Network infrastructure is much like transportation infrastructure: you use it to get things to and from where they need to be, but you hardly ever think about the maintenance of the roads. However, sometimes a highway improvement project is needed in order to keep things running smoothly, especially as the demand you’re putting on the system grows.
MedIT, together with our academic and health authority partners, works to ensure that the network infrastructure that supports the delivery of distributed medical education is well maintained, and that it’s well equipped to support program growth. This year, meeting those requirements necessitated the renewal of a network designed to support videoconferencing across academic sites.
Expanding lanes
The videoconferencing network that links academic sites, known as the Distributed Medical Program Audio-Visual (DMP-AV) network, enabled the expansion of the MD Undergraduate Program ten years ago. With the network approaching a decade of increasing use – at a rate of nearly 30% year-over-year in the last half of the decade – it required an upgrade in order to continue to operate reliably. MedIT initiated the equivalent of a highway improvement project: an upgrade that would improve network resiliency and speed, and provide future expansion opportunities.
The network upgrade project was initiated by MedIT, but partnerships with other institutions were critical for its delivery. Our academic partners (the University of Northern British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and UBC Okanagan), Health Shared Services BC, UBC IT and BCNET all had a part in designing and implementing the new network. Implementation required technical professionals from all program sites to work together on evenings and weekends in order to replace physical equipment at times least disruptive to those who rely on the network.
Every Faculty of Medicine videoconference room at all academic program sites, including Vancouver General Hospital, now operates on the new network. The upgrade has increased network capacity and minimized service disruptions at these locations.
Much of the work done by MedIT and our partners went unnoticed by faculty, staff and students using the network.
Silent success
Part of the projects success is that to faculty, staff and students using the network, it may seem like nothing happened. With the bulk of the replacement work completed on evenings and weekends, none of these groups experienced interruptions to their videoconferencing. Going forward, the upgrade will remain unnoticed by customers despite the benefits, much the same way you wouldn’t think twice about not driving over a pothole.
Another invisible component of the project is the sustainment strategy, which outlines a regular “refresh cycle” for the replacement of aging network equipment. Aligned with our Capital Infrastructure Program, this strategy was developed to ensure the delivery of videoconferencing services remains reliable.
The project is scheduled for completion this winter, when all clinical sites (e.g. hospitals in locations such as Kamloops) will be connected to the new network. The completion of this project will ensure that the Faculty of Medicine’s videoconference network continues to enable the delivery of medical education for the benefit of communities throughout the province.
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