Healthcare system goes wireless: management and security broaden hand-held deployment.

One place to look for successful adoption of wireless technology is the healthcare industry. Baylor Health Care System, with more than 12,000 employees in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area, is one of the largest medical service providers in the country, treating some one million patients in

Baylor, founded in 1902, has always been an early adopter of technology, and is constantly trying to find new ways of applying technology to the job of serving constituents better. The company began piloting BlackBerry wireless hand-held devices to keep administrators and medical personnel connected in, around and outside of its many facilities.

"The product quickly gained popularity among the staff," says John Crouch, personal communications manager for Baylor. Crouch had concerns, however, about security and management for the devices. "Because they are so small and portable, these handhelds are as easy to misplace as a mobile phone," he notes. "The potential risk of a lost or stolen BlackBerry is far higher than that of a lost mobile phone because of the data that resides on, or can be accessed through, the device." The replacement cost of a device was inconsequential compared to the risk of e-mails, attachments, contacts and schedules falling into the wrong hands.

With security and management for the units a possible impediment to broader deployment, Crouch and his staff began searching for products to address the management and security of wireless devices. Crouch came across mFormation Technologies Inc., Edison, N.J., which offered a software product that provided security and device management not only for the RIM Blackberry environment, but also for a variety of wireless data devices and networks, including Palm OS and Pocket PC-based devices. Since initial deployment, Baylor has adopted the product for management of its ongoing BlackBerry deployment.

At Baylor, IT staff are provided with over-the-air controls and management capabilities through a Web interface, which means that staff can manage the wireless devices from anywhere. Authorized staff log into the management system from wherever they are, and issue commands or get information from devices on demand. Communication with the devices is over the wireless wide area network itself, which means that devices do not need to be cradled or connected to the corporate local area network to be under Baylor's control.

If a device is reported lost, Baylor IT staff can remotely lock it, preventing anyone from using it until it is unlocked. If the device is stolen, staff can delete its contents, ensuring that sensitive data cannot be compromised. Password policies can be enforced over the air, devices located to the nearest base station, current and historical asset and configuration data viewed, and devices can be tracked as to how and when they are being utilized in the field. This helps staff to do both spot and proactive troubleshooting. The performance of various wireless network elements can be monitored, enabling staff to pinpoint and address issues before performance negatively affects users in the field.

"We currently estimate that giving our users wireless access to e-mail messages and attachments saves each user between two and four hours a week," says Crouch. "That starts to add up over time."

Currently, 500 officially supported devices are deployed among Baylor personnel and under IT control. With management and security for the devices in place, Crouch and his staff are becoming increasingly comfortable with the proliferation of wireless devices throughout Baylor.

"Based on the success of security and management software with the BlackBerry," says Crouch, "we are beginning to offer more backend system access. We need networks with higher bandwidth and better service plans from the carriers, but as we get them, we expect corporate usage of wireless devices to grow rapidly among a variety of Baylor audiences."

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