Franklin County Medical Center simplifies IT and reduces costs with SHI’s expert guidance.

With limited time and staff, Franklin County Medical Center turned to SHI to simplify IT decisions and maximize value.

Challenge:

Franklin County Medical Center (FCMC), a critical access hospital in Preston, Idaho, serves its local community with just 20 beds and an attached long-term care facility. Like many rural healthcare providers, FCMC operates with a small IT team tasked with managing a complex and ever-evolving technology environment. When Ryan Beckstead stepped into his role as Information Security Officer, he inherited a patchwork of solutions, including a Google Workspace email system and separate tools for encryption, that demanded more time and technical expertise than the hospital’s lean staff could spare. At the same time, the hospital was overspending on Microsoft licensing due to unclear visibility into which tools were truly necessary.

Solution:

SHI was already a trusted partner when Beckstead joined, having supported the hospital’s Microsoft licensing needs in the past. As FCMC began evaluating a potential migration from Gmail to Microsoft 365, SHI stepped in to provide strategic guidance. Account executive Jae and the SHI team delivered a detailed, customized analysis of the hospital’s existing licensing and technology stack, helping Beckstead assess the total cost of ownership and functionality of each platform. SHI helped FCMC identify which Microsoft products were essential, which could be left behind, and how to bundle services—like email encryption—more efficiently within Microsoft 365.

SHI’s consultative approach, backed by real-world experience across vendors, means Beckstead doesn't have to sift through multiple competing products to find a solution. Instead, SHI narrows options down to a carefully curated few that best meet the hospital’s specific needs.

Outcome:

By partnering with SHI, Franklin County Medical Center has significantly streamlined its IT decision-making and reduced licensing costs. The migration to Microsoft 365 is now well underway, promising simplified infrastructure and improved email security. Just as importantly, SHI has freed up Beckstead’s time to focus on more critical initiatives, helping ensure that FCMC’s small IT team can punch above its weight.

With new projects on the horizon, like modernizing their virtual infrastructure, Beckstead sees SHI as a long-term extension of his team. “Being able to turn to SHI to help us solve the next issue is invaluable,” he said. “They’ve saved me time, headaches, and helped us to create a strong, reliable information system for the hospital and our patients.”