ISDN is a mystery to many people. If you have read, Douglas Frosst's article in this issue you will now have a better understanding of what ISDN is and how it works. ISDN and teleworking go hand-in-hand. A teleworker who has an ISDN connection has high-speed access, multiple phone lines which can be dynamically allocated to voice or data traffic and the ability to utilize tools such as desktop video conferencing, imaging, remote multi-media, etc. None of these features are feasible for the non-ISDN teleworker.
The proof of ISDN is not in the technical theories but in the actual business implementations. There are many examples of ISDN implementations in United States and a growing number in Canada. This article will review a few examples of how companies are utilizing ISDN.
Cadence Design of Sunnyvale, California is a software design firm. Cadence employs over 600 employees and designs integrated circuits. Candence has a telework policy allowing employees (mainly software designers) to work from home on a part-time basis. The average software designer at Cadence requires intensive bandwidth to perform their job. Traditional analog dial up solutions could not accommodate their needs. However, with ISDN they were able to get the performance they required.
Cadence has over 20 employees teleworking using ISDN today. The employees have been able to better balance their work and personal lives and many have been able to avoid daily commutes of an hour or more. The company has realized many benefits including saving money on long distance costs (as opposed to analog dial up) since they connect directly to the long distance carriers via PRI ISDN.
St. Vincent's Hospital in Alabama has achieved a paperless administration through document imaging that stores all patient administrative and billing information on-line. Off-site attorneys responsible for collections require access to this information. Remote access is required for these attorneys in order to reduce the time required to print, courier and file the information.
The off-site attorneys can access the hospital's data from anywhere. They use ISDN to easily and affordably retrieve the necessary images to perform their jobs. This same connection is also used for accessing the hospital's other information systems for financial information required for collections.
Since implementing ISDN, St. Vincent's estimates the turnaround time for processing collections has been reduced by 50%. The file size of document imaging meant that traditional methods of remote access were unaffordable. Again, ISDN is used as the preferred communications solution for another broad bandwidth application.
St. Vincent's also uses document imaging to process all patient information on-line. St. Vincent's is currently undergoing a pilot project providing remote access to off-site doctors. These physicians need remote access to the document imaging system that processes patient information, provides facilities scheduling and offers remote authorization via electronic signatures. Doctors no longer need to go into the hospital to complete paperwork.
Chrysler Corporation sources approximately 70% of its engineering development from outside vendors. In order to give these vendors the same kind of resources available to in-house engineers/designers, the network systems engineers at Chrysler thought they would have to extend T1 lines to each of the vendor sites. The monthly costs of operating these lines would be expensive.
ISDN was chosen by Chrysler as a more cost effective solution. Today, remote vendors use ISDN to access and exchange information with centralized CAD/CAM files. The vendors now essentially have the same level of response as they would if they were working in Detroit.
These ISDN examples show that the use of remote access and ISDN is not limited just to telecommuting. But you can clearly see the overlap between telework and other solutions. The Chrysler example is very representative of the future of work in many organizations. These companies are sourcing professional input from resources anywhere in the country ... people who may be working from a traditional office, at home or indeed anywhere!
The St. Vincent's example also reminds us telework concepts apply to a broad range of jobs. Physicians would not generally be seen as ideal teleworkers. Yet the reality is that some portion of their job can be done remotely. You can also envision the obvious extension giving physicians the ability to dial-in to review x-rays and other pertinent patient information on line, while talking on the telephone to another physician or nurse. These arrangements might allow physicians to make recommendations for some treatments without having to attend at the hospital. For "after-hours" calls this would help physicians better balance their work and family commitments.
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