Helping Save Lives, One Test at a Time

Quest Diagnostics maintains continuous operations across its labs and delivers test results quickly to physicians with HP OpenVMS running on HP servers

We rely on HP OpenVMS running on HP systems to maintain continuous operations in our labs. Jim Diorio, executive director, IT Infrastructure, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
Objective
Ensure 24/7 operation of mission-critical diagnostic testing system while consolidating IT environment and reducing costs

Approach
Consolidate the companys IT infrastructure for greater operations efficiency, implement clustered systems for agility, and retain the secure and stable operating system environment for timely and secure delivery of diagnostic test results

IT technology improvements
Reduction of IT complexity and expenses by consolidating physical servers 8:1 Easy scalability as demand dictates with technologies such as HP iCAP and nPARs

Incorporated

HP customer case study: Quest Diagnostics Industry: Diagnostic

Fewer scheduled outages, which translates into increased uptime for critical diagnostic testing Improved development environment with simpler server connections and less maintenance using HP BladeSystem and HP Virtual Connect

testing, information, and services

Business outcomes
Consolidation of data centersfrom 17 to 4 reduces energy requirements, resulting in lower TCO Continuous availability of operations across the labs ensures delivery of critical diagnostic test results to doctors Secure system protects sensitive patient information, meeting HIPAA compliance and providing client privacy Agility of HP Integrity servers allow data center flexibility for business continuity and productivity

Diagnostic testing is an integral part of the healthcare equation. No actions can essentially be taken, whether diagnosing a disease or monitoring a therapy, without laboratory tests. Diagnostic testing is becoming increasingly important as many countries especially the United Stateslook for ways to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs. Quest Diagnostics is the leader in diagnostic testing, offering convenient access to high-quality testing and services. The company has laboratories in or near all major U.S. cities, as well as testing laboratories on both coasts equipped to handle some of the most specialized tests, such as genetic screening and anatomic pathology testing. Quest Diagnostics serves doctors and hospitals, as well as corporations, government agencies, and other clinical labs. The company also has a growing international presence, including laboratory operations in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and India.

Quest Diagnostics relies on HP OpenVMS as the foundation for most of its mission-critical applications, including its standard Laboratory Information System (LIS), the core software that manages receipt and processing of blood, tissue, and other specimens, as well as the distribution and storage of test results securely and without fail. Most of our labs and business units use the LIS, says Jim Diorio, executive director, IT Infrastructure, at Quest Diagnostics, We rely on HP OpenVMS running on HP systems to ensure that diagnostic tests are completed correctly, around the clock, and get into the hands of awaiting physiciansall while patient information and test results remain secure.

Automating a complex process

The intricate and automated LIS manages diagnostic tests from start to finish: from the time blood, saliva, or other specimens reach a lab, to the point where they are distributed to different vials, processed by various instruments, to when test results are automatically and securely transferred to a database and distributed to doctors waiting for the results. The LIS requires extreme reliability, uptime, and security. The system has evolved over time and is now fully tailored to meet Quest Diagnostics unique needs, but it has always been based on HP OpenVMS. Weve customized our LIS over the years, but the underlying code is based on the proven InterSystems DSM and Cach, and was written from the start for HP OpenVMS because of the operating systems stability and reliability, Diorio says. down and back up is transparent to users. Weve rebooted nodes and replaced CPUs without affecting the availability of the laboratory systems, due to the resiliency of HP OpenVMS running on clustered HP hardware, he says.

Moving to a more agile IT environment

While HP OpenVMS remains a constant, Quest Diagnostics has several initiatives underway to reduce IT cost and complexity. Until recently, the growing company had 17 data centers around the country employing a variety of different technologies. The goal was to modernize and consolidate the companys IT infrastructure from 17 data centers to 4, utilizing key HP technologies that would simplify IT processes and reduce costs. To save on power, cooling, and floor space, our primary goal was to consolidate multiple HP AlphaServer ES80 clusters onto more powerful, compact HP machines, Diorio explains. As the first step toward consolidation, we chose two clusters of HP Integrity rx8640 servers. The CPU power of the new systems provided an enormous boost in capacity and performance. We have been able to reduce the number of physical servers by a ratio of about 8 to 1. And, with help from HP technologies, we have consolidated our 17 data centers into 4, with a corresponding reduction in IT costs and complexity. That means we deliver more value to the business at less cost.

Keeping sensitive patient information secure

For Quest Diagnostics, security is another major concern. In 2000, when the HIPAA Privacy Rule went into effect to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information, Quest Diagnostics was already prepared, thanks to HP OpenVMS. HP OpenVMS is among the worlds most secure operating systems, says Diorio. We feel confident in our decision to run such a secure operating system, because we are constantly dealing with sensitive personal medical information. Diorio also notes that LIS on HP OpenVMS runs for years at a time without downtimeand even if a planned service outage occurs, bringing portions of the companys HP OpenVMS clustered systems

Customer solution at a glance

Name: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Headquarters: Madison, New Jersey Established: 1996 Telephone: 800-222-0446 Number of employees: 43,000 Annual revenues: $7.45B (2009) URL: www.QuestDiagnostics.com

On the HP Integrity rx8640 servers, Quest Diagnostics is running HP OpenVMS v8.3-1H1 with advanced features like HPs Instant Capacity on Demand (iCAP). Half of the CPUs on the HP Integrity rx8640 servers service current workloads; the other half are HPs iCAP on hardware partitions (nPARs), providing the ability to double capacity at a moments notice or to shift the workloads from one data center to another. With consolidation, we need to pay extra attention to resiliency, flexibility, and disaster recovery, says Diorio. We use iCAP and nPARs to provision extra capacity on demand for scheduled outages like rolling reboots, resets, and upgrades. With iCAP and nPARs, we also have built-in DR capabilities and can move from one production node to the other seamlessly, with no disruption to our mission-critical lab testing systems.

fail over from one cluster of development systems to another. In some instances, weve been able to improve our recovery time by 83%, says Diorio. In addition to the LIS, HP OpenVMS runs a variety of other mission-critical applications. The OpenVMS team is also harnessing open source software for OpenVMS to create custom applications. Some great open source tools are now available on HP OpenVMS, Diorio says. For instance, we are using MediaWiki on HP OpenVMS to keep our internal standard operating procedures and know-how database safe. We are also using CIFS, Python, PHP, MySQL, and several other open source tools to expand our application portfolio on HP OpenVMS at very low costs.

Driving better business outcomes

Throughout the process of consolidating data centers and modernizing its IT environment, Quest Diagnostics has relied on HP engineering and consulting services to keep its global business operations running smoothly, 24/7. Each data center hosts a number of applications, with many running in different time zones, which present a number of challenges during the change to and from daylight saving time. For most applications, time changes to and from daylight saving time pass unnoticed in the small hours of the morning, but for some Quest Diagnostics systems, the change occurs during the busiest and most critical time of day. To ensure that critical test results would be delivered on timeeven during these time changesQuest Diagnostics OpenVMS team had developed procedures with a mix of automated and manual tasks that differed in autumn and spring. These procedures required a reboot in preparation for each time change. To reduce such outages, Quest Diagnostics contacted HP and was put in direct contact with the OpenVMS Engineering team. The HP team quickly delivered a requested change to the operating system that now supports changing the daylight saving parameter

Simplifying server infrastructure

For its development, QA, and validation environment, Quest Diagnostics uses an HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure with HP Integrity BL860c server blades and HP Virtual Connect. The Virtual Connect Ethernet Module is a new blade interconnect that simplifies server connections by cleanly separating the server enclosure from local area networks, reducing cables, eliminating the need to add switches, and allowing Quest Diagnostics to swap out servers in minutes. HP BladeSystem and HP Virtual Connect are basically a data center in a box, says Diorio. With them, we have built a development and testing environment that is more affordable, requires less time to maintain, uses less power, and can scale easily. For every Disaster Recovery test we have conducted, the OpenVMS platform passed with flying colors. Our initial RTO [recovery time objective] and RPO [recovery point objective] were set very tight, but after moving to Integrity, we were able to improve these numbers significantly. With the BladeSystem servers and HP Virtual Connect, the OpenVMS team has tested the time it takes to

without rebootingeliminating these two scheduled outages each year and reducing the impact to Quest Diagnostics operations. HP Engineering provided us with customized OpenVMS enhancementsone for each version of HP OpenVMS we run, says Diorio. HPs responsiveness in resolving issues that potentially could affect our ability to deliver test results on time has been exemplary.

Customer solution at a glance:

Primary applications Laboratory Information System (LIS) Primary hardware Four HP Integrity rx8640 servers in two clusters HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure with HP Integrity BL860c server blades HP Virtual Connect Ethernet Module HP AlphaServer ES80 clusters Primary software HP OpenVMS v7.3-2 HP OpenVMS v8.3 Alpha HP OpenVMS v8.3-1H1 iCAP nPARs

Resilient infrastructure, lower costs

For Diorio and his team, new HP technologies are benefiting Quest Diagnostics in terms of ease of system management, reduced energy requirements, the ability to consolidate from 17 data centers down to 4, and lower total cost of ownership. HP technologies, including HP OpenVMS, have also been a major contributor for a company that requires an extremely stable and resilient environment. When you put together the right application with the right hardware configuration, you get a resilient environment where you can lose a node or two and your services remain unaffected, Diorio explains. For the entire time we have been running HP OpenVMS, we have never lost any data, and weve been able to deliver test results to waiting doctors and anxious patients on time. At Quest Diagnostics, we are carefully following technological advances in OpenVMS, even trying to influence the direction by providing feedback to HP Engineering and meticulously testing all new solutions and evaluating their value for our business, Diorio says. For instance, with the introduction of TCP/ IP clustering in VMS 8.4, we plan to explore the possibilities of long-distance clusters and their value for total fault tolerance.

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2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. 4AA0-8461ENW, Created November 2010; Updated November 2010, Rev. 1