The Business Case for Storage Networks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 6. The Cancer Therapy and Research Center

Note

I first met Mike Luter, Chief Technology Officer at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio, Texas, at Storage Networking World (SNW) in October, 2003. At SNW, Mike presented the story behind the CTRC's move to storage networks and the remarkable success they have had using Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) storage area networks (SANs) in their environment.

Mike has been with the CTRC for over seven years, and in that time, he and his team have been responsible for the entire IT infrastructure including the build out of the corporate metropolitan-area network (MAN) and local-area networks (LANs), the migration to storage-area networks, and the CTRC's complex migration to Voice over IP (VoIP).

In the spring, 2004, I spoke again at length with Mike regarding the deployment of iSCSI at the CTRC and the ability of the leadership team at the CTRC to solve the critical business problems associated with maintaining and supporting highly available storage networks. Mike and his team understand the value proposition of IP-based storage networks and how it is possible, through the use of storage networks, to provide business critical services while simultaneously lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the storage solution.

In addition to fulfilling his duties as CTO for the CTRC, Mike also serves as the CTO for the San Antonio Cisco Users Group and he is co-chair for the board of technology for Northwest Vista College. Mike is also a member of both the Cisco IPT Customer Advisory Board and the Cisco Technical Advisory Board.

As demonstrated in previous chapters, the financial justification for migrating to storage networks must be significant to secure funding and to secure support from corporate stakeholders. Without political and financial support, an ambitious storage networking project, similar in scope to the one the CTRC has chosen to implement, stands little chance of success. As you see in this case study, the financial justification for such an implementation is clear.

IP-based storage networks, and iSCSI in particular, offer significant cost advantages over Fibre Channel SANs by utilizing in-house IP networking expertise, as well as networking infrastructure that is typically underutilized.

This case study analyzes in detail the following concepts:

Investment protection

Utilization

Metro clustering

The implementation of an iSCSI SAN at the CTRC highlights the impact of IP-based storage networking in the healthcare provider industry. The format of critical care delivery has changed over time, increasing the need for simultaneous access to patient data in multiple locations. Recent HIPAA legislation stands poised to make a significant impact on the overall storage and network infrastructure required to support multiple, secure copies of patient's vital records.