When a regional medical center discovered its data center was nearing its maximum power and cooling capacity, staff took action before deploying new digital systems and potentially compromising data. By developing an IT master plan that benchmarked past and current space, power, and cooling requirements, and using growth projections to predict future loads and space requirements, the facility developed long-term solutions to ensure that critical power and cooling kept pace with the deployment of IT systems. This session will enable you to-
• Explain how an IT master plan such as that presented in the case study can be used to identify potential IT problem areas so that infrastructure improvements can be made before problems arise.
• Demonstrate the need, as shown in the case study, to continually monitor growth projections to ensure an adequate power and cooling supply is available for IT equipment.
• Describe the issues a project team must consider, based on examples presented, in terms of planning new projects that will result in health care facilities that can easily adapt to changes in IT requirements.
• Discuss strategies, as presented, that can be used to gain support from senior staff for planning ahead to meet IT equipment infrastructure needs.