As the pace of digital transformation increases, healthcare organisations are more dependent than ever on the integrity of their networks. Clinicians need secure, 24-hour access to systems, services and information to provide the quality of care and treatment expected from today’s healthcare systems, and to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.
With many of these resources distributed across complex enterprise networks and the increasing use of cloud-based services, the integrity of the Wide Area Network (WAN) edge has never been so important to the continuity and reliability of access to information.
Juniper’s new AI-driven SD-WAN technology enables cloud-based Session Smart Routing (SSR) in the healthcare enterprise WAN edge for the first time, providing complete visibility across the wired access, wireless access and SD-WAN domains with the benefits of automated management and troubleshooting.
AI-driven networking enhances patient care
“Healthcare providers know first-hand how distance can impact the performance and reliability of the network that underpins a telehealth appointment, where packet loss can mean the difference between a great consultation and a mediocre one,” says Matt Roberts, health & life science practice lead at Juniper Networks.
“With its recent announcement, Juniper is leapfrogging the networking industry by providing a full stack SD-WAN solution with a whole new level of intelligence to help providers deliver more secure, connected care experiences across their communities.”
Healthcare enterprises are increasingly focused on the resilience and capacity of their networks to enable, consolidate and sustain the benefits of digital health innovation that emerged from their responses to Covid-19. In a recent survey by Accenture Digital Health Vision, 81% of healthcare executives said their organisations are speeding up for digital transformation, while 93% said they are innovating with an urgency precipitated by the pandemic.
“Healthcare providers need to modernise their IT infrastructures for digital transformation strategies to scale and support new applications and technologies that can assist in driving better patient outcomes and experiences,” says Roberts. “We are offering an AI-driven healthcare networking solution, with end-to-end secure 24/7 operations, insight, management and automated troubleshooting, paving the way for further digitalisation.”
Striking the balance between security and transformation
Data and network security are also essential considerations for hospitals as demands grow for more access to cloud services and increased connectivity with partner and external networks. The underlying digital infrastructure needs to support clinical workflows and ensure patient experience while ensuring the safety of patient information – a balancing act for healthcare organisations, which will need to take a more layered approach to network security.
To help with this challenge, Juniper has also added a new Branch Security Pack to its SSR solution with URL filtering and Intrusion Detection/Prevention (IDS/IPS), removing the need for and cost of additional security appliances.
Deeper network visibility helps prioritization of critical services
Healthcare providers are notorious for having numerous networks that have been connected in ad hoc ways. Juniper’s SSR solution helps to consolidate and manage network connections while enhancing user and application experience. By delivering richer and more granular services and sessions than packet-based router technologies, it gives providers even deeper visibility and insights across the WAN. This can be particularly important for critical services such as a telehealth consultation or the prioritisation of digital imaging traffic.
