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Best storage solution small business
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| jawdoc 2005-06-18, 5:46 pm |
| Hello
I need a little direction. I have a simple peer to peer network that
has ~10 workstations. All workstations are Windows XP pro.
We run a practice management software that is an access database.
The issue is that we require fairly high storage demands for this small
network. We store several megs of images for each patient.
Currently I am storing the database on one machine and the images on
another. I would like to have the database and images on a standalone
server.
What would be my best setup for this. Would I be better off with a NAS
appliance such as a SNAP appliance and move the images and database
there? I want a simple,reasonably priced solution.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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| Ron Reaugh 2005-06-18, 5:46 pm |
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"jawdoc" <drbrooks@msoms.com> wrote in message
news:1119108219.565367.3460@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Hello
> I need a little direction. I have a simple peer to peer network that
> has ~10 workstations. All workstations are Windows XP pro.
> We run a practice management software that is an access database.
> The issue is that we require fairly high storage demands for this small
> network. We store several megs of images for each patient.
> Currently I am storing the database on one machine and the images on
> another. I would like to have the database and images on a standalone
> server.
Get MS Small Business Server 2003.
> What would be my best setup for this. Would I be better off with a NAS
> appliance such as a SNAP appliance and move the images and database
> there? I want a simple,reasonably priced solution.
Use SATA drives on SBS2003. Get a good backup solution. That may be
removeable SATA drives in shock mounted trays like the KingWin KF83.
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| jawdoc 2005-06-18, 5:46 pm |
| Is there a major disadvantage of a NAS device with Windows 2003 Storage
Server as OS?
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| Curious George 2005-06-20, 2:46 am |
| On 18 Jun 2005 08:23:39 -0700, "jawdoc" <drbrooks@msoms.com> wrote:
>Hello
>I need a little direction. I have a simple peer to peer network that
>has ~10 workstations. All workstations are Windows XP pro.
>We run a practice management software that is an access database.
"Practice Management Software"? Then you need to consider HIPAA?
An Access Database? Ugh. What product? This is the most important
part of your technology investment.
>The issue is that we require fairly high storage demands for this small
>network. We store several megs of images for each patient.
>Currently I am storing the database on one machine and the images on
>another. I would like to have the database and images on a standalone
>server.
>What would be my best setup for this. Would I be better off with a NAS
>appliance such as a SNAP appliance and move the images and database
>there?
Not necessarily. HIPAA security requirements as well as simplifying
management of 10 PC's may encourage you to expand your goal beyond
simply consolidating storage & bite the bullet & move to a Windows
domain. This is not a requirement of or only component of HIPAA
compliance but in many scenarios it helps a lot.
> I want a simple, reasonably priced solution.
That greatly depends on expectations incl. how you see risk &
calculate ROI. It's usually not just about looking for "$/MB" or
"Plug 'n Play".
>Any help is greatly appreciated.
I wouldn't try hard to argue a small practice exemption. It's
worthwhile to be able to show a good faith effort to protect patient
data (not just for the OCR) & to take basic precautions (that lots of
other businesses do) seriously.
I think now's the time to start shopping for someone to evaluate &
upgrade the network infrastructure (of course you don't have to
replace the existing 10 seats or wiring) & backup routine. You need
someone competent who will coordinate with & document for your HIPAA
officer. You don't need a massive budget but might consider
rethinking a "simplest & cheapest" do-it-yourself approach to your
technology investment. Good luck, as there are a lot of charlatans
who still think of Dr.s as an easy mark.
Even though you didn't mention an EMR program, these images are part
of patient records and should be maintained according to state law
(i.e. pretty long esp. with young patients). PPL generally don't take
seriously holding on to old claims, but at the very least they can
help support your records which indicate visit frequency, diagnosis &
procedure. Sometimes class-action lawsuits mean you may need to
resubmit 7 or 8-year-old claims (I remember one such case in the late
'90's involving NY Medicaid that was especially burdensome). You need
to consider this retention & growth in your backup & archival system
as well as online storage needs. In short I don't think just plugging
a NAS into a "simple P2P network" and forgetting about it is really
what you want to do. Esp. if you're doing stuff like checking patient
eligibility & getting support online, using WiFi etc.
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| Curious George 2005-06-20, 2:46 am |
| On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:34:28 GMT, Curious George <cg@email.net> wrote:
Sorry to respond to myself but:
<snip>
>I wouldn't try hard to argue a small practice exemption. It's
You wouldn't likely succeed anyway.
<snip>
>Even though you didn't mention an EMR program, these images are part
>of patient records and should be maintained according to state law
Actually AFAIK a lot of the legal obligations I've mentioned have to
follow either state or federal law- whichever is more strenuous. But
"smarter" systems protect your bottom line as well as pacify fears.
<snip>
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| Curious George 2005-06-22, 2:46 am |
| hmm.
Dr. Brooks, I think either you've heard analysis like this before or I
sound like a rambling lunatic...
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| Rob Turk 2005-06-22, 2:46 am |
| "jawdoc" <drbrooks@msoms.com> wrote in message
news:1119128941.526485.203790@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Is there a major disadvantage of a NAS device with Windows 2003 Storage
> Server as OS?
>
One major disadvantage is that it's as vulnerable to virii as any other
Windows system out there. In that perspective it's safer if your NAS server
runs Linux, BSD or some proprietary O/S.
From an integration point of view, Win2K3 storage server is the perfect
match for a Windows-only shop
Rob
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