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Scalable Automation Initiatives in the Healthcare Industry: A Case Study
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
- Networks & Connectivity - Gateways
Applicable Industries
- Cement
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Use Cases
- Leasing Finance Automation
- Material Handling Automation
The Challenge
The healthcare network, a 129,000-person organization, was facing a significant challenge in scaling their automation initiatives. The network's small team of professionals was struggling to maintain control over their DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI) services. They were using Powershell scripts to interface with BlueCat’s API, which initially proved the value of automating DDI services. However, as the project grew, the team began to encounter scalability issues. The team was concerned about the execution of code in multiple places and the need to establish some order to manage the growing complexity.
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is a large healthcare network, comprising 129,000 individuals. The network's IT team is relatively small, given the size of the organization, and was initially relying on Powershell scripts to manage their DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI) services. The team recognized the value of automation but was struggling with scalability issues as their project grew. They sought a solution that would allow them to maintain control over their DDI services while also enabling them to scale their automation initiatives.
The Solution
The healthcare network turned to BlueCat’s Gateway network automation platform to build scalable, fully supported automations. One of the key solutions was a zero-touch server build process that covered everything from server build to decommissioning. The automation process allowed users to make selections in a self-service format through ServiceNow, providing inputs about the new server’s location and purpose. Gateway then interfaced with VMware’s vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) to create the prefix for the host. Based on the user’s selections, a backend algorithm created the middle of the host. The suffix was a three- or four-digit number. Once provided with the hostname, the user could boot up the server, obtain the next available MAC address and IP address from BlueCat, and then go back to ServiceNow to close the request.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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