Communication and collaboration services provider, Broadreach, has upgraded its network and service infrastructure in preparation for the launch of its video network operations centre (VNOC).
The upgrade involved the development of a fault tolerant server and network that involves Cisco and Microsoft Hyper-V technology. It also includes built-in redundancy and un-interruptible power supplies in case of a power outage.
Broadreach CTO, Steve Moran, said the infrastructure supporting VNOC had to be structured in specific way to cater for a client’s business continuity and redundancy expectations.
“If things go wrong during a video conference meeting, you have to act in a speedy fashion,” Moran said. “VNOC is about being able to respond quickly and rectify situations in real-time. We need to have the right level of infrastructure and redundancy into our underpinning network infrastructure that VNOC sits on top of.”
VNOC specialises in supporting digital media such as signage, video conference and other types of video-related elements within a business and is slated to go live in the next eight weeks.
Broadreach CEO, Shaun Wormald, said having the right infrastructure in place was fundamental to any video deployment.
“Video has suffered from a very bad reputation traditionally for a number of reasons being the bandwidth wasn't available, equipment was expensive, quality of images were not up to scratch, but a lot of the industry can take some blame around not managing the actual deployment and the user experience effectively,” Wormald said.
“They've really dealt with it as a technology roll out rather than a change in the organisation’s way of working. Video is a key aspect today rather than what it was two or three years ago.”
Wormald said the company was in a significant growth mode over the next 12 months as video conferencing technologies are being more widely adopted in the market.
“The market is really merging out of the early adoption stage and into the mainstream as video becomes more embedded in about everything that happens across business and the Internet,” he said.
Due to the growth in video, Broadreach will be looking to expand its headcount.
“We're in a constant recruiting mode and it's due to the maturity of the industry,” he said.
“Video conferencing is becoming a mandatory business capability, pretty much like a phone system and mobile phone environment, which is why we’re seeing such a growth. Vendors are driving a lot of change and capability in this area and it’s really creating a huge amount of demand. We need to make sure we can service it in a way that delivers capability and quality.”
