Bandwidth Recommendations for Remote Offices

Many customers will have a main office and one or more remote offices. For these customers, the decision on connectivity between the main and remote sites is critical. Trying to run too many users over too little bandwidth will result in poor performance and dissatisfied users.

Aprima recommends the use of a VPN connection between the main and remote sites. (Although a VPN connection is recommended, Aprima can run over other network layouts. This is an advanced network setup which should be discussed with Aprima Support before the implementation decision is made.) Then a choice needs to be made on how to balance the usage of the bandwidth over the VPN. There are three methods for running the Aprima client from remote sites. Any combination of these methods can be used to best utilize the available network bandwidth.

• Use direct connect, where the Aprima client is installed on the remote PC, and a connection is made to the Aprima application server running at the main site. This is the most bandwidth intensive method.
• Use the Aprima cache client. A local copy of the provider’s database is stored on the remote PC/laptop. There is still a direct connection to the Aprima application server at the main site; however, the data transfer occurs in an offline mode, and the user is not as aware of the bandwidth usage.
• Use Microsoft Terminal Services or Citrix to run the Aprima client on a server at the main site. This is the least bandwidth intensive method. (Note: Two functions of the EHR are not available over a Terminal Services connection. Ink strokes, such as for hand-drawn images, cannot be saved, and voice dictation cannot be used.)

Bandwidth requirements depend on the number of users, and the tasks they perform over the network. (For example, copying scanned files from a remote site to the main site is a bandwidth intensive task.) This bandwidth must be bi-directional. Asynchronous connections that have a high download speed but a low upload speed are not recommended. Most “home” DSL and cable connections are asynchronous, with a large download speed but smaller upload speed. Please select a “business connection”, which typically will have equivalent upload and download speeds.

Below is a table with the average requirements for network bandwidth. Please note that these numbers are estimates based upon average product usage and a provider-to-user ratio of approximately 3 to 1. Extensive use of scanned documents or a provider-to-user ratio that is higher than 3 to 1 may require higher bandwidth speeds. Actual network usage is determined by the load on the network based upon the usage patterns in Aprima PRM and any other applications utilizing the network.