TeraRecon - Speed and English Pave the Road to the Data Center for World Medical Image System Developer.

URL : https://www.terarecon.com/

TeraRecon, Inc.

The world’s leading independent medical Advanced Visualization provider, TeraRecon, Inc., makes it possible to analyze studies with detailed 3D Image processing technology and supports the medical industry around the world. We are talking to the Operations and Marketing Manager, Mr. Uchiumi, about the circumstances in which the American Headquarters expanded connectivity to the Japanese branch using Unitas Global's Colocation Services.

It was impossible to put the servers into the new office! So naturally the search for a Data Center began.

The Japanese branch office’s business operation was independent, but since June 2017, all international branches merged under the American HQs Management. The new office was set to open in January 2018 and the relocation project started. With the relocation taking place in September, we began preparing to relocate the server room. This also became an opportunity to move all the systems, which had previously been managed by different development engineers on several workstations, to new servers.
The changes in operations meant we also needed to create a development environment which increased the number of servers required.
About one month before the move, we discovered that the floor in the new office was not strong enough to take the weight of the extra equipment and that the air conditioning was not suitable to run a server room. At that point, we began searching for a Data Center. We were due to start operating from the new office on January 9th and couldn’t afford any downtime, so we needed to find a Data Center quickly.
Honestly, we had no IT infrastructure specialists in our Japan branch and no one with any real understanding of Data Centers. Fortunately, an engineer from our HQ suggested Unitas Global. That was when Unitas Global became a candidate for consideration, amongst four other big vendors.

Speedy order; Only a week from phone inquiry.

The rush to get this project completed in time looked likely to run over the New Year period and we needed a provider that could satisfy our needs considering the limited time available. Three out of the four candidates replied that they could arrange the rack by the end of the year, but not the networks. Only Unitas Global answered that they would try their best to get it all done before the end of the year. This answer encouraged us to choose Unitas Global within only a matter of weeks from our initial inquiry.

Bilingual support is key to fulfill the project.

Not only was their speed truly a great reason to choose them, but they were also capable of handling the whole project in both English and Japanese; from the initial inquiry to the consultation about architecture to the start of service. During our relocation project, I needed to translate the Japanese meeting transcript and paperwork to English for our manager in the US, and it was quite a large workload to deal with. However, Unitas Global handled meetings with our US engineering team and our systems manager, which let us proceed smoothly with our project in the limited timeframe. Bilingual support was the first reason why our engineer in the US recommended Unitas Global. They had an English website which supports inquiries in English and the capability to provide usability and operations comparable to US standards as well Japanese standards. It was the first time we used a Data Center, and it was not easy to define our requirements. Unitas Global’s network engineers’ support was very helpful as they have repeatedly created easy to understand diagrams for us and have explained everything to our US engineers who were uncertain about Japanese standards. They answered our questions one by one and gave us an impression that they are a remarkable partner for this project. Even though we were nearly at the end of the year, it was really helpful for us to get a Data Center tour for the US engineers visiting Japan. The environment of the Data Center, such as the security, temperature control system, and power redundancy, would be difficult to afford in a server room in our office. By actually observing these features, we concluded that this was a Data Center we could trust to operate with sensitive medical imaging data. Regarding cost, they have arranged plans that support our needs, including high network performance which led to a successful service launch.

Benefits in using Unitas Global's Data Center

It seems a little strange to say, but since moving into the Data Center we haven’t had to worry about anything. Considering we moved all our servers from our own premises to the DC, I really wondered if we had to go to the DC to check our servers once a week. Actually, we didn’t experience any latency or any malfunction whatsoever. In other words, we don’t feel any physical distance from our servers even though they are outside our office. We had previously heard about Unitas Global's ‘MIRO’, but we are still amazed at its efficiency in the actual production environment. For us, it is important that our users have efficient and reliable network connectivity. So far, there hasn’t been any work to do at the Data Center, but it shouldn’t be a problem as the Data Center has a remote service, which is great since we have no IT staff in the Japanese branch.

Future Business Development and Forecast

We are planning to start a remote medical image reading service in April 2018. Our clients are hospitals specializing in image interpretation who want to see the imaging results immediately. It will be possible to tell patients about their diagnosis results within the day if images can be analyzed immediately. In other words, time is precious. Without a high-quality network, the diagnosis would be delayed at this bottleneck. However, Unitas Global's ultra-low latency network service is the best solution to remedy that issue.
In addition to the workstation’s image diagnosis, we are considering production of lifelike models of organs using 3D printing and diagnostic imaging services with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In regards to AI, take the following example: A physician who needs to review thousands of patients’ diagnostic images can have the AI assist with the diagnosis, thus leaving the doctor to only carefully confirm the image, shortening the total time taken. Moreover, as AI accuracy increases through research, it may reach the same level as a professional radiologist. So that leaves me to think about how to market these services in the future. I think this means taking advantage of cloud computing is the best move. We hope to offer the same service in Japan that we have in the United States in which algorithms made through AI are put into the cloud and then chosen by the end-user based on preference. Such a service requires a high-performance network, and in Japan, a business model selling not only a single application, but also the inclusion of a network was the most suitable. So I hope to be able to propose it together with Unitas Global.
Mr. Uchiumi also happily gave a few words, “If there is any company that faces similar challenges as our company does, then with utmost confidence, I’d recommend Unitas Global”. We strive to serve you and your business well and look forward to your continued support in the future.

Comment by Mr. Darrell Trump/Vice President of Client Services and Japan Operations

Because of an office move, our company found itself in the position of needing co-location services. We feel very fortunate to have found Unitas Global in our search for a colo partner.
From our initial conversation with Unitas Global we found them to be very easy to work with and very responsive. We received a very competitive quote the same day.
The entire process through discovery and site visit, contract process and quoting, and server installation was simple, fast and without any issue.
We have found the Unitas Global facilities and services to be top notch, world class, and very secure. We are very pleased with our Unitas Global partner and look forward to many years together.

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