"Super innovation cycles: IBITECH specialists are always coming up with solutions that we didn't even know we needed!"
(O. Fabry, Head of Information Technology)
AGAPLESION non-profit stock corporation was founded in 2002 in Frankfurt am Main by Christian companies in order to strengthen predominantly Christian healthcare facilities in a challenging economic and competitive situation.
AGAPLESION has more than 100 facilities nationwide, including 23 hospital locations with over 6,340 beds, 41 residential and nursing care facilities with over 3,550 care places, three hospices, 37 medical care centers, nine outpatient care services and a training academy. In total, more than 22,000 employees work for the organization.
Background
As the central IT service, we provide all facilities and employees with all services relating to information technology with over 130 employees, in some cases around the clock. Our 1st level user helpdesk has up to eight employees on duty every day. All incidents that are not resolved immediately are forwarded to 2nd level support.
As in many other IT departments, in the past there were often emails that were lost, sent to the wrong recipients or, in the worst case, ignored altogether. There were no practical ways of providing target group or even application-specific information in a “bite-sized” format.
Disruptions always have procedural disadvantages, despite existing emergency concepts. Patients and residents cannot receive optimal care, depending on the system that has failed. The manual rework is therefore also very time-consuming and represents a new potential source of error.
Goal setting
We were looking for a way to quickly provide profession-specific, customized and low-threshold information. The system also had to be scalable and multi-client capable, guarantee fast and reliable installation and trouble-free operation.
Solution & implementation
We came across the IBI-aws software by chance and were immediately impressed by the concept of the solution. Initially, the system was installed at various locations and extensively tested in routine operation. All requirements were met. The extensive technical background during the test phase impressed us right from the start.
IBITECH adapted very quickly to our requirements and provided ideal support for the complex corporate structure. The more than twenty individual domains at the time were supported in exactly the same way as a large forest. The solution is completely flexible.
We then proceeded according to our tried and tested internal process: At AGAPLESION, such proposals for optimizing various processes are evaluated by the specialist committee and proposed to the Management Board after economic evaluation. We call this “bottom-up” principle an “integrative management structure” and it is what sets us apart: It enables local experts to play an active role and advance the Group with their specialist expertise.
The implementation itself was completed very quickly: As there were no complicated scripts, databases or workloads, there was no need for a large milestone plan and it was rolled out very quickly. Every IT administrator would like to see such a fast and lean project process.
Result
Today, we have many templates that we pull out of the drawer for various scenarios. We can provide everyone with customized information in various forms, quickly and in line with requirements. Other information is now also distributed via the user information system: IBI-aws proved to be a very useful tool, particularly for appeals for blood donations or during the pandemic.
In the event of a malfunction or maintenance, all employees are now proactively informed and the mail servers are relieved. The focus is on the relevant information. We no longer burn valuable user time. Nobody has to read anything that is not relevant to them. As a result, we also receive consistently positive feedback from our employees.
IBITECH itself is a fine, small company with top-class specialists. So far, we have always found technical and commercial solutions together. We really like the personal contact and support and appreciate the collegial cooperation at eye level. The innovation cycles are also great: the IBITECH specialists are always coming up with solutions that we didn't even know we needed.
We are delighted to have such a flexible and innovative software solution in IBI-aws, which has made our work at the service desk much easier.