN Project Part IV

Acme Medical Center WAN Project Part III

Team B:

Sina Sadeghlou, Ryan McDaniel, Michael Boddie, and Micah Lawson

NTC 409

April 23rd, 2018

Daniel Dronsick

Acme Medical Center WAN Project Part III

Acme Medical Center has a large WAN or Wide Area Network to accommodate all their IT needs. The WAN currently being utilized gets the job done. However, there are many departments that require access which increases the workload as well as potential vulnerabilities, and there are some improvements that can be made to alleviate the current Wide Area Network issues. These improvements will be based around the existing network architecture. To further understand these changes, a general knowledge of the topology and hardware of Acme Medical Center’s WAN must be described in detail.

Existing Wide Area Network

The current Wide Area Network (WAN) is complex however it does get the job done. The network is made up of several key segments. First, it is divided into two categories. One is clinical areas, and the second is Administrative. The Clinical areas include ER’s and OR’s, Pharmacy, Labs, Radiology, Drs. Personal Offices, Wards, Outpatient Examining Rooms, and ICU’s. The Administrative side has IT Department, Admitting/Discharging, Facilities, HR, Finance, and Hospital Sr. Management. This is how the current functional structure is laid out from an IT perspective. Next, we have the networks, and how they are setup. Most importantly, we have the Administrative Network which consists of Apple iMacs for Exec. Management, HR, OPNS, Finance. There are also thin clients for data entry employees and three printers per department that are connected using 1000 BaseT with CAT 6 cables.

The Acme Medical Center has an I.T. Data Center. Within the I.T. Data Center, there is the Health Information System (HIS) Server. Their servers are IBM Series Z9EC with a 10 TeraByte NAS. The data center has Windows Exchange Servers using IBM x3250. The internet servers are IBM x3250 as well. There are Cisco routers and RAS server. The Data Center has a single Apple iMac workstation a network gateway connected using 1000 BaseF Network form Clinical Network. The network is connected using 1000 BaseT with CAT 6 cables.

Next, we have Radiology with a straightforward network which includes Pharmacy, Laboratories, Emergency room, Printers, and viewing stations. The viewing stations are used by the employees to look at patient files like X Rays, mammograms, MRI, and other information’s the stations are made up of Apple iMac Pros. The printers are Kodak 6800 Dry laser Printer. Each emergency room has a workstation for use the workstations are Apple iMac Pro. Finally, both laboratories and pharmacy have their work stations also Apple iMac. The network is connected using 1000 BaseF single mode fiber.

The next network is the RIS Data Center. The RIS Data Center is made up of Apple Cluster Servers running MAC OS Leopard Xserver with a 10 Terabyte Disk Storage. The RIS data center has an APC UPS there is a single workstation Apple iMac with two printers an HP black and white laser printer and a Kodak 6800 dry laser DICOM to film printer. The network is connected using 1000 BaseF using single-mode fiber.

Last, we have the OR/ICU/Ward Floor System. This is the only network with Wireless access points. The wireless access point is located within each of the ICU areas. There is a network connection per bed. All nurse’s workstation is Apple iMacs. OR also uses Apple iMacs and RIS Imaging used Apple iMac Pros. There is a one printer per nurse’s station, and they are both HP 4350.

Weaknesses with in the WAN

The only apparent weakness in the WAN for Acme Medical Center is security. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be an upgrade through the design and implementation of a Dematerialized Zone (DMZ for the organization. A demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a computer networking configuration aimed at improving security through the segregation of devices on each side of a firewall. The information technology infrastructure assets that are commonly located in the demilitarized zone include computers, endpoint devices, servers, security controls and the network. In the case of Acme Medical Center, the administration and the IT data center should be located within the DMZ. This is because they host the most critical infrastructure which should not be compromised, the critical infrastructure includes information and IT infrastructure that host the information. This will help safeguard critical assets within the organization from external and internal attacks.

Network Availability Solution

Finally, it has been determined that a stabilization of the WAN through optimization methods needs strong consideration. There are many IT technologies, including load balancers and firewalls, that can greatly impact WAN traffic in a positive way, but this can be taken one step further to ensure both quality and availability for vital systems like Acme Medical Center’s. “WAN optimization appliances improve use of existing bandwidth by transparently reducing the amount of traffic pumped into the WAN. They smooth over TCP shortcomings via better window management, for example. They optimize chatty upper-layer LAN protocols like MAPI, HTTP, and Windows file sharing” (Fratto, M., 2011). This method should offset some of the tremendous amounts of traffic in the network while load balancers provide connection prioritization. Coupled with proper risk management techniques, network availability should see an incredible uptick as clients continue accessing their terminals daily.

References

Turban, E., Volonino, L., & Wood, G. R. (2015). Information Technology for Management

Digital Strategies for Insight, Action, and Sustainable Performance (10th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Fratto, M. (2011). Tools to Make The Most Of Your WAN. Informationweek (1313),

16. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/

9094477137?accountid=35812