4-page Case Study - Posted 8/2/2007
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The Ambulance Service of NSW Maintains 1,200 PCs across 80,000 km with an IT Team of Five
Using Microsoft® Systems Management Server software, the IT team at the Ambulance Service of New South Wales can now update their 1,200 PCs without the need for a desk-side visit. This has streamlined their operations significantly as they are now able to automate routine tasks, such as updating software images, versions and security patches, to all of their PCs from one central location. They can also obtain an accurate picture of the state of the health of the network at any given time. The organisation is complementing this solution by deploying Microsoft® Operations Manager 2005 (MOM) to monitor and manage their networked servers, enabling them to increase the effectiveness of their IT, strengthen security and provide maximum uptime. As part of their continual quest to deliver better services, the Ambulance Service of NSW has also created an innovative, shared Web portal to improve collaboration between emergency management agencies during crises, such as the Banda Aceh earthquake.
Situation
The Ambulance Service of New South Wales has 3,300 staff located across more than 260 locations, and it maintains over 900 ambulances, 300 support vehicles, four fixed‑wing aircraft and nine helicopters.
To enable their people to provide effective emergency transport across the state, the IT team maintains a network of some 1,200 PCs and 50 servers connecting ambulance officers, station managers, dispatch personnel and emergency operations centres. They also deliver wireless access to all of their ambulances, enabling emergency personnel to stay in contact in the field.
Until 2006, the IT infrastructure at the Ambulance Service of NSW had evolved organically into a network of disparate PCs with a variety of software configurations, including a large number using Open Office. Running different versions of Microsoft® Office and open source desktop software was causing issues with application compatibility and hindering project collaboration. On top of this, PCs running Open Office were also difficult to manage and secure.
Because PCs were scattered across geographically dispersed locations, they were proving hard to manage. When they needed software updates or re-imaging, the IT team relied on desk-side visits and manual installation, which was time-consuming. With some of the more remote locations a minimum ten-hour drive in one direction, the IT team often had to contract local managed service providers to update PCs and fix network issues – which was not cost-effective.
Patrick Brady, Manager Technology Services at the Ambulance Service of NSW comments: “We lacked any real visibility across the 1,200 PCs on our network. We couldn’t easily track when they needed security patches or version updates. We relied on staff to let us know when something went wrong and then we reacted, rather than providing proactive maintenance.”
In 2006, the Ambulance Service of NSW decided to standardise their software image to include the latest Microsoft desktop applications and operating system. Realising that to do this manually would be logistically challenging and expensive, they decided to look into a software solution which would enable them to update software centrally across the PC network, from head office.
They also wanted to improve security and be able to identify and remove rogue applications automatically across their PCs.
As a proactive organisation always looking for a more efficient way to manage information, they were also seeking a solution that enabled them to improve distribution of aid through better collaboration with other emergency agencies during national and international crises. Central to this was the need to provide accurate information to emergency service personnel on the ground. Consequently, they sought a solution that would publish real‑time information regarding the deployment of aid, first responders and equipment and make it available to all authorised personnel, regardless of location.
Solution
To address the issue of managing updates and software versions, the IT team decided to deploy Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS), which provides a comprehensive solution for change and configuration management. SMS enables the IT team to deploy the latest desktop software to every device automatically – from PCs to hand-helds – from one location. It has also enabled them to inventory software and track it accurately to ensure consistency of versions across their PCs. They can now track application usage to identify patterns and frequency of use to stay compliant and phase out unused software. By deploying this solution, the IT team took just six weeks to get all PCs up and running on the Microsoft® Windows® operating system.
Secondly, to share and publish information with other emergency agencies during crises, the IT team deployed Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007. This enables information to be published via a secure Web portal, simplifying the creation, approval and design of content. It provides master pages and page layout templates, which emergency agencies can populate with real-time information regarding the status of aid shipments, transport, equipment and personnel. Command centre personnel can use it to monitor and synthesise the information to make better informed decisions on the deployment of aid, personnel and equipment.
Patrick Brady comments: “Using Office SharePoint Server 2007, we developed a incident management portal which connects people with information in emergency situations. It provides a single integrated location where personnel in differing agencies can find processes, people and emergency data relevant to their specific needs. This enables them to make fast, accurate decisions based on the latest information.”
Benefits
With the Microsoft solution in place, the IT team has improved the effectiveness and efficiency of their PC network, and reduced the overall operational costs associated with managing and deploying software.
CIO Roger Hanssen explains: “Microsoft SMS enables the Ambulance Service of NSW to reduce operational costs, increase management efficiencies and ensure that the IT team provides the best possible service it can.”
Simpler PC management
With the deployment of Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS), the Ambulance Service of NSW now has a centralised management system, which enables them to manage their software across more than 260 locations, quickly and cost-effectively.
This new system simplifies system deployment by automating routine tasks, making it simpler for the IT team to update Microsoft desktop applications and operating systems.
For example, they can now batch update software to all or specified locations at predetermined times to minimise interference with operational duties. Another important benefit is that policy-based security management enables them to ensure data is stored and managed in a legally compliant manner.
Microsoft SMS also helps the IT team stay on top of supporting mobile devices in ambulances. Now they can update critical software updates over slow link connections without interrupting core functions, while the ambulance moves from location to location.
Patrick Brady, Manager Technology Services, comments: “We were able to transform how we manage our 1,200 PCs. Microsoft SMS enables us to manage our entire standard operating environment and software remotely, whether for an ambulance station in Sydney or Broken Hill, more than 1,000 km away from our head office.”
More efficient IT
The IT team are now able to track software accurately and automatically throughout its life cycle to ensure compliance with licensing agreements. SMS provides an integrated way to inventory which applications are installed and track their usage.
Patrick Brady comments: “Now that we have a complete picture, we can phase out unused applications and save money by paying only for what we use.”
Increased levels of automation have freed up the IT team to focus on other projects including improving network performance, providing better phone support and maintaining a more consistent PC network.
More secure desktops
With Microsoft SMS, the IT team are able to maintain the integrity of their PC network proactively. SMS features a set of tools and processes that enables them to determine which systems are in need of updates and allows them to test and deploy them reliably across the PC environment.
Patrick Brady states: “If we were to experience downtime as a result of a malicious attack on our PCs, this could have a devastating effect on operational duties and ambulance services, potentially endangering lives. Microsoft SMS provides us with a solution for managing our security update deployments, giving us a far greater peace of mind.”
Lower help desk costs
The Ambulance Service of NSW has reduced operational costs by managing an effective and reliable network of PCs remotely, running the current software. Using Microsoft SMS, the IT team has gained an increased level of manageability for their PCs, which has led to fewer desk-side visits to fix application and operating system problems.
Roger Hanssen comments: “Microsoft SMS has certainly made our PC network more reliable. We are able to manage our network with a team of just five.”
Improved server management
With the improvement of PC management through SMS, the IT team are now looking at deploying Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) to manage and maintain 50 servers. MOM and SMS operate in an independent but complementary manner to automate many of the tasks required to monitor and maintain the ongoing operation of any network. MOM will provide the Ambulance Service with event management, proactive monitoring and alerting, reporting and trend analysis. It will track every aspect of server performance and is able to spot usage patterns, impending problems and possible inconsistencies. Armed with this knowledge, the IT team will be able to apply a predefined set of rules – essentially, a built-in knowledge base of problems and how to address them – to ward off potential problems before they develop into more serious issues.
Patrick Brady says: “MOM will look after a lot of the mundane tasks of network management, and free the IT team to focus on more important issues. Instead of us needing to wade through server logs, trying to spot potential problems, MOM automates a lot of that for us and then alerts us to the things we need to look at more closely.”
More efficient disaster relief
The Ambulance Service of NSW has also been using Office SharePoint Server 2007 to collaborate with other government departments including the police, fire brigade, the Australian Defence Services and the Premier’s Department.
Using Office SharePoint Server 2007, ambulance management teams created a Web portal called the ‘Incident Management Portal’ (IMP) to coordinate relief efforts for national and international crises management.
Patrick Brady explains: “In the aftermath of the Banda Aceh earthquake in Indonesia, the Ambulance Service of NSW sent a 24-member team who helped set up a management command centre.
“We used the IMP to update and view information from the many different international organisations and local agencies. For the first time, these agencies had access to real-time information about disaster relief plans, available personnel, medical plans, resources and equipment, aid transportation and aid distribution priority, enabling the various disaster management teams to make more efficient decisions about how and where these resources should be utilised.
The IMP system has also been used in the management of local incidents such as bushfires.
Patrick Brady comments: “Using Office SharePoint Server 2007, we have an innovative and effective tool to share vital information among international disaster relief agencies to improve the distribution of aid and potentially save lives.”
Software and Services
- Microsoft® Windows®
- Microsoft® Office System
- Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007
- Microsoft® Systems Management Server 2003
- Microsoft® Operations Manager 2005
For more information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, please call 13 20 58 (Australia). For more information about Microsoft’s health solutions, please visit www.microsoft.com/australia/health
For more information about the Ambulance Service of NSW, visit the Web site at www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 10835-0707/MS
