Networking News

Healthcare Wireless Network Deployments Facing Challenges

Healthcare organizations face unique challenges when deploying wireless networks.

Source: Thinkstock

By Elizabeth O'Dowd

- Healthcare organizations traditionally have a difficult time deploying wireless networks due to the nature of healthcare facilities. With the rise of connected medical devices and IoT devices, it’s becoming more important for organizations to plan wireless networks with the coverage and capacity to support all devices.

“In a healthcare setting, the network has to be extremely reliable because it’s literally life or death,” Aruba Networks Product Marketing Manager Rick Reid told HITInfrastructure.com. “You have to plan coverage capacity, backup systems, and application intelligence just to make sure that things work - and that they work 24/7.”

Coverage is the first step in planning a wireless deployment. The active nature of healthcare professionals adds to the importance of being constantly connected. Mobile devices need a reliable wireless connection everywhere to be able to alert users and give them continuous access to the information they need.