Harris Health System depends on FIBERTOWN data centers for expanding IT infrastructure requirements

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced closings around the country in the spring of 2020, it also forced businesses to pivot operations online.

Across business verticals, IT services were pushed to shift from what used to be centralized services in office buildings to 100% work-from-home environments.

The increased demand for data center space and services continues to impact all industries. Healthcare is a prime example.

Harris Health System utilizes FIBERTOWN data centers

Harris Health System is a fully integrated healthcare system that cares for residents of Harris County, Texas.

It includes 18 community health centers, five same-day clinics, five school-based clinics, three multi-specialty clinic locations, a dental center and dialysis center, mobile health units, and two full-service hospitals.

Harris Health System serves the nation’s third-most-populous county and it includes one of only two level 1 trauma centers serving Houston, Texas.

A 2014 partnership with FIBERTOWN allowed Harris Health System to utilize colocation to support the data and systems involved in caring for patients.

At the time, colocation made the most sense operationally and financially. It would soon prove to be an important relationship as the pandemic changed how healthcare systems around the world operated.

COVID-19 pandemic shifts healthcare needs online

Many healthcare patients struggled to maintain their continuum of care as the pandemic shut down doctor’s offices and clinics.

In December, the nonprofit Physicians Foundation reported that roughly 8% of physician practices were forced to close because of the pandemic. Another 4% of physician practices are expected to shut down their offices within the next year.

Meanwhile, online healthcare has skyrocketed, providing timely and necessary support to a medical system under fire.

Ruth Reader for Fast Company writes that “The massive adoption of telehealth by doctor’s offices will have profound repercussions for how doctors interact with patients of all income brackets.” Telehealth has become a new way of life.

Infrastructure changes with the pandemic

As healthcare systems have increased their technology needs with telehealth, COVID-19 testing, and vaccine distribution, the reliance on IT infrastructure has required them to expand.

With FIBERTOWN as a partner, it has been much easier for Harris Health System to expand colocation, increase power, and upgrade Internet bandwidth seamlessly.

The flexibility and cost-effectiveness of FIBERTOWN has been a reliable backup for a healthcare system serving millions of patients in unprecedented times. Its safe, storm-proof facility easily accessed from Houston provides peace of mind and security.

For more information about colocation for your business, contact a FIBERTOWN expert today.