Is your data centre healthy? 8 Solutions launch Data Centre Healthcare, Mechanical Services division

8 Solutions, the UK’s leading data centre healthcare company specialising in the deep cleaning and decontamination of critical environments has launched a Data Centre Healthcare Mechanical Services division.

Headed by Neil Sorrell, Business Development Manager at 8 Solutions, the new division will focus on six key areas including: Floor Remediation and Leveling, Floor Strengthening; Sub floor Maintenance, Air Flow Management, Fire Walling, and Decontamination and Protection.

According to Mark Plant, CEO at 8 Solutions, the driving force behind this new division has been its customers. He explains, “We’ve had a 100% data centre and critical facility focus since our inception and have completed 90,000 cleans without incident. Over the last few months, many of our blue-chip and FTSE 100 clients who are currently using us as their sole data centre decontamination partner have been pushing for additional mechanical services. These areas of expertise are often a critical part of health and safety and building compliance.”

He continued, “Forming a new division dedicated to Mechanical Services was a natural progression for the business.”

The services offered by the Data Centre Healthcare Mechanical Services division provide a number of key benefits to clients believes Neil Sorrell. He explains, “Aside from providing fire protection, our Fire Walling Service also complies with Health & Safety ISO 9001, 4 Hour Fire Integrity BS 476 Pt20/22 and Building Regulations Compliance.”

Neil added: “Other services such as floor strengthening carried out by a team with over 21 years of experience significantly increases the longevity of a data centre’s floor system, and the air flow design and thermal mapping service assists in reducing a company’s carbon footprint and eliminates hot spots and dead air wells, dramatically improving data centre performance.”

All 8 Solutions technicians undergo a rigorous training programme and receive regular update and refresher courses. The teams, which are all employed by the company, are fully vetted and security checked to BC level, with the majority being SC cleared. This offers a level of assurance to the trustworthiness and integrity of 8 Solutions technicians which has been fundamental to the company’s ability to work with some of the world’s most security sensitive organisations.

FACTFILE:
8 Solutions has grown rapidly to become the leading data centre healthcare provider in the UK and throughout the EMEA region. With a track record of over 90,000 completed projects and a client base that encompasses the majority of the FTSE 100 either directly or through the major facilities management organisations, 8 Solutions enjoys a position of dominance in the data centre healthcare market.

With technicians who are security cleared and trained in both critical environments and the specialist cleaning tools and techniques required to maintain the optimum performance of data centres, 8 Solutions is the perfect partner for reliability and peace of mind.

The company’s highly experienced technicians enables it to provide an exceptional level of service with zero downtime and minimal operational disruption to the client, 8 Solutions operates 24/7/365 and provides scheduled and event based cleaning and decontamination and also an emergency response service in the event of fires, fire suppression discharges and accidents. The company is ISO9001 and ISO14001 accredited and a member of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM).

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MatsSoft wins plaudits for lifesaving SMS For Health project in Africa

MatsSoft, a leading UK-based provider of workflow and communications solutions, was commended by International Health Partners (IHP) at the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

The company’s process tracking technology has played a crucial role in ensuring the success of IHP’s groundbreaking medical initiative in the Gambia – SMS For Health.

MatsSoft Project Manager Kash Baga was among the key partners invited to join IHP at the House of Lords as the organisation received the prestigious innovation award for its work over the past five years, supporting medical aid organisations that serve children and adults in deprived communities around the world.

Harnessing mobile communications, MatsSoft created and implemented a system that uses SMS text messaging to deliver updates on the stock levels of key drugs across the supply chain, including remote health clinics, to reduce the risk of supplies running out.

SMS For Health not only tracks medication supplies and monitors the expiry data of pre-specified medicines, but also enables the logging and sharing of data on the incidence of particular diseases and the types of treatment provided in 55 health facilities in the Gambia.

MatsSoft CEO Martin Scovell said: “We were very pleased to work with IHP on this fantastic initiative and to know that our dynamic software platform has contributed towards saving lives is the greatest possible reward. However, to receive recognition at the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is an incredible thrill for us all, and particularly for Kash, for his continued hard work and dedication in support of this vital project.”

Among those present at the awards ceremony were Prof Lord McColl of Dulwich, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of London and the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Andrew Lansley.

Jono West, Partnership Projects Relationship Manager at IHP, said: “International Health Partners invited Kash Baga to attend this event as recognition of MatsSoft’s outstanding work in designing, implementing and running the SMS For Health program in the Gambia. This has enabled vital data on disease outbreak and medicine stock control to be tracked across the whole country's health facilities using SMS technology.

“Matssoft demonstrated an ability to find solutions to a range of issues and overcame barriers to implementing the project in a developing country, while working in a tight time-frame to have the programme up and running before the Malaria season began. Their strong work ethic, flexibility and ability to problem-solve ensured the success of the program."

Over the past five years, IHP has collaborated with a range of organisations to maximise its impact. With the support of these partners, IHP has been able to donate 15 million treatments, valued at £100m, in 86 countries.

IHP Chairman Stephen O’Brien noted: “We are honoured to receive this award which recognises the power of collaboration and the potential of just what can be achieved when multiple stakeholders combine in common purpose. Humanitarian aid is an area in which everyone wants to become involved; however, it takes an innovative new model and approach to ensure that the best each partner has to offer can be combined to provide a truly effective humanitarian response.”

• MatsSoft’s workflow and communications solution, MATS®, is a managed service that can be quickly and easily set up to drive immediate and measurable efficiency gains, cost reductions and service improvements.

• MATS® unique web-based, user configurable solution is used in any situation where there is a customer, a supplier and a product or service process with more than one stage. By linking workflow and communications, MATS® keeps customers proactively informed via automated SMS messages, emails or personalised web pages, thereby freeing up the time staff previously spent on the ‘phone.

• MATS® hosted solutions are now being used for processes such as mortgage and loan applications, insurance claims, bereavements, account openings, voting systems, case management, customer service, logistics, remote customer/patient management, complaints handling, supply chain management and resource management.

• MATS® is currently used by many of the key firms in sectors including banking and insurance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, logistics, manufacturing, public utilities and government. MATS® is also used as a bulk communication medium to customers and third parties, via text messaging and email campaigns.

• Within days of installation, MATS® customers have reported calls down 65%, capacity up 30% and complaints down 90%

• The reporting tools within MATS® also provide valuable real time management information on workflow and business process management that is used to further refine and improve cost control and service levels.

• For more information, visit www.matssoft.co.uk , call 01234 321555 or email info@matssoft.co.uk

• For further information about International Health Partners (IHP), go to http://www.ihpuk.org/home

75% of critical environments are at risk of contamination. Risk management is being compromised, says top data centre healthcare expert

Unchecked contamination continues to be a major issue in the data centre sector according to Mark Plant, CEO at 8 Solutions, with only around a quarter of data centre managers implementing a regular cleaning regime of their critical environments.

“Despite increased power consumption, the risk of performance loss, the impact on cooling and airflow and the fact that OEM warranties have the potential to be invalidated without regular cleaning, we estimate around 75% of critical environments are at serious risk of contamination,” warns Plant.

He continues, “Companies invest millions of pounds in critical IT systems and unfortunately many only appreciate the risk and dangers of contamination when there is a major failure within their data centre. In comparison to the cost and inconvenience of installing replacement equipment and the potential impact downtime can have on the performance of a business, the costs of a preventative cleaning and decontamination regime is minimal.”

A recent US report carried out by the Ponemon Institute analysed the cost of data centre downtime and found that unplanned outages can add up to thousands of pounds in a matter of minutes. Apart from bringing a business to a grinding holt and the financial impact, downtime can also have a catastrophic impact on a company reputation.

8 Solutions is the UK’s leading data centre healthcare company specialising in the deep cleaning and decontamination of critical environments. The company services many of the world’s largest organisations, including the majority of the FTSE 100 in the UK and has carried out over 90,000 completed projects.

Plant continues, “We are often shocked by the level of cleanliness we come across when carrying out deep cleaning for new clients. In one case recently, we took away over 50 bags of rubbish, including concrete residue, cable ties, copper piping, and discarded filters from air conditioners and air handling units. The client had not implemented any form of cleaning or decontamination regime, seriously undermining their risk mitigation process.”

“When contamination has had a negative impact on a data centre the management team typically point the finger at the data centre manager or facilities manager and want to know why best practice hadn’t been followed despite it being recommended as part of ISO 14644-1. Regular specialist data centre deep cleaning is not a service that can be pushed to the back burner it’s critical to the health and productivity of an organisation’s critical environment.” Plant concluded.

One 8 Solutions’ client, Morrisons sees preventative maintenance for its two data centres and 18 distribution sites as vital. Morrisons’ Data Centre and Operations Manager, Darryl Shears commented, “The importance of cleaning is definitely underestimated.” Shears sees the service 8 Solutions offers as ‘an insurance’ for the company.

Demonstrating 8 Solutions commitment to working in partnership with companies on preventative data centre maintenance, the company recently launched a [free 20 point Health Check
service www.8solutions.com/News/8-solutions-launch-free-20-po...].

The service, which was enthusiastically received at last week’s DataCenterDynamics exhibition at ExCeL, will involve a preventative maintenance review, identifying areas within the data centre that have the highest levels of contamination and then providing detailed recommendations for improvements and suggested best practice.

To find out more about the free Environmental Health Check do visit www.8solutions.com or telephone 0845 602 3075.

All NHS staff groups including junior doctors and consultants can now be managed from a single system from SMART

SMART, a provider of workforce management solutions, has extended its offering to the NHS with the addition of fully integrated SMART Doctors Rostering. SMART Doctors Rostering enables Trusts to manage all staff including nursing, medical, operations, ancillary, temporary (agency and locums) and admin, using one central system.

Benefiting from the same look and feel interface as SMART’s highly acclaimed eRostering for nursing staff, SMART Doctors Rostering enables medical staffing officers and managers to build rosters quickly and efficiently. The system helps Trusts to reduce the reliance on costly locums while meeting EWTD and maintaining and improving patient care.

SMART Doctors Rostering provides a wide range of features designed to streamline the smooth running of wards and departments. This includes powerful reporting capabilities so that managers and department heads can see at any time details of breaches in working time regulations, absence and sick leave, holidays taken and entitlement yet to be taken, and locum use.

Liza Wolvey, who is the Project Manager for eRostering at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust where SMART Rostering for both doctors and nurses is in use commented, “SMART Doctors Rostering enables us to manage doctors’ absence, and monitor those on call, right up to and including consultant level.

"We are able to demonstrate that all medical staff hours are planned in compliance with working time regulations. Maintaining safe working conditions for doctors means better quality of care for patients. Having one system that provides rostering for all types of staff has simplified operations significantly.”

Tristan Spencer, Health Market Director at SMART said; “SMART Doctors Rostering is a natural extension to our already comprehensive suite of health service workforce management solutions. Now fully integrated, SMART Doctors Rostering enables managers to plan ahead, while providing the flexibility to meet requirements for safe day to day operations and adhere to Working Time regulations. ”

FACTFILE:
UK-based and with 25 years experience, SMART is the top provider of solutions for workforce management designed to help organisations to achieve agility and cost efficiency from their greatest asset – their people. Utilising our own highly skilled and experienced people SMART helps companies to maximise the performance, productivity and value of their workforce. Our solutions can assist in achieving a sustainable reduction in people costs of up to 10%, while providing a better working environment for staff.

From time and attendance through to workforce planning, scheduling, absence management and comprehensive automated reporting, the SMART solution suite offers a wide breadth and depth of functionality. It can be fully installed on site, delivered as a managed or hosted service with a full range of support services from SMART’s own in-house consultants.

Accessible from anywhere in the world, SMART’s web-based workforce management solutions are developed using Microsoft .NET to give a zero-footprint solution that is flexible, reliable, scalable and easy to implement, and provides an environmentally responsible option. The data centre supports the Trees for Business Campaign and we are collaborating with Brunel University to identify practical ways to recycle heat and airflow to minimise draw on the power supply, and uses optimised hardware to ensure power consumption is reduced wherever possible.

SMART in Healthcare

SMART RPC provides a simple web based solution for creating and managing Trust-wide staff rosters and time and attendance related activity. The only Next Generation workforce management solution available today, SMART RPC has been designed by our developers to support all NHS Trust roles – a feature that is currently unique. As well as eRostering SMART RPC encompasses Automatic Attendance Recording and Bank Administration, in one easy to use system.

As a Next Generation rostering application, SMART RPC has a host of time-saving features including Auto Roster which generates staff rosters in minutes, and alerts to managers in real time to warn of potential problems with their rosters. In addition it provides unrivalled fairness and transparency in dealing with shift preferences of staff, helping to improve staff morale and reducing staff turnover.

SMART provides comprehensive workforce management solutions to a significant proportion of the UK Healthcare market and was selected as sole provider of e-rostering and time and attendance for the National ESR programme and has unique, proven and fully automated integration with ESR.

Over 600 organisations worldwide benefit from SMART’s solutions and services in both the private and public sectors. Customers include Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, Ocado, Gist, Habitat, Jaguar, JCB, Mandarin Oriental, Sainsbury's, Swissport, Trailfinders, Tussauds Group, and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service.

For more information, please visit www.smart-workforce.com.

For information relating specifically to the NHS sector, please visit: www.smart-rostering.co.uk