Case Study: AZ Groeninge achieves always-on, scalable centralized storage and reduces storage procedures from 12 to 2 hours with NetApp clustered storage

How AZ Groeninge builds its future on NetApp clustered storage

AZ Groeninge is a regional general hospital in Kortrijk, Belgium, formed from the merger of four local hospitals and operating a 1,065‑bed campus with over 3,000 staff. Its IT team faced the challenge of consolidating a highly heterogeneous environment—multiple legacy systems, rapidly growing medical images (PACS) and other data—into a single, always‑available platform and performing a live migration of 512 TB without disrupting patient care.

Neoria (Uptime Group) implemented a stretched metrocluster using NetApp clustered Data ONTAP with 10 Gbit links and temporary Swing Gear to migrate data live into an active/active pair of data centers. Centralized OnCommand management and automated tiering improved efficiency and scalability, delivering always‑on access, support for disaster recovery, and a reduction in several storage procedures from 12 hours to 2 hours, while positioning the hospital to handle ongoing data growth.

AZ Groeninge

Kevin Meerschaert

Systems Engineer and First Line Service Coordinator