Background
Fillmore County Hospital (FCH) is a critical access healthcare facility located in rural Nebraska. As a smaller hospital with a lean in-house IT team, FCH faced increasing challenges in managing complex IT systems while ensuring security, compliance and uptime. Recognizing the growing demand for scalable IT solutions and expert knowledge, FCH partnered with IP Pathways to meet essential resource needs.
Key Challenges
- Managing specialized infrastructure, including NetApp storage and VMware environments
- Navigating frequent updates and system maintenance without disrupting critical services
- Addressing cybersecurity pressures, especially amid rising insurance and HIPAA compliance demands
- Planning for future hardware upgrades and emerging technology needs
- Supporting disaster recovery readiness with limited internal bandwidth
- Maintaining control over complex licensing (Microsoft, VMware)
Migration Strategy
IP Pathways quickly became the go-to provider for FCH’s most specialized IT needs. From recommending hardware upgrades to providing engineering support, the team at IP Pathways became integral to FCH’s IT strategy. IP Pathways helped FCH plan for hardware updates by ensuring that their infrastructure remained aligned with evolving demands. For example, FCH was in the process of upgrading their servers, and IP Pathways played a crucial role in specifying the necessary hardware and ensuring it matched the needs of their existing systems.
“We rely heavily on IP Pathways and their expertise to guide us on where to go in the future, especially with product upgrades. We go with the solutions IP Pathways recommends because of the knowledge and experience they bring to the table.” Dan Meyer, Network Administrator, Fillmore County Hospital
Disaster Recovery as a Strategy: Ensuring Business Continuity
Another critical IT need for FCH was disaster recovery (DR). Their previous DR solution was underperforming after a service provider closed its operations. When IP Pathways proposed a DR solution, it seamlessly integrated with FCH’s existing NetApp infrastructure, making data recovery and replication much more efficient. When describing the transition, Dan stated:
“We were already running backups and replication with IP Pathways, so when IP Pathways proposed their DR solution, it felt like a natural fit. You already had our most recent snapshots, and spinning up a disaster recovery environment was just a matter of flipping a switch.”
This integration allowed FCH to achieve rapid data recovery, minimize downtime during disaster scenarios and maintain business continuity with minimal effort.
Impact and Benefits: Filling Knowledge Gaps and Enhancing Efficiency
The partnership with IP Pathways brought immediate improvements to FCH’s IT operations. With limited in-house resources, FCH was able to tap into the deep expertise of IP Pathways’ engineering team, ensuring projects that required specialized knowledge were executed successfully. This allowed FCH to focus on its core mission of providing exceptional healthcare while leaving IT complexity to the experts.
“The biggest benefit of working with IP Pathways is that we never have to worry about not having an expert available when we need it. There’s always someone with the right knowledge to help us.” Dan Meyer, Network Administrator, Fillmore County Hospital
Additionally, IP Pathways’ role in helping with licensing, particularly Microsoft and VMware products, ensured that FCH stayed up to date with the latest technologies while minimizing the risk of errors in procurement or compliance. “Licensing is an ever-changing field, and the team at IP Pathways has been invaluable in helping us navigate that complexity,” said Dan.
By partnering with IP Pathways, Fillmore County Hospital continues to gain confidence in its IT operations — knowing it can scale expertise, recover quickly and plan effectively without overstretching internal staff. The partnership continues to grow, particularly in infrastructure planning and strategic support, ensuring FCH remains agile and prepared for the future.
View the full case study: FCH Case Study
