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Anatomy of the VA's IT Meltdown

Posted by Zonk on from the use-your-words dept.

Lucas123 writes "According to a Computerworld story, a relatively simple breakdown in communications led to a day-long systems outage within the VA's medical centers. The ultimate result of the outage: the cancellation of a project to centralize IT systems at more than 150 medical facilities into four regional data processing centers. The shutdown 'left months of work to recover data to update the medical records of thousands of veterans. The procedural failure also exposed a common problem in IT transformation efforts: Fault lines appear when management reporting shifts from local to regional.'"

4 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, great. by Penguinisto · · Score: 2, Funny
    Now MSFt will take this and start trumpeting a victory for Vista.

    (of course, it would be a first for 'em... even if it's the "wrong" Vista we're talking here).

    /P

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
  2. I see the problem by moogied · · Score: 4, Funny
    Too many discplines combined..

    Anatomy Medical.

    centralize IT systems IT.

    four regional Topographical.

    Fault lines appear Seismology.

    There clearly is just not enough synergy..

    --
    So basically, -1 troll/offtopic is really slashdots way of saying "I hate that you thought of something before me."
  3. Doesn't VA own slashdot? by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1, Funny

    and sourceforge, too?

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  4. +1 C'mon Editors by ggvaidya · · Score: 4, Funny

    I had a real fun time parsing this article.

    1. Looks at title: omg! Slashdot's parent company had an IT meltdown! ha-ha! But waitaminute ...
    2. Looks at icon: a ... crown? The Queen? Perhaps they mean *our* overlords, VA Linux? Or is VA Linux a monarchist organisation now?
    3. Looks at summary: and ... medical? Why are th... oh HANG ON WAIT A MINUTE
    4. Looks at icon: I remember that! It means ... government! Crown, government, get it? So, VA Linux screwed up a government's medical system? That makes ...
    5. Looks into the inner recesses of my mind: ... sense, but ... something's out of place, something's ... just ... not ... quite ...
    7. Looks at lightbulb over head: of course! There *is* no VA Linux! It's Sourceforge, Inc now! But that must mean ...
    6. Looks at summary: ... carefully ... the VA, why the VA, shouldn't it be ... Vir..ginia?!

    Gee thanks, Zonk, just what I needed before going to sleep. Now I'll dream of the Queen in Virginia melting down medical computers for Slashdot's open source overlords. Again.

    Last thing I needed ...