Infrastructure and Architecture

Abstract

As healthcare organizations have begun recognizing the need to develop information technology (IT) to either become or remain competitive, sound infrastructure implementation has become a paramount strategic goal. There are countless aspects to infrastructure in this new information age, and even the most casual reviewer can quickly become engulfed in a sea of infrastructure information. When faced with such complex issues as the Internet, intranets, architectural designs, security, and various topologies, we can easily begin sinking and not know where or when to send out an S.O.S. However, rising above the waves of information need not be overwhelming. The key is to set a course determined by fundamental strategic principles, sound enterprise architectural precepts, and implementation built on a foundation of standards.