NATIONAL DATA CORPORATION (NDC)

NDC Connect/NDC Assist Network Infrastructure

PearlNet designed, planned and implemented the network infrastructure for NDC's Connect/Assist electronic physician medical claims computer systems. The project included the acquisition and installation of all network hardware and software, network configuration and test, operations training and the ongoing hosting management and systems maintenance. The implementation phase of the project lasted 3 months, with system management and maintenance lasting 3 years. Prior to the final design and implementation, PearlNet performed a preliminary design study and presented the results to NDC management for approval. The results of the study highlighted the requirements for high availability Windows server network for this Internet-connected, HIPAA-compliant web application designed for use by over 100,000 NDC physician practice management software customer locations. The final phase of the project involved the turnover of the systems to the new owners following acquisition of the NDC operation by a Florida firm. Close coordination of a two-stage system move process from Atlanta to Florida resulted in minimal downtime during the move. This approach resulted in no operational impact to customers making use of the systems. The NDC Connect/Assist Network Infrastructure Project met the following objectives:

1. Install a network and computer infrastructure designed to take advantage of increasingly sophisticated applications in medical services and management technologies and emergent technology trends such as web-based client-server applications.
2. Provide a system/network design with no single points of failure that allowed for equipment or system software failure with little or no application downtime.
3. Provide ease of infrastructure maintainability and troubleshooting.
4. Implement the project in a highly collaborative effort with the NDC Medical Claims business unit and the NDC Distributed Systems department. This occurred during a period of NDC Y2K software preparation, heavy acquisition integration activities and major business unit spin-off activities. PearlNet provided "extra hands" for the NDC Distributed Systems department during the implementation and in an ongoing post-implementation systems management and maintenance role.