Customer Story
OLVG is the city hospital of Greater Amsterdam, with main locations in the East and West districts. For more than a century and a half, this top-clinical hospital has stood at the heart of Amsterdam society. It plays a key role in improving health and care for everyone in this urban environment. Collaboration is crucial in this regard. OLVG works intensively with various healthcare partners and, entirely in line with its core value of always evolving, continues to invest in quality, innovation, and modern services. This applies not only to improvements in care content or complex treatments but equally to IT; and certainly to cybersecurity.
Although OLVG manages its entire IT service provision in-house, the hospital consciously chooses to entrust cybersecurity to specialized experts. For this, OLVG works closely with Tesorion.
“Patients must be able to trust our care and our digital security"
Gerard Heiner, Head of Automation at OLVG, explains the choice for Tesorion: “With 600 beds, we are one of the largest top-clinical hospitals in the Netherlands. Every year, we treat millions of patients. They trust that we handle their complaints and their data with care.” Cybersecurity requires continuous attention, specialized knowledge, and 24/7 monitoring. For an IT department that is also responsible for network management, maintenance, and application management, it is simply not feasible to continue doing all of this independently.
This applies to many organizations, and therefore also to OLVG. The urgency became particularly clear years ago when a critical vulnerability in the Citrix Netscaler emerged. The risks and dependencies of certain systems and applications were critically examined. It then became apparent that this vulnerability resulted in increased risks. “Everyone at OLVG realized: a single vulnerability in a single application can bring the entire service to a standstill. This impact, combined with the number of people required to handle cybersecurity in-house, led to the decision to outsource cybersecurity to a specialized service provider.”
A partner that fits the organization
When selecting a cybersecurity partner, OLVG looked not only at technology and portfolio, but also at culture. Gerard: “We ultimately chose Tesorion because it is a Dutch company. They understand our culture, speak our language, and are close by. No luxurious appearance, but ‘down to earth’. What is particularly pleasant is the sense of collaboration. You receive continuous guidance, and you notice that their services continue to grow as well. It is nice to work with an organization that innovates.”
Critical entity: continuously in the spotlight
As a top-clinical hospital, OLVG is designated as a critical entity. This means that various parties, including the government, monitor operations and set requirements regarding detection, response, and incident management. “As an IT department, you are always on alert. Everyone in this field is familiar with the thought: ‘it surely won’t happen to us.’ It is therefore reassuring that experts are monitoring the situation, calling you if an issue arises, and can immediately escalate to incident handlers from the CERT.”
Digital security as a collaborative effort
Digital security as a collaborative effort. OLVG operates based on risk-based thinking. In a healthcare organization where data is continuously exchanged—automated via standards, but also via service desks, email, and telephone—employees must remain alert. Nevertheless, things can go wrong occasionally; our employees’ focus is on patient care, not IT. “We try to unburden our colleagues. For us, digital security is therefore a collaboration between users, our technology, and Tesorion. Regular consultations with the Tesorion service manager also regularly provide new insights.”
Quick response provides peace of mind and insight
The collaboration with Tesorion is characterized by speed and commitment. “Whether someone has clicked on a phishing link or there are 150 consecutive login attempts: Tesorion responds lightning-fast. Sometimes even faster than we can react internally. That inspires confidence. And they always think along with us. That solution-oriented approach is extremely valuable to us.”
