The Harz district health department is part of the public health service and performs a wide range of tasks in the areas of health care and civil protection. These include school entrance examinations, travel medicine consultations, hygiene inspections, and the management of infectious diseases.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of employees at the health department temporarily rose to over 250. This enormous increase in personnel led to a significantly higher load on the existing IT systems. The existing IT infrastructure with a central server room was no longer able to meet the increased requirements.
To ensure the stability and security of the systems, the Harz district decided to rebuild the IT infrastructure and better prepare it for future challenges. The goal was to create a powerful and fail-safe solution that would reliably ensure the administration's operations even in times of crisis.
Project award and collaboration with DCG
Following a public tender process, Data Center Group (DCG) was awarded the contract to implement the project. The decisive factor in the decision was DCG's most economical and technically convincing bid.
The Harz District Health Authority opted for the DC IT Safe, a compact, turnkey data center solution that meets the highest security requirements and is optimally tailored to the needs of public institutions.
The DC IT Safe as the heart of the new IT infrastructure
The DC IT Safe, DCG's micro data center, offers a comprehensive solution for the physical protection of sensitive IT systems. Its modular and space-saving design allows it to be integrated into existing premises without the need for extensive construction work.
The safe reliably protects servers and data from fire, water, smoke, dust, burglary, and other physical hazards. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology, it ensures high energy efficiency and continuous system availability. These are crucial factors for the daily operation of a public administration.The project included the turnkey delivery and installation of the DC IT Safe, its integration into the health department's existing IT infrastructure, and the conclusion of a maintenance contract to ensure long-term operation.
Project implementation: Reliable implementation within a tight timeframe
The implementation was carried out in close cooperation between DCG and the project managers of the Harz district. Despite complex requirements and a tight schedule, the project was completed on time.
During the course of the project, a number of technical addenda were added, for example, to integrate a monitoring system to enable continuous monitoring of the infrastructure. The customer particularly praised the competent project support, which reliably assisted the district's project team throughout the entire period.
Results: Greater security and stability for the IT systems of the Harz district
With the new DC IT Safe, the Harz district health authority now has an independent and highly secure IT infrastructure. The new solution ensures that administrative operations can be maintained even in the event of a potential failure at one location. In addition to increased reliability, the district benefits from modern cooling technology, an uninterruptible power supply, and comprehensive physical protection for its IT systems.
Those responsible were very satisfied with the project results and emphasized the reliable cooperation:
“We are very satisfied with the outcome of the project. It was a long but successful journey – the cooperation with the Data Center Group was positive throughout.”
Heike Breiting, Project Manager at the Harz district
Conclusion: DC IT Safe ensures sustainable IT security in the public sector
With DC IT Safe, Data Center Group has provided the Harz district with a tailor-made solution for a secure, energy-efficient, and future-proof IT infrastructure. The health department now benefits from a compact data center solution that protects daily operations, minimizes risks, and provides long-term support for digitization in the public sector.
This project was implemented as part of the program to strengthen the public health service (ÖGD) with funding from NextGenerationEU.
Image rights: Harz district
