Client overview

Hospital Sisters Health System is a large regional healthcare organization serving communities throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. The organization operates multiple hospitals, specialty facilities, clinics, and support locations across two states.

As HSHS continued to grow, its physical security infrastructure evolved through acquisitions, expansions, and independent site deployments. Over time, the organization was managing multiple video surveillance and access control platforms across numerous facilities, creating operational complexity and increasing administrative burden.

HSHS engaged Senergy to develop and execute a long-term strategy to modernize, standardize, and unify physical security operations across the enterprise.

The challenge

HSHS needed a strategic partner capable of supporting both the technical and operational parts of a multi-year transformation while minimizing disruption to critical healthcare operations.

  • Multiple independent security systems across hospitals and clinics
  • Different access control platforms, including S2, Lenel, CCURE, Hirsch, and other legacy systems
  • Separate video management environments
  • Inconsistent standards between facilities
  • Aging infrastructure requiring modernization
  • Increased administrative complexity for security personnel
  • Growing need for enterprise visibility and centralized management

The solution

Following discovery, design, and planning sessions, Senergy developed a phased enterprise migration strategy centered on Genetec Security Center as the unified security platform for HSHS.

The program was designed to consolidate security operations across hospitals and clinics while establishing a scalable foundation for future growth.

Phase 1: Enterprise infrastructure foundation

The first phase focused on building the enterprise security infrastructure required to support the entire HSHS organization.

  • Enterprise Genetec Security Center deployment
  • High availability architecture
  • Failover services
  • Load balancing of critical services
  • Disaster recovery planning
  • Scalability design for future expansion

Phase 2: Enterprise system consolidation

Senergy then consolidated two large existing Genetec environments into a single enterprise platform. The migration impacted five major hospitals, multiple supporting facilities, numerous stakeholders, and security personnel across multiple regions.

Success required extensive coordination across HSHS executive leadership, security management, local facility teams, Senergy project management, Senergy technical engineering, and Senergy field services.

The migration was executed during a carefully planned 13-hour cutover window and completed with minimal operational impact to hospital staff and daily healthcare operations.

Phase 3: Enterprise migration and standardization

Following successful consolidation, Senergy began the phased migration of remaining facilities across Illinois and Wisconsin.

Illinois hospitals

  • Video surveillance migration
  • Access control migration
  • System standardization
  • Enterprise policy alignment

Wisconsin hospitals

  • Video surveillance migration
  • Access control migration
  • Enterprise integration
  • Operational standardization

Clinic network expansion

After the hospital migrations were completed, focus shifted to the organization's clinic network. Senergy is nearing completion of the overall Genetec unification initiative, bringing hospitals and clinics under a single enterprise security ecosystem.

Modernization beyond migration

The project extended well beyond software migration. Many facilities contained aging infrastructure that remained critical to daily operations. Replacing these systems required careful planning, testing, validation, and execution.

Senergy worked closely with HSHS to evaluate legacy hardware, test compatibility across platforms, validate firmware and software versions, develop phased replacement strategies, reduce operational risk during upgrades, and extend the useful life of existing investments where appropriate.

A long-term strategic partnership

Today, Senergy works with HSHS on a daily basis. The relationship has evolved beyond project implementation into a collaborative partnership focused on continuous improvement.

Areas of ongoing collaboration include security system administration, enterprise security strategy, lifecycle management planning, technology modernization, design standard development, quality assurance processes, and operational best practices.

Results

  • Enterprise security platform: A unified Genetec Security Center environment supporting hospitals and clinics across Illinois and Wisconsin.
  • Reduced operational complexity: Multiple legacy security platforms consolidated into a single enterprise solution.
  • Improved visibility: Enhanced situational awareness and centralized management across facilities.
  • Scalable architecture: High-availability infrastructure designed to support future growth and expansion.
  • Standardized operations: Consistent security standards, processes, and technologies across the organization.
  • Trusted partnership: An ongoing strategic relationship focused on continuous improvement and long-term success.

Client feedback

Senergy became much more than an integrator. They became a trusted extension of our team and helped guide us through one of the most significant security modernization efforts in our organization's history.

HSHS Leadership

The planning, communication, and execution during the migration phases were exceptional. The team delivered a complex enterprise transition with minimal disruption to our operations.

HSHS Security Management

What impressed us most was Senergy's commitment after the project milestones were completed. They continue to help us improve processes, standards, and long-term strategy.

HSHS Facilities Leadership

About Senergy

Senergy helps healthcare, education, public-sector, and commercial teams plan, build, connect, and support security systems that are easier to use and maintain.