Leading Health Care Non-Profit Makes Baltimore Technology Park Linchpin in its Disaster Recovery Plan
Independent Dialysis Foundation Protects Patient Health and Data by Colocating Key Infrastructure at Secure Regional Data CenterBALTIMORE, MD – Baltimore Technology Park (BTP), a premier data center and the largest carrier-neutral facility in the state of Maryland, today announced that the Independent Dialysis Foundation (IDF) has selected BTP to colocate its core IT infrastructure. An independent not-for-profit organization in business for 30 years, IDF cares for people with kidney failure at its eight dialysis facilities located throughout Maryland. IDF currently provides care to over 400 patients, and promotes independence and rehabilitation for each patient.
Each of IDF’s patients generates high volumes of data, which is housed in its main database at the organization’s headquarters. The database stores clinical data on patients as well as sensitive corporate financial data. IDF’s staff, including those at its field offices, access the database daily via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Should the organization’s IT systems fail it could have serious financial, productivity and patient safety consequences. Patient histories, including lab results or drug regimens, would be inaccessible in the event of an emergency or if a patient needed surgery. IDF must be confident that it can quickly provide accurate information about a client in a timely manner to any medical staff treating one of its patients. Moreover, it must rigorously guard patient data to comply with strict HIPAA guidelines.
“Should something happen at our main location, such as an electrical failure or some type of disaster, within a couple of hours we can flip our switch on at BTP and all of our facilities can resume their functions within an hour,” states Zeke Ayele, IDF’s IT Director, who has been with the organization for 19 years. “Without BTP, an unforeseen disruption could take us days or weeks to get everything up and running and to catch up with the back log of data. Colocating at BTP greatly reduces our exposure to operational downtime. It also makes us confident that we can continue to provide life-saving services to our patients should disaster strike.”
Two important factors IDF considered when researching data center providers were the ability to handle its own equipment and available space to scale. “We needed a facility that would allow us to maintain total control over our own equipment,” adds Ayele. “I toured BTP’s facility and was very impressed with their HVAC system and its precision control. Their power back up, fire control systems and security were equally impressive.” IDF did not seriously consider building its own in-house data center because it didn’t believe it would be cost effective and the physical space it would require made it infeasible.
“IDF chose us to play a key role in protecting their customers and their business operations in the event of a disaster,” said Jim Weller, president of BTP and a 20-year veteran of the IT infrastructure industry. “We’re honored to protect the critical business systems of an organization that plays a critical role in peoples’ health.”
Organizations in the greater Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia area turn to BTP to satisfy their data center needs for ample and redundant power and cooling, physical security, and bandwidth. Often driven by legislative directives such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and others, organizations also choose BTP to protect their critical IT systems from natural disasters, terrorist threats and unpredictable service from utility and bandwidth providers. The data center’s convenient downtown location in a Focus Area of an Enterprise Zone of the City of Baltimore allows BTP to offer customers significant tax incentives, including a ten-year, 80% credit against local personal property taxes.
About Independent Dialysis Foundation (IDF)
Independent Dialysis Foundation (IDF) was founded September 14, 1978 as a not-for-profit company to improve access to dialysis services for patients of the University of Maryland’s University Hospital. An independent Maryland-based organization affiliated with the University of Maryland, IDF promotes independence, self-care, and stability for dialysis patients at eight free-standing locations and five hospital contracts throughout the state. IDF offers convenient and personalized care from a staff that puts the welfare of the patients first. Independent Dialysis Foundation is located at 840 Hollins Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201. To learn more about us, please visit www.idfdn.org or call 410-468-0900.
About Baltimore Technology Park (BTP)
BTP is a 30,000-square-foot, purpose-built facility that provides the highest level of security and redundancy for businesses of all types and sizes who require reliable data center services. BTP’s corporate headquarters are located at 10 East Baltimore Street, Suite 1000, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. For more information, send email to sales@baltimoretechnologypark.com , call 1-877-293-5615 or 410-500-4050, or visit us at www.baltimoretechnologypark.com
Media Contact:
Kent Streeb
Kaya Communications
kent@kayacommunications.com
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