Phani Chegondi
Epic is typically positioned within hosted servers, linking numerous workstations throughout an organization. Epic Hyperspace runs on the client-side while retrieving information from these servers. However, its counterpart, Hyperdrive, operates as a browser-based application, requiring only a compatible web browser. Hyperdrive harnesses the power of Chromium, an open-source browser platform that underlies many modern browsers.
Although users may not spot a dramatic difference in functionality between Hyperspace and Hyperdrive from an end-user standpoint, the latter promises several advantages. These include more straightforward deployment and updates, enhanced performance and security, streamlined workflows and integrations, and an improved and modern user interface making it an improvement over Hyperspace.
As of the November 2023 release, Epic expects all customers who use Hyperspace across all applications to transition to Hyperdrive. Be aware that some functions and integrations in Hyperspace may no longer operate if not appropriately configured or migrated to Hyperdrive.
The architecture of the ServiceNow EMR Help application is laid in such a way that Epic renders ServiceNow's website inside Hyperspace. For these kinds of website integrations, Epic has prepared a comprehensive 2-page document detailing the requirements for this migration process which can be found here.
After thoroughly reviewing the documentation and talking to some of our clients, the silver lining is that the transition from Hyperspace to Hyperdrive should minimally impact the ServiceNow integration. The shift from an IE11-based browser to a Chromium-based one, particularly for the ServiceNow and Epic integration, has distinct advantages. This transition is poised to resolve many errors and styling limitations on the EMR Help portal and unleash the full potential of ServiceNow (and Employee Center) within Epic. Additionally, we may receive improved session information from Epic and better handling of attachments, which was one of the pain points in workflow. However, it is essential to exhaustively review and test each instance.
ServiceNow integration should be a part of the migration strategy for Epic and could be a good opportunity to enhance the EMR assist portal with features like Virtual Agent, Knowledge Management, Expanded Catalog etc. There is option of converting the EMR assist portal to an Employee Center as well.
We're keenly monitoring our clients' migration progress from Hyperspace to Hyperdrive this year. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like more information.