the path to paperless
Choosing Network Software
Matching software to servers can be complicated.

By Peter J. Polack, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Software usually breaks down into network/ server and application/productivity. In this article, I'll offer advice on choosing the appropriate software products from both categories.

Network/Server

Network and server software includes the operating systems that run your servers and network, but also extends to monitoring and management software. The licensing and versions get complex quickly so it's important to understand how everything fits together.

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Your server has an operating system that you have to purchase. This provides the logical base of your network. If it's Microsoft Windows Server, the two basic flavors are known as Standard and Enterprise.

Basically, Standard doesn't support more than four processors or more than 4GB of RAM. If the server has a more limited role, like a file server, Standard is usually sufficient (unless you are a very large organization). If the server is a database server, you'll most likely want more than 4GB of RAM, so opt for the Enterprise version.

Your server products, like Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange, run on top of your server operating system and are licensed independently. They also come in Standard and Enterprise versions. You'll want the flavors to match, or you won't be able to use the Enterprise features.

Here's the tricky part. Both your server operating system and your server product require the purchase of CALs, or Client Access Licenses. CALs can be either device or user CALs, and you have to choose which is best for you. If you go with device CALs, each device that connects to your server has to have one. If you go with user CALs, each server user has to have one. I'd strongly recommend that you chat with a Microsoft licensing rep before purchasing, and make sure you understand the licensing requirements for what you want to do.

Application/Productivity

Once you've navigated through the complicated realm of server licensing, you're ready to move on to application/productivity software.

We chose the Microsoft Office suite as our base productivity software for the entire practice. It's seemingly ubiquitous, which means we seldom have problems exchanging documents with people outside our practice. We find advantages to standardizing our documents, as time is no longer lost attempting to convert files from other people in the organization.

Not to be overlooked is anti-virus software. Anti-virus solutions on a corporate network are different than for a home user. Anti-virus software is comprised of the program, the detection and removal engine, and a signature file to recognize viruses. All need to be up-to-date for maximum protection. And run anti-virus software on your mail server to intercept viruses. Anti-virus software is most effective when it's updated weekly and also monitored. We chose McAfee Corporate. We run their server product to centrally manage, monitor, report, and respond to all anti-virus software on the network.

Next: Office Network Benefits

Peter J. Polack, M.D., F.A.C.S., is co-managing partner for Ocala Eye, PA, and a specialist in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery. Founded in 1971, Ocala Eye is a seven-partner, multisubspecialty ophthalmology practice located in Ocala, Fla. The practice, which has five locations including an ASC and laser center, has 140 employees. He can be reached by e-mail at ppolack@ocalaeye.com.

In a multipart series, Dr. Polack is describing how a seven-partner practice, Ocala Eye in Ocala, Fla., with five locations and 140 employees, makes the major transition from paper medical records to EMR. During the course of the series, Dr. Polack will provide readers with a "real-time" look at how the implementation is progressing. This is part 8 of the series.