Healthy growth

Digitalisation and the restructuring of the professional world are opening up new opportunities for workplace health promotion (WHP). Service providers such as the PIMA Health Group need a future-proof network to be able to seize these opportunities. SD-WAN solutions offer an efficient response to this challenge.

The Challenge

Growth-oriented connectivity

Paperless, digital processes are a key prerequisite for enabling healthcare professionals to work quickly, flexibly and securely in their day-to-day activities. Some of the examinations and consultations offered on site would not be possible without an online connection. A high-performance and reliable internet connection is therefore essential at all locations. To ensure operational continuity, the internet connection must also be designed with redundancy in mind – for example, by incorporating mobile connections as a fallback. In addition, the handling of sensitive health data requires strict security standards.

PIMA’s service offering has been so successful that the company is growing rapidly and frequently opening new locations. Ideally, these should be operational within just a few weeks – without the need for an IT staff member to set up connectivity on site. The central IT department should also be able to manage network connections and local IT services simply and efficiently. As a long-standing Vodafone mobile customer, PIMA Health Group GmbH chose Vodafone’s Business SD-WAN solution to meet these requirements.

The Company

Key provider of occupational health and safety solutions

PIMA Health Group GmbH, headquartered in Mainz-Kastel, is a leading provider of occupational health and safety services. This family-run company has nearly 40 years of experience in the sector and offers a comprehensive range of services, including occupational medicine, workplace safety, corporate health promotion and Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP).

Across Germany, the PIMA Health Group currently operates more than 30 health centres. Over 500 employees – who refer to themselves as "guardians of health" – support more than 2,500 corporate clients with a wide variety of workplace health management services. In total, the PIMA Health Group helps care for more than one million of their clients' employees.

The Solution

Efficient Connectivity with Business SD-WAN

Before switching to Business SD-WAN, the PIMA Health Group used various legacy internet connections with site-to-site VPNs. However, this solution increasingly showed performance limitations and proved to be complex, time-consuming to manage, and prone to errors. There were also recurring issues with specific devices – for instance, many medical systems are unable to establish VPN tunnels.

“A loss of internet connectivity at any site would essentially bring operations there to a standstill and result in high costs,” explains Roman Mangold, Head of IT at the PIMA Health Group. “SD-WAN is therefore the ideal solution to meet all our requirements, especially since it allows us to work with virtually any type of internet connection available on site. It also makes implementing the required redundancy simple and efficient.”

A key advantage is that the on-site device, the SD-WAN edge, can easily be connected and plugged in by an employee. Configuration and provisioning then happen fully automatically over the internet. Roman Mangold and his team have deliberately kept the configurations of all involved locations uniform, including the provision of a guest Wi-Fi network.

"Network routings are also preconfigured. This saves a lot of administrative effort in practice. At the same time, we can comfortably and easily monitor the entire network from the central IT department and manage it as needed. The network connections and locations can be quickly and easily scaled as required." Another significant advantage is that, even in the event of an internet connection failure, all necessary actions can be taken remotely, meaning no IT department employee needs to be on-site. "Business SD-WAN is a fully convincing solution that also offers excellent value for money," summarises IT Director Roman Mangold.

"As a technology partner for medium-sized businesses, Vodafone Business has recognised our needs and successfully implemented them. We greatly appreciate the trusting and collaborative relationship, and the communication channels are always short." The reliable internet connection at their locations also boosts the competitiveness of PIMA Health Group, both in attracting new clients and in recruiting employees. "After all, modern work tools and practical, time-saving digital processes are essential in both cases," says Roman Mangold.

The Advantages

Reliable, strong networks with SD-WAN

The PIMA Health Group relies on Vodafone's Business SD-WAN for the internet connectivity of its headquarters in Mainz-Kastel and more than 30 local health centres. Depending on the local conditions, different internet connections such as fibre optic, cable, or DSL can be used and combined with fallback connections. In this way, employees on-site can reliably use both traditional IT solutions like Microsoft 365 as well as networked medical devices and applications.

Roman Mangold is the Head of IT at PIMA Health Group. He and his team oversee and manage the internet connectivity for over 30 of the company's locations. We spoke with him about the digitalisation of the healthcare sector, data security, and the benefits of SD-WAN.

What role does digitalisation play in your business?

Roman Mangold: In order to successfully offer its extensive services in the market, PIMA Health Group relies consistently on paperless workflows and digital processes. Without a high-performance internet connection, employees at our locations would not be able to work; any outage would lead to standstill and incur high costs.

Why is an online connection essential for the services provided by your company?

Roman Mangold: Many medical devices and applications simply do not function without an online connection. This is particularly true for various physical and psychological examinations. In addition, our workflows rely on fast and secure data exchange – which, in practice, means storing the collected data securely on our servers.

At the same time, data security plays a central role, particularly in the healthcare sector.

Roman Mangold: Yes, absolutely. Health and patient data are among the most sensitive and protected types of data. A high level of security is a given for us and is furthermore explicitly required by law.

How do you balance the digital foundation of your business with the high security requirements?

Roman Mangold: The transition from a diverse range of local internet connections and site-to-site VPN connections to the currently used Business SD-WAN solution was a crucial step for us. It not only ensures the necessary performance and reliability of the site connections, but also provides the required encryption during transmission. And all of this can be comfortably and flexibly monitored and administrated by us in the IT department.

How do you evaluate the collaboration with Vodafone?

Roman Mangold: It is a clear strength of Vodafone to offer flexible solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The communication channels are short, responses and support are quick, and the exchange is always built on trust. We highly value Vodafone as a technology and ideas partner.

Digitalisation is fundamentally transforming the healthcare sector. Modern IT solutions enable more efficient processes, improve patient care, and enhance data security. However, this digital shift places high demands on the underlying infrastructure. A stable, high-performance, and secure network connection is essential for the successful implementation of innovative e-health applications. SD-WAN plays a key role in this context.

Digital transformation and its challenges

The introduction of e-health technologies offers numerous advantages. Electronic patient records, telemedicine, AI-supported diagnostics and cloud-based applications all contribute to improved patient care and more efficient processes. At the same time, however, the demands on IT infrastructure are increasing. Hospitals, medical practices and care facilities require reliable and secure network solutions to ensure seamless communication and the smooth exchange of sensitive health data.

Outdated network infrastructures are particularly problematic, as they are often not designed to meet the requirements of modern applications. While considered stable, they are frequently costly, difficult to scale and offer limited flexibility. At the same time, the demands for data protection and IT security are growing – especially when it comes to secure access to sensitive information.

SD-WAN as a key technology for a connected healthcare system

Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is a modern networking solution designed specifically to meet the demands of digital and interconnected environments. In the healthcare sector, SD-WAN offers several key advantages:

E-Health cannot function without modern network infrastructure

Digital networking is a fundamental requirement for the successful implementation of E-Health solutions. Telemedicine applications need stable video connections, cloud-based hospital information systems require continuous data synchronisation, and mobile doctors or carers must have instant access to relevant patient information. Without a reliable and high-performance network infrastructure, the full potential of digitalisation remains untapped.

With SD-WAN, modern networks can be efficiently managed, security requirements met, and new digital services deployed without delays. Healthcare providers benefit from higher availability, lower costs, and flexible scalability of their IT resources.

Conclusion: The Future of Healthcare IT Lies in SD-WAN

The digital transformation in healthcare is unstoppable. To take full advantage of the benefits of digitalisation, organisations must modernise their network infrastructure. SD-WAN offers a powerful, secure, and flexible solution to meet the increasing demands. With greater stability, improved performance, and optimised security mechanisms, SD-WAN becomes an essential foundation for the digital future of the healthcare sector.