Appliance Pair Device for Redundant Healthcare Enterprise Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Healthcare systems face challenges in managing enterprise applications due to complexity and cost, with distributed IT infrastructure leading to compatibility and security issues from varying vendor standards, and shared ownership complicating software and hardware management.
Innovation Solution
A compact, portable appliance with redundant hardware and software components is deployed at a healthcare facility, paired with a remote device for replication and load balancing, using virtualization technologies to standardize software packages and enable remote management and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If distributed IT infrastructure is used with multiple vendors and security protocols, then application functionality and versatility are improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple vendor applications and security protocols into a single standardized appliance platform. The appliance combines processing circuitry, virtualization manager, and synchronizer into one integrated unit that hosts multiple applications while enforcing uniform security standards, thereby reducing management complexity while preserving application functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance is designed as a universal platform that can host multiple different healthcare applications from various vendors through virtualization. The single appliance with standardized interfaces and security protocols serves multiple functions, replacing the need for separate dedicated systems for each application while maintaining compatibility with diverse software packages.
2Productivity
If over the counter servers and storage hardware are pieced together to share network resources, then resource utilization and productivity are improved, but reliability and security deteriorate due to compatibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the appliance into two segments: a primary appliance at the healthcare facility that handles local operations, and a pair device at a remote facility that provides redundancy and backup. This segmentation allows resource sharing at the primary location while ensuring reliability through the remote backup system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a pair device that creates a redundant copy of the appliance's data and operations before failures occur. This beforehand cushioning ensures that if the primary appliance fails, the paired system can take over, maintaining reliability while the primary system continues to provide resource sharing for improved productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If shared ownership over portions of a software stack is implemented, then adaptability and versatility are improved, but ease of operation and maintenance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization manager acts as an intermediary layer between the standardized appliance platform and multiple vendor applications. It provides a uniform interface for managing diverse software packages, enabling adaptability while simplifying operations and maintenance through centralized control and standardized protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses virtualization to change the operational parameters of the software stack, allowing multiple applications to run in isolated virtual environments with standardized resource allocation. This enables software flexibility while maintaining consistent management procedures across all applications, improving ease of operation.
4Reliability
If redundancy is provided through paired devices at remote facilities, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copied version of the appliance at a remote location through pairing. The pair device replicates the essential data and operational capabilities of the primary appliance, providing reliability through redundancy while using the same standardized hardware and software architecture to minimize complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for providing a reliable and redundant enterprise management solution includes an appliance disposed at a healthcare facility and a pair device disposed at a remote facility. The appliance includes first processing circuitry, a first virtualization manager and a first synchronizer. The first processing circuitry is configured to enable execution of a plurality of applications. The first virtualization manager is configured to virtualize at least storage components and an execution environment for at least some of the applications. The pair device includes second processing circuitry, a second virtualization manager and a second synchronizer. The second processing circuitry provides redundancy for the first processing circuitry. The second virtualization manager is configured to provide redundancy with respect to the virtualized storage components and execution environment. The second synchronizer is configured to communicate with the first synchronizer to enable shifting of operations with respect to one of the applications being executed between the appliance and the pair device. A corresponding method and apparatus are also provided.