AZ Groeninge builds a future-ready hospital data infrastructure

AZ Groeninge, Belgium’s third-largest hospital, partnered with NetApp to overcome IT challenges by implementing a secure, high-performance data infrastructure. Cutting-edge solutions help ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR, prepare AI-driven healthcare advancements, and reinforce the hospital’s commitment to patient care and medical innovation.

Key highlights include:

• Securely managing over 2.5 petabytes (PB) of data, with storage demands tripling in seven years. 
• Seamless handling of more than 8,000 connected devices, enabling fast data processing for critical workloads like imaging. 
• Strengthened protection against cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware, meeting GDPR and AI Act compliance measures.

Managing hospital IT infrastructure is far more than operations, it’s about elevating patient care. With growing demands for IT systems and regulatory frameworks tightening, AZ Groeninge needed a solution tailored to its challenges, including:

• Data overload: With 2.5PB of health records, billing, and imaging data, the focus is on empowering doctors with instant access to medical histories, so they can quickly analyze scans, and ensure emergency responses are seamless and precise. 
• Cybersecurity risks: Ransomware threats risk more than finances; they jeopardize patient safety and trust. A successful attack could disrupt life-critical systems or expose sensitive medical data, with potentially devastating consequences for individuals and the organization.
• Performance bottlenecks: Balancing the traffic and processing needs of over 8,000 connected devices without interruptions to critical workflows that protect patients.
• Business continuity: Securing rapid data recovery during emergencies to maintain life-critical patient care. 
• AI-readiness: Preparing for an AI-driven future to enhance diagnostic precision, predict health outcomes, and deliver personalized therapies.

To overcome these challenges, AZ Groeninge collaborated with NetApp and its implementation partner, Neoria, to deploy a robust, modern IT architecture tailored to its specific needs.

Key elements of the solution

• NetApp^® ONTAP^® ecosystem
  • The core system includes NetApp A-Series A400 arrays with MetroCluster^® technology for synchronous replication between two sites, providing lightning-fast speeds for workloads like imaging and backups.
  • NetApp C-Series C800 systems integrated with NetApp BlueXP^™ data tiering provide disaster recovery capabilities and efficient archiving of medical imaging files.
  • NetApp FAS8300HA hybrid flash storage enables tiered storage for secure backups and ransomware protection.
• Unified management: With NetApp ONTAP’s single-pane management, AZ Groeninge simplifies governance across its two data centers, streamlining operations and reducing complexity for the IT team managing over 350 applications. 
• Future-proof scalability: The infrastructure addresses current storage demands and lays a solid foundation for AI-driven initiatives by seamlessly handling diverse data types across local storage and hybrid cloud models.
• Enhanced cybersecurity: NetApp SnapLock^® Compliance software’s WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology provides immutable data backup for sensitive records and protection against ransomware. 
• Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI: With ARP/AI, AZ Groeninge can detect and block threats with 99% accuracy. 
• Compliance readiness: BlueXP classification software speeds up compliance audits and helps meet NIS2 cybersecurity regulations

Implementation highlights

The transition leveraged NetApp’s technical expertise and the long-standing professional relationship with Neoria, resulting in an uninterrupted, smooth deployment. Over the course of the tech refresh, NetApp worked closely with AZ Groeninge’s IT leadership and local engineering teams to execute a flawless upgrade.

The IT modernization didn’t merely enhance infrastructure; it significantly amplified the hospital's ability to deliver better care. Outcomes include:

• Enhanced security: With immutable backups autonomous ransomware protection, AZ Groeninge can ensure patient data remains completely secure and accessible.
• Operational scalability: With 2.5PB of storage, the infrastructure easily meets expanding data demands without compromising performance. With smooth operations, staff can focus on delivering care, not managing IT workloads.
• Faster data recovery: Recovering critical databases and applications in under three minutes has revolutionized how quickly the hospital can respond to emergencies. This rapid restoration capability means that even during unforeseen data outages, potentially life-saving patient care isn’t delayed
• AI-optimized care: With a scalable infrastructure built for AI, the hospital now uses machine learning to detect disease patterns, anticipate patient needs, and administer personalized treatments.

What do these advancements mean for the patients? It’s faster diagnoses, fewer system disruptions, and stronger protection of their sensitive medical records. The hospital’s commitment to IT excellence directly translates into trust, safety, and ultimately, better health outcomes for every person they serve.

The hospital is poised to continue its digital transformation with the help of NetApp. With plans to expand hybrid cloud adoption and leverage AI breakthroughs, AZ Groeninge is paving the way for even greater quality patient care and operational excellence.