Vienna's Hospitals Seek New Fax Solutions Amid Data Privacy Regulations

In light of recent data protection regulations, Vienna's healthcare system is in urgent need of a new fax infrastructure. Since the beginning of the year, the transmission of patient data via fax has been prohibited in Austria, leading to significant disruptions within the healthcare sector.

As part of addressing this issue, the city of Vienna has announced an open tender for a new fax server system, estimated to cost up to EUR200,000 annually, excluding inflation and taxes. This new system is intended to support simultaneous transmission of at least 60 faxes, with provisions for additional capacity on demand.

The planned fax server network will be georedundant, operating across two data centers associated with the city's healthcare services. The tender outlines a requirement for a minimum of 10,000 user accounts, with the possibility of expanding licenses in increments of one thousand.

The rationale for this new infrastructure stems from the fact that the existing communication system within the Vienna Health Network has relied on fax as a backup method. Despite the prohibition of faxing patient data between different institutions, internal communications within a facility remain permissible. Therefore, the new system will facilitate the transmission of essential documents such as invoices, order data, and printed materials.

Furthermore, the new fax servers will not merely function as traditional fax machines; they are expected to integrate directly with platforms like Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, and SAP. This connectivity aims to streamline processes, allowing for the efficient sending of documents such as order forms directly from SAP to designated email inboxes.

The contract for the new fax system is set for a minimum duration of two years, with the option for annual termination thereafter. The system must be compatible with several operating systems, including Windows Server 2019 and various versions of Red Hat and SUSE Linux, all virtualized using VMware. Although mainstream support for Windows Server 2019 has ended, Microsoft will continue to provide security updates for a fee until the end of 2028.

Despite the city of Vienna's commitment to open-source software and its strategic goals aimed at enhancing transparency and reducing dependency on particular vendors, the current fax system's specifications do not include support for open document formats. The focus remains on traditional file types such as RTF, PDF, and various Microsoft Office formats. This omission raises concerns about the integration of open-source solutions in future upgrades.

In terms of functionality, incoming faxes must be delivered via email as TIFF or PDF/A-1 attachments, and any web applications associated with the fax system are required to support Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, both reliant on the open-source Chromium project but limited to Windows operating systems. This configuration reinforces the potential for vendor lock-in.