Challenge
Fallon Clinic’s quality of service has close ties to its network health. If the network fails or slows down, customer service suffers. Patients don’t like to wait, so it’s important for Network Engineer Hamid Ali to stay on top of his network.
Fallon Clinic has more than 250 physicians across nearly 30 locations throughout Massachusetts. A total of 2,500 users depend on the network, which has its backbone at the West Boylston site. The core communicates with remote offices via point-to-point WAN links, and local networks are built using Fast Ethernet switches. Although the current network is exclusively wired, Fallon plans to implement wireless soon.
Ali previously used Network General’s Sniffer to monitor the local network. However, as the company grew, he needed greater WAN visibility. Purchasing another costly product from Network General to manage the WAN wasn’t an option. Even if he made the purchase, Sniffer wouldn’t provide the flexibility to analyze both the WAN and LAN simultaneously, from one console. This would mean having to choose whether to focus on the WAN or the LAN, and yet again having problems go undetected and undiagnosed until users complained.
Solution
Ali researched other potential network monitoring products and determined the Network Instruments Observer® console, in combination with its WAN Probes, to be the best option for comprehensive management.
“With Observer, I can do it all with one affordable solution,” Ali said. “I can monitor both my WAN and LAN at the same time, eliminating the delays in service I was used to dealing with when Sniffer was monitoring the network. Observer makes me more proactive, minimizing user complaints and maximizing customer service.”
Long Term Network Care
Ali purchased Observer, along with a WAN Probe, which he deployed at the core to monitor and troubleshoot the wired network. With this solution, Ali is able to keep track of the WAN and LAN simultaneously. He can also monitor and troubleshoot all problems occurring across the WAN circuit, view all WAN link data to keep track of link congestion, sense transmission problems, and verify WAN quality of service.
As Fallon Clinic’s needs change, Ali can use this same Network Instruments technology to monitor network growth. For example, management is considering adding wireless capability at some locations. If the plan goes through, he’ll need to monitor both wired and wireless networks. |
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“It’s nice to know that if we decide to go wireless, Observer already has the ability to manage it,” Ali said. “As our network evolves, Observer continues to provide us with the flexibility and top-notch functionality we have come to depend on.”
Treat the Source, Not the Symptom
Ali needs to quickly detect, diagnose, and solve network problems to ensure first-rate customer service. Too many IT professionals only put out fires; with Observer's triggers and alarms, Ali can set network thresholds that, when crossed, alert him via e-mail or page.
Recently, Observer notified Ali via e-mail when bandwidth utilization had passed the threshold he specified. He pulled up Top Talkers, which identified the bandwidth-hogging stations and applications, and found that a recently installed application was a likely suspect. Through Observer’s Application Analysis, he identified the packets accounting for the increased bandwidth usage and noted when this problem was occurring. Armed with this information, he treated the problem while it was under his control and reconfigured the application to prevent the situation from recurring.
“Most of the issues we deal with are tied to application bandwidth,” Ali said. “Observer helps us quickly identify the source of each potential application problem, letting us act on it before it spreads like wildfire. It’s a pretty slick tool.”
Because Ali is responsible for managing all segments of the network, spending too much time on one issue keeps him from addressing others. With Observer, he is able to promptly troubleshoot problems and move on.
"Ever since I implemented Observer, I have been able to cut troubleshooting down from about five hours per episode to merely minutes," Ali said. "Just with that help, we've been able to quickly realize our ROI."
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About Fallon Clinic |
Founded in 1929 by Dr. John Fallon and a team of local physicians, Fallon Clinic was central Massachusetts’ first group practice. As one of the most dynamic and progressive health care organizations in the country today, Fallon Clinic continues to achieve some of the highest quality of care ratings in the country. They are leaders in health care delivery innovation, transforming patient care paradigms, and establishing a new “gold standard” in patient care service.
With more than 250 physicians practicing in nearly 30 locations, Fallon Clinic provides comprehensive care for more than one million patient visits a year, and is the largest private, multi-specialty group in central Massachusetts.
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