Case

MEB and Solvinity complete critical IT migration in record time

The Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) is the independent Dutch authority that regulates the quality, effects and safety of medicines. In addition, it promotes the proper use of medicines for the right patient. These are crucial public health tasks that the MEB needs to be able to perform day in, day out. For this, modernisation of the IT infrastructure was essential.

Ambitions and challenges

Migration of the IT environment to a new data centre
A stronger foundation for IT innovation
Stress-free technical application management

Solutions

Full migration within six months during the corona crisis
A Secure by Design private cloud environment, set up in accordance with Solvinity’s strict and high-quality security and compliance standards
Technical support in word and deed

Results

Peace of mind and greater control of IT

Improved security

Increased agility

A future-proof IT environment

A gold medal-worthy performance in the midst of the corona crisis

Let’s rewind to 2019. Despite the MEB already being highly digitised, a team with limited capacity still had to keep the IT running, which included self-developed legacy applications in a data centre that needed to be updated.

In order to again facilitate this innovation, we decided to go for a tender process. But first we explored all the options in a market consultation. “We wanted to be sure of the terms and conditions we needed to have in the tender,” explains Kampmeijer. These included the stipulation that there should be a move to a private cloud environment in another data centre. There were also extremely stringent cybersecurity requirements. “Cybersecurity has been critical to the MEB for years,” says Kampmeijer. “We’re an inviting target for corporate espionage and state actors because of the information on medicines we manage. Suppliers should therefore be able to assure us of top-level security.”

"Although several parties had good proposals, Solvinity was one of the few that could provide the overall IT landscape, including workplace, cybersecurity and data centre management."

Joris Kampmeijer

Chief Information Officer & Head of Information Management, MEB

Relocating during the corona pandemic

Once all the signatures had been obtained, it was time for the real work to begin: migration to the new data centre. Except there was one small challenge: the corona crisis had just emerged. “By now, our teams were all working from home, so we were faced with a considerable task,” says Kampmeijer. “Looking back, together with Solvinity, we delivered a gold medal-worthy performance in facilitating this transition during the corona crisis.”

This involved opting for a straightforward transfer of the existing application to a new technical infrastructure in a so-called ‘lift & shift’. “Accenture and Solvinity put a great deal of energy and thought into this,” says Kampmeijer. The lift & shift was a calculated risk in this plan. “Ideally, you first work on application modernisation before embarking on a cloud migration; however, given the time constraints due to COVID-19, we simply didn’t have this room for manoeuvre. After all, our role in vaccine development couldn’t delay matters.”

In order to mitigate the migration risks, the MEB set up a pilot environment with Solvinity that contained additional data lines to run trial scenarios. “We invested heavily in this, as well as in additional manpower,” says Kampmeijer. “Anything just to make sure the migration was a success.”

"I can honestly say that Solvinity is an organisation where security is paramount. If incidents do occur, they address the problem immediately and then take the time to reflect and improve."

Joris Kampmeijer

Chief Information Officer & Head of Information Management, MEB

From migration to innovation

The post-migration period was all about further improving the environment. Strengthening security was a particular area of focus for the MEB and Solvinity. “I can honestly say that Solvinity is an organisation where security is paramount,” says Kampmeijer. “If incidents do occur, they address the problem immediately and then take the time to reflect and improve.”

The MEB’s sights for the future are set on innovation, which includes modernising the primary process system. It is also increasingly moving to the cloud, together with Solvinity. “We will continue to work together,” explains Kampmeijer. “Solvinity is a long-term partner we can evolve together with.”

"Solvinity is a long-term partner we can evolve together with."

Joris Kampmeijer

Chief Information Officer & Head of Information Management, MEB

Download the MEB case study

A gold medal-worthy performance in the midst of the corona crisis

Would you like to know more about how the MEB’s IT environment was updated and strengthened under extremely high time pressure, and how our collaboration went? Then download this case study!