Malteser Germany is presently witnessing strong growth. By 2010 the organisation plans to expand especially in the clinic sector. Bernd Christoph Meisheit, CIO of Malteser Germany, explains the decision for the outsourcing: "Our previously decentralised IT landscape was becoming more and more complex and was leaving hardly any room for IT investment." Thanks to the modern new network technology and the centralisation of the IT service, Malteser Germany is now in a position to incorporate additional clinic locations considerably quicker into its information infrastructure.
At the same time, the organisation is benefiting from the safety features and equipment of Pironet NDH's data center, especially because, according to Meisheit, in the face of stringent data protection laws, the operation of one’s own data centre is becoming more and more expensive. "Security does not stop at firewalls and virus protection but also comprises important physical factors, such as costly fire protection measures or a multi-level emergency power supply, strict access controls with special sally ports and 24 hour guard duty."
In Meisheit's opinion, the policy of outsourcing the administration of its network and applications has paid off. Compared with the alternative of operating this itself, Malteser Germany is saving around 20 per cent of the costs. The head of IT explained his plans for the future: "This outsourcing has provided us with the mobility to press ahead with our strategic core project, namely, and thanks to IT, to make our business processes more competitive."
Furthermore, with the new corporate network, Malteser Germany will have an upgradeable architecture at its disposal, from which it will be able to profit from additional value-added services. In the future, the aid organisation will not only have access to modern telematic applications, but may also handle their own telephone traffic via the corporate network and as a result, save on the cost of calls between different locations.
Felix Höger, member of the Pironet NDH management board, sees Malteser Germany as the pioneer of the whole health care sector: "In recent years, IT centralisation has led to substantial savings and increased efficiency for our clients in industry and a variety of service sectors. Companies in the health sector can benefit from these experiences too. With its future-oriented IT strategy, Malteser Germany has obtained an excellent starting position for future competition in the health care market."