Baptist Health Transitions from Cisco to Arista

Baptist Health is undergoing a significant transition, moving away from Cisco's technology in favor of Arista Networks. This strategic shift began two years ago as the medical center found Cisco's network maintenance overly complex for their IT staff.

Located in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health aims to complete this transition within three years by replacing its wired infrastructure, including Cisco Catalyst switches, with Arista hardware. Currently, approximately 90% of their wireless infrastructure, featuring Cisco Meraki access points, has been successfully replaced. The healthcare organization projects it will invest around $10 million with Arista over the next five years.

Jim Bilsky, vice president of enterprise IT operations at Baptist Health, highlighted the key advantage of Arista's single code base across both wired and wireless campus networks, which simplifies updates and maintenance without requiring network downtime. This is particularly beneficial in a hospital environment, where maintaining service is critical.

Unlike Cisco, which employs multiple operating systems, Arista uses a unified system that allows for seamless updates, significantly easing the managerial burden on Baptist Health's IT team. In adopting Arista's technology, the organization seeks to enhance its operational efficiency while maintaining a robust network infrastructure crucial for patient care.