Microsoft-Country Knolls Animal Hospital

Vendor: Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT)
Customer: Country Knolls Animal Hospital www.countryknollsanimalhospital.com     
Vertical Markets: Healthcare Providers
State: New York

Technology Used: Microsoft Office Professional 2007, Windows Vista Business

Solution: The Country Knolls Animal Hospital is a well-established practice that has been operating in Ballston Lake, New York, for the past 30 years. There are a variety of services offered there, including routine and preventive care, surgical services, and nutritional counseling.

When Dr. Kelly Cooper purchased the practice from the original founder in 2008, she quickly recognized that the operation was in need of a digital technology transplant. According to the new owner, the practice used virtually no technology, and basically ran on paper and pencil. She wanted to install specialized veterinary software to help her with a variety of tasks, but first she needed a network to run it on and a compatible computer operating system. 

An important part of bringing Cooper’s newly-acquired practice into the 21st century was deploying both Microsoft Office Professional 2007 and Windows Vista Business. Cooper believes that several Windows Vista features are playing a significant role in helping her business grow, including Instant Search, the Windows Security Center, the Remote Desktop Connection feature, the Shadow Copy feature, and the Windows Aero interface.

Installing the Microsoft technology has been advantageous for the animal hospital for several reasons. Cooper estimates that because of the deployment of the new hardware and software, which includes Windows Vista, she will be able to increase her 1000-client practice by 50-percent. Being wirelessly connected has also proven to be beneficial, as it offers Cooper enhanced freedom, increases her productivity, and helps her develop strong relationships with her clients and animal patients. Because of the Remote Desktop Connection feature, Cooper can take care of tasks from home after office hours. The Windows Aero interface makes navigation easier, while Instant Search makes the process of finding required documents faster and more straightforward.

Finally, the Security Center and Shadow Copy feature offer peace of mind by protecting the practice’s computers against threats and allowing Cooper and her staff to instantly recover accidentally deleted information that might otherwise have taken hours to recreate.

Further details: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000004173