Great client relationships spanning two decades are rare. Yet that’s exactly what exists between Velaspan and Geisinger Health System, a regional health care provider serving three million patients across 45 Pennsylvania counties.
Velaspan has helmed 100+ wireless and wireless-adjacent projects across Geisinger’s vast health network since 2005. Even more, we’ve helped Geisinger thoughtfully evaluate and plan for wireless at a steady clip, ahead of the curve – an approach that’s kept them at the forefront of wireless’s benefits for medical care as well as for staff, patient, and visitor connectivity.
Below, we look back at how it all started and how collaboration continues to be a win-win.
THE BACKSTORY
Today, Geisinger boasts 25,000 employees (including 1,700 physicians) across 10 hospitals. When we met them back in 2005, they were a fraction of that size.
So were we. Velaspan (named Cumulus Consulting Group at the time) consisted of three 20-something wireless consultants who’d recently forged out on our own.
Ironically, wireless design wasn’t the reason Geisinger first contacted us. Their wireless vendor, Cisco, had pointed them our way for help implementing EAP-TLS, a certificate-based authentication type that hadn’t yet achieved widespread adoption. Velaspan partner Kerry Kulp remembers arriving at Geisinger’s Danville headquarters for the first time in 2005. By lunchtime, he’d made headway on their security project and paved the way for an even more meaningful engagement: Designing Geisinger’s first wall-to-wall wireless network.
Within weeks, the maiden Velaspan-Geisinger wireless project commenced. We kicked off with a site survey, the first step in wireless network planning then and now. A few months later, Geisinger’s wireless network was live. Primitive by today’s standards, its capabilities were positively cutting edge in 2005.
CONNECTIONS OF ALL STRIPES
Geisinger staff embraced wireless – which, within a year or two, shifted from luxury to expectation across most industries, and in healthcare especially. Wireless-enabled devices beyond laptops debuted around the same time, adding more practical benefits and opportunity. Take Voice over IP (VoIP). A voice network technology that let employees talk to one another on the go, several Geisinger departments sought to take advantage of the Vocera VoIP platform in 2009. Our Velaspan team worked to ensure that the hospital’s wireless network was prepared to support it, allowing for successful deployment and rollout. We also spearheaded troubleshooting that followed. Anyone who deployed Vocera back then remembers that it demanded a level of network performance unlike any application – including other voice applications – before or since!
In 2008, Velaspan added real-time location system (RTLS) asset tracking capability to Geisinger’s network, letting staff keep tabs on team members and equipment (such as infusion pumps and mobile work stations) campus-wide. Velaspan helped Geisinger understand what to expect from this budding application; we also helped them evaluate and test several emerging RTLS options before deploying. RTLS specifics, we explained at the time, would influence aspects of wireless design to come – access point placement, for example. Nearly two decades later, designs for Geisinger’s RTLS-capable networks still build on some of those initial specs.
In those earlier years especially, each project seemed to introduce an emerging methodology. We remember advocating for wireless access points in patient rooms, convincing hospital leadership that connectivity benefits would outweigh the many inconveniences. Those deep dives helped Geisinger adopt now-standard techniques and best practices years before they might have otherwise.
2010 was also the year we overhauled that initial Danville wireless network for the first time since its 2005 debut. Our redesign allowed it to accommodate increasing demand and added applications, and to introduce more up-to-date hardware and design.
It’s a pattern that’s played out again and again since: As technology evolves and as Geisinger grows, we’ve been there.
TODAY – AND TOMORROW
In the two decades since 2005, Velaspan has touched just about every Geisinger Health System building. We’ve redesigned WiFi as technology has evolved and designed and deployed networks in new buildings as Geisinger’s footprint has grown, among other adjacent projects and related consulting.
We’ve grown, too. Around 2010, Velaspan leadership began delegating site surveys and onsite work to our team of highly trained engineers. However, the personal relationship between Geisinger and Velaspan leadership has played on.
Across it all, Velaspan’s vendor neutrality has been key to our consultative value. When Geisinger began considering an alternative WiFi solution for smaller clinics and offices in 2020 we were able to share our firsthand experience with various hardware vendors in use cases similar to theirs. Ultimately, Geisinger decided to supplement its large Cisco enterprise wireless network with products from Juniper. With a wealth of Juniper experience under our belts, we could immediately integrate this solution into our larger Geisinger efforts.
It’s worth noting, too, that the high frequency of Velaspan-Geisinger engagements over the years stems from Geisinger’s impressive commitment to connectivity. Good enough has never cut it. From 2005 through now, Geisinger has understood wireless’s business value and committed to top-notch experiences for staff, patients, and visitors. Put another way: Long before most organizations took wireless seriously, Geisinger did.
Today, in addition to ongoing design activities, Velaspan provides on-demand operational assistance, addressing both deployment and technical issues. When issues arise (for example, scenarios requiring advanced troubleshooting or involving multiple hardware/software vendors), we bring a lot to bear. The Geisinger and Velaspan teams convene every two weeks to check on status and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Recently, Geisinger completed deployment of its latest network design in that same Danville building where the first wireless network was installed in 2005. It’s the newest generation of Velaspan expertise, equipping the space yet again for modern challenges and anticipated requirements.
Perhaps the most poignant takeaway: Across these 20 years and 100+ projects, Velaspan and Geisinger have maintained an excellent rapport. We’ve seen each other grow from young professionals to senior company leaders and beyond, with Velaspan helping Geisinger consistently meet their high-performance wireless expectations.
Velaspan has a cherished partner in Geisinger and we hope they see the same in us. Here’s to 20 years of rewarding collaboration – and many more!
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