Not many people like going to the hospital, especially if it’s a repeat visit. However, in this particular case, coming back means getting an opportunity to tell another success story of our customer. Today, we revisit Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital (ETZ) to see how one of the largest healthcare providers in the Netherlands once again elevates their patient care and operations with the power of Extreme technology!
Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital has trusted Nortel/Avaya/Extreme technology for nearly a quarter of a century now, making it one of the earliest adopters and longest-standing users of purple boxes in Europe. Staying at the forefront of innovation, the organization has always prioritized reliable and secure connectivity for patients and staff, best exemplified by the implementation of Extreme Fabric after the hospitals’ merger in 2016.
The industry’s most widely deployed and only end-to-end network fabric solution enabled tangible benefits for ETZ, including prolonged lifetime for older medical equipment and a future-proof, scalable network foundation, meant to facilitate consecutive expansion initiatives. Having successfully predicted the course of evolution of the universally-acclaimed ExtremeCloud IQ portfolio, ETZ has been one of the first to start reaping the rewards of AI-powered network management, driving further automation, insights, and operational efficiencies, among other things.
For us, it’s always good to have a direct contact with the vendor.
As Franz Steinhauser, IT Adviser at ETZ admitted in an interview during the 2024 Extreme Connect conference in Fort Worth, Texas, “For us, it’s always good to have a direct contact with the vendor. They know best what’s happening and what’s coming, and it’s a real value for us”.
Well prepared for future expansion
The ambition of Elisabeth-TweeSteden, an organization whose origins date back to 1827, is to complete a full renovation, along with the construction of an entirely new, state-of-the-art hospital that will replace the existing one within next 30 years. By the end of 2026, a new emergency care center, along with a clinic with 80+ beds will begin operations. This investment will be followed by the opening of a new radiology department and operating theater, scheduled for 2031.
The migration path, set a couple of years ago with Extreme Fabric, not only didn’t force ETZ to rip and replace the legacy infrastructure, but also prepared the healthcare provider to support the incoming influx of new network devices and end clients, systems, and use cases. With the trend towards “even more wireless networks and the ever-growing need for capacity” – as Franz Steinhauser put it in the initial customer story in 2021 – ETZ decided to deploy an upgraded wired and wireless network infrastructure across its facilities.
Powering the next generation of healthcare
To further enhance patient experience, unlock greater clinical productivity, and support cutting-edge medical applications and devices that will make their way into 2025 and beyond, ETZ wanted to tap into the power of the next generation of wireless technology, namely Wi-Fi 6E. By leveraging advanced AP4000 access points from Extreme, Dutch organization is gaining a new set of arteries for high-bandwidth systems such as digital radiology, live ultrasound streaming, remote robotic surgery or Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS).
"Healthcare providers like ETZ need networks that support secure, high-bandwidth connectivity to power patient care innovations without disrupting operations. With the rise of telehealth and IoT, robust infrastructure is crucial when it comes to boosting app performance, easing IT demands, and enhancing patient care to keep pace with evolving technologies”, says Robert Stahl, Senior Country Manager – Benelux at Extreme Networks.
Enhancements across the board
Staying true to the policy of automating as many manual IT tasks as possible, ETZ decided to replace their legacy network switches with Extreme’s Universal Platforms. The Zero-Touch Provisioning Plus (ZTP+) functionality in the new, high-performance, feature-rich edge switches from the 5420 series allow Franz Steinhauser and his colleagues from IT department to save a lot of time and improve quality of large rollouts.
One of these rollouts include the secondary coverage of access points, leveraging new, pristine bandwidth within the 6 GHz spectrum, and set up in overlapping cells to make sure there are no areas in the hospital or around the campus where vital technology could lose its connection and disrupt the continuity of patient care. Legacy devices can benefit from the additional bandwidth and lower latency, too – AP4000 access points support multiple Wi-Fi versions, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz, meaning that data can be communicated over one band and then backhauled via another one.
Together, we’ve implemented a centralized, managed network solution that integrates seamlessly with healthcare devices.
This deployment, supported by the implementation partner Indicium, is a critical step preceding the launch of a medical alarm system on Wi-Fi handhelds, an electronic health record application, a new nurse call system, and the use of MS-Teams for Wi-Fi Calling (Voice over Wi-Fi which will replace the existing DECT system in 2025.
"With 25 years of experience in enterprise networking solutions and mobility integration, we are proud to begin this eight-year collaboration with ETZ and Extreme Networks. Together, we’ve implemented a centralized, managed network solution that integrates seamlessly with healthcare devices”, says Hans Nolen, Director of Indicium.
Unify, optimize, secure
To address the unique challenges and requirements of the healthcare sector, ETZ made a choice to complement their existing Extreme Fabric infrastructure with the added value of ExtremeCloud SD-WAN. As part of a unified wired and wireless management solution, this pre-integrated tool unlocks further simplification of operations, faster troubleshooting, enhanced security, as well as improved performance.
SD-WAN intelligently routes traffic based on real-time conditions, ensuring that critical healthcare applications (e.g., EHR systems, telemedicine platforms) receive the necessary bandwidth and low-latency connections. At the same time, integrating ExtremeCloud SD-WAN enables ETZ to scale services while securely connecting and managing devices and applications from a unified platform. This solution offers centralized configuration and management of Wi-Fi access points, Ethernet switches, and SD-WAN devices, streamlining operations and enhancing visibility across the network.
“This will help us address the complex demands of modern healthcare, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality patient care, and allowing us to continuously evolve our technology strategy alongside medical advancements”, says Franz Steinhauser.
Front Row (L-R): Franz Steinhauser (IT Adviser, ETZ), Arnaud Hartog, (Manager, Zorgtechnologie), Hans Nolen (Director, Indicium). Back Row (L-R): John Morrison (SVP of Sales, Extreme Networks), Paulo Ferrada (Sr Account Executive, Benelux, Extreme Networks), Simon Wolting (Director of EMEA Services Sales, Extreme Networks)
A support ETZ can count on
In healthcare, where every second counts, network reliability and uptime are not just technical necessities – they are fundamental to saving lives, ensuring patient safety, and maintaining operational efficiency. A robust, always-on network infrastructure is indispensable for supporting modern healthcare applications and delivering high-quality, uninterrupted care.
To maximize the effectiveness of the new network and ensure that the critical healthcare environment remains reliable and secure at all times, ETZ place their trust in Extreme’s Premier Services. This proactive, personalized, high-touch support model has been designed to minimize costly network downtime. With always-available, award-winning technical assistance, priority case queuing, and a dedicated, employee-badged IT advocate to oversee each case from initiation to resolution, the IT team at Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital can rest assured that nothing will stand in their way of enabling state-of-the-art patient care in years to come.
“With every software there are bugs, but if you reboot something, nobody is experiencing downtime and for a hospital that’s really one of the most important things”, Franz Steinhauser sums up.
About Indicium B.V.
Founded in 1999 in Barendrecht, the Netherlands, Indicium B.V. has over 25 years of experience delivering enterprise mobility and networking solutions. The company takes pride in its extensive portfolio and technical expertise, which have been vital in meeting the unique needs of its clients. This foundation has made Indicium a trusted name in the field of Enterprise Mobility and Networking solutions.
From designing robust wireless networks to implementing comprehensive enterprise mobility systems, Indicium focuses on delivering network solutions that are reliable, secure, and scalable." These values have earned the company recognition in the industry, including the title of ‘Extreme Networks Partner of the Year 2022.’
With a proven track record and a focus on delivering reliable, future-ready solutions, Indicium continues to help businesses achieve their goals in an increasingly digital world.