Case Study

Healthcare

NHS Lothian is a provider of comprehensive healthcare services in Scotland covering areas including Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian, and West Lothian. They approached FullProxy for consultancy assistance in optimising their network following a problematic experience with a previous service provider. Having initially implemented NetScaler, they needed technical expertise to help them rapidly and seamlessly transition to F5 appliances. FullProxy consultants stepped in to efficiently resolve all related issues within just one month, and provide ongoing collaboration and guidance.

 

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Requirements

  • Improperly Configured F5 Appliances: NHS Lothian faced the challenge of having F5 appliances that were incorrectly configured, leaving them vulnerable to potential cyber threats and exploitation by attackers due to errors in configuration.
  • Cybersecurity Risks: With the healthcare sector being a prime target for cybercriminals seeking patient data, NHS Lothian needed to ensure robust cybersecurity measures were in place to protect sensitive patient information from being compromised or leaked.
  • Inefficient Transition from NetScaler to F5: NHS Lothian struggled with the transition from NetScaler to F5 appliances for six months prior to engaging FullProxy, indicating a need for efficient resolution of technical issues and seamless migration.

Solution Benefits

  • Expert Implementation of F5 LTM: FullProxy’s technical Consultants implemented F5 LTM to effectively manage incoming and outgoing network traffic, optimising network performance and security. This solution ensures precise traffic routing and enhances network security by offloading tasks typically handled by web servers.
  • Global Server Load Balancing Implementation: FullProxy’s expert advice and support enabled NHS Lothian to successfully implement Global Server Load Balancing across their network, facilitating a seamless transition from NetScaler to F5. This ensured that the network design and implementation aligned with NHS trust’s cybersecurity requirements.
  • Ongoing Collaboration and Support: FullProxy’s ongoing collaboration with NHS Lothian ensures that their network remains current and secure. This includes providing regular updates for F5 appliances and addressing any emerging network issues promptly, maintaining a robust and secure infrastructure for the healthcare provider.

The Challenge

NHS Lothian had recently discovered that their F5 appliances were improperly configured, exposing them to potential vulnerabilities. Incorrect configurations can lead to errors, leaving systems susceptible to exploitation by attackers who may exploit flaws in the absence of issued patches. Threat actors can exploit default passwords, abandoned user accounts, or outdated access permissions, presenting a serious risk to network infrastructure.

The situation was time critical. Managers in cyber healthcare are perpetually aware of the cyber threat to sensitive patient data; lacking adequate protection, NHS Lothian faced the risk of cyber criminals compromising and leaking patient information. Recognising the urgency, they turned to Gold Partner F5 specialists FullProxy to address the situation and help safeguard their network.

FullProxy have been so generous with sharing knowledge, protips and insights! These tips have been helpful to me over the last year. Donald has been the best consultant I’ve worked with during my time at NHSL.

Tiran Duhre , Senior Network Engineer
NHS Lothian

What we did

FullProxy’s expert technical consultants implemented F5 LTM to manage incoming and outgoing network traffic effectively. Beyond optimising network performance and security, F5 LTM excels in intercepting and redirecting traffic, inspecting and transforming data, handling SSL certificate-based authentication, and compressing HTTP responses. This comprehensive approach not only ensures precise traffic routing but also enhances network security by offloading tasks typically handled by web servers. 

With FullProxy’s expertise, three acute hospitals successfully implemented Global Server Load Balancing across their network, facilitating a seamless transition from NetScaler to F5. FullProxy consultants provided in depth advice on design and implementation, addressing all network issues within a month and ensuring the updated design and implementation fully aligned with the NHS Trust’s Cyber Security requirements. 

According to EarthWeb about 4 out of every 10 healthcare organisations discover data breaches months after they happen.

The Result

NHS Lothian now operates in a secure environment, collaborating closely ongoing with FullProxy specialists to ensure their network remains current and their F5 appliances receive regular updates, maintaining a robust and secure infrastructure. 

Do you need expert help configuring or optimising your F5 solutions? Get in touch  for a no obligation chat with one of our specialists and to discuss how we can help.