Success Story

Medical University of Vienna

IT network management with VM.7 - Scalable, flexible and future-proof

IT NETWORK MANAGEMENT WITH VM.7

The IT department of the Medical University of Vienna (ITSC) looks after thousands of network components such as connections, end devices and servers. The in-house development used for this was getting old, no longer offered the desired functionality and could no longer fully cover the security requirements. For this reason, a new information and planning software for cable management and network documentation was chosen. The flexible solution is scalable and future-proof.

With 8,000 students, the Medical University of Vienna is the largest medical training facility in the German-speaking region. With more than 6,000 employees, 30 university clinics and two clinical institutes, 13 medical theory centers and numerous highly specialized laboratories, it is one of the most important top research institutions in Europe in the biomedical field. The IT Systems & Communications (ITSC) department is responsible, among other things, for the operation of the university's network, in which several hundred switches and servers as well as around 10,000 network connections and end devices are operated. For this purpose, an assignment to rooms and an illustration with names and components is made.

A web application developed by the ITSC team has been used for this task for several years. From 2020 onwards, it became apparent that this solution no longer met the growing requirements: on the one hand, because the application had grown historically over the years and had become increasingly complex, and therefore even standard tasks required a great deal of effort. On the other hand, the technical basis was no longer up to date. Since an in-house development was not sustainable due to the available resources, it was decided to use an external product.

The requirements

In addition to a future-proof and scalable technical basis, the following content-related requirements also had to be met when selecting a platform: the import of existing data into the new system, the retention of the known central functions and the possibility of additional information such as IP or web addresses for the management of devices and sockets were essential. In this way, the reassignment of existing IP addresses should be avoided when new devices are recorded. A workflow should support the assignment of new IP addresses and the insertion of new fields should be easy. In addition, a documentation function for the cabinet occupancy of the server rooms as well as the cabling between the various locations and their switching was required. Operation should be possible via a web interface.

The selection of the solution

After evaluating various products, the decision was finally made to use the AT+C connection manager VM.7, an information and planning software for networks, building cabling, cable management and network documentation, which is also used by some other universities in German-speaking countries. Due to the good networking between the universities, it was possible to get reports and insights into working with the application right from the start of the selection process. This enabled us to see the possibilities that the tool basically offers, says Herbert Jacubetz, project manager and member of the ITSC's Network & Infrastructure team. As part of a presentation of VM.7 by AT+C Managing Director Michael Brüning on site in Vienna, data from the existing system was imported in a proof of concept. The scope of services and flexibility of the solution quickly became apparent.

VM.7 has been in productive use at MedUni Vienna since summer 2022. The implementation took a longer period of time because IP address management was reprogrammed as a feature of AT+C in order to be able to map the corresponding requirements of the ITSC. Extensive tests accompanied the implementation: it was necessary to completely rule out the possibility of incorrect data being imported, which could have led to a complete failure of the network.

Project steps of implementation

The challenges of the implementation were, on the one hand, to transfer the old data correctly and, on the other hand, to optimize usability. The matter turned out to be quite complex. Jacubetz: It took a while for me to understand the mechanism of how the system and the menus interact. With this knowledge, it is easier to find solutions and communication has also become easier.

Adjustments and tests ran until spring 2022, after which the data was imported and assigned to the new system. Here, auxiliary systems had to be set up and additional components put into operation, as differences in the concepts had to be bridged. A simple interface was programmed to give users direct access to the database on which VM.7 also runs. Access at the database level without extra applications was important for the ITSC, and the interfaces are also simplified in this way. The deployment in the various institutes took place in the first half of 2022. After the extensive tests and preparatory work, the actual go-live went smoothly and without problems.

Switching to the new system

Small errors were and are being corrected during operation. Nevertheless, the team first had to get used to the system change. In the old system, the forms were specifically adapted to the requirements, but in the new system, processes have changed.

Through close cooperation with Michael Brüning, a knowledge transfer took place and the ITSC team acquired know-how in terms of technology, administration and application. Jacubetz coordinated the requirements and coordination within the team and trained individual team members specifically on their individual needs, mostly with the aim of simplifying processes. A quick guide made it easier to get started, and users learned everything else about operating VM.7 through learning by doing. Five employees now use the solution to actively create devices and view evaluations; 20 to 30 users and 60 to 70 other IT officers from the institutes have read access.

Adjustments are still being made. One request, for example, was to filter the MAC addresses and host names of computers that follow a certain pattern so that incorrect entries are no longer possible. In addition to the new assignment and deletion functions, a change function has been integrated into IP address management. IT can do whatever it can adapt itself; if the client functions reach their limits or the changes are more complicated, AT+C is brought on board. We are very satisfied with the communication. AT+C is available at all times and our questions are answered with technical expertise - even at short notice, says Jacubetz.

The improvements

In everyday life, the flexibility of the solution helps to easily add additional fields if necessary. Information that was not previously available can be stored, such as which operating system is running on PCs and notebooks. In the legacy solution, this was partially added in free text fields, but could not be used to filter lists. Reports and reports can be easily created; fields and information can be collected, output and saved. The system scales as expected and AT+C ensures security from a technical point of view. The dependency on the supporting employees has also been eliminated.

We are very satisfied, the solution meets our expectations and is geared towards the requirements of the future, concludes Jacubetz. An expansion of the collaboration is planned. The current focus is on simplifying process flows, and in the future additional functions of the tool such as fiber optic and server room management are to be added.

Conclusion

The new software allows the IT department of the Medical University of Vienna to work more easily in everyday life thanks to its flexible expandability and functions such as IP address management. Reports and evaluations can be created quickly, and the system offers the necessary flexibility and expandability for the future. A service and maintenance contract with AT+C ensures that all necessary updates, especially those relevant to security, are made available and that the manufacturer's support can be used in the event of questions or problems.

Authors: Nadja Müller, Michael Brüning (AT+C EDV GmbH)
Image source: Medical University of Vienna