The Primary Data Center (PDC) provides a centralized location where are all regional applications and programs can securely reside for the eHealth Provincial Program (formerly e-Health Services, a division of the WRHA). The PDC is capable of functioning 24 hours a day, seven days a week, eliminating data outages due to unfavourable weather, physical violations, construction mishaps and equipment failure.

Prior to the creation of e-Health Services, individual sites were financially and technically responsible for their own information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. This meant that areas where servers and other important IT infrastructure resided were susceptible to outages, equipment failure and physical violations.

With the creation of essential applications region-wide like the Admission Discharge Transfer (ATD) systems, Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), Radiology Information Systems (RIS), and the Hospital Information System Project (HISP), outages can create disruptions in the ability to provide patient care and access important patient information. The creation of the PDC is a logical step for the e-Health Provincial Program to ensure the security and continuity of applications and programs for the province.

The PDC is one of the most secure data centres in the country. The facility is only second in the country, in terms of security, to the facility used by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in Ottawa. The facility created for the e-Health Provincial Program has met all the requirements to call itself a Tier III Data Center. This include at least 20 major mechanical, electrical, fire protection, security and other systems requirements. By December 2007 the PDC will be classified as a Tier IV data center, the highest rating available.

Building Highlights

• On-site technical staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• On-site security staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Pre-authorized access cards are required for access
• Dual power supply
• Emergency power is supplied by two diesel generators
• Fire protection systems require two alarms in order to be set off
• Backup generators provide an uninterrupted supply of power to the air conditioners in the event of an outage

Who Benefits

• Hospitals, long term care facilities and other sites within the province
• Manitoba Health
• The e-Health Provincial Program

Clinical Benefits

• Continuity of service in the event of outages
• Less disruption of patient care in the event of an outage
• Patient data and support resources are stored in a secure environment

Administrative Benefits

• Individual sites and facilities will no longer have to maintain their own data center
• Centralizing the data center from individual sites will maximize the return on IT expenditures within the Region

Major Milestones

• PDC now fully operational
• By December 2007 the PDC will be classified as a Tier IV data center, the highest rating available