Case Studies

CDI CORPORATION

Challenge:

The team first considered the conventional route of setting up a second data center with its own bank of five-to-seven servers to house critical applications and a redundant connection to the corporate wide area network (WAN). Projected costs for this traditional approach were nearing $200,000 for the equipment, expense of adding another IT staffer to manage the new operation and the recurring costs of redundant T1 links to the WAN.

The team then looked at installing T1s between the two buildings to share files and resources. However, the large amount of data-intensive Computer-Aided Design (CAD), modeling and imaging files required more bandwidth than a T1 could deliver, which would have forced the team to replicate applications locally. The effort and expense involved in laying dark fiber or connecting to an existing fiber backbone were also calculated. Significant recurring costs and the lengthy timeframe for securing appropriate permits and trenching new-or accessing existing-fiber disqualified these choices from the list of options.

According to Steve Troncelliti, network manager at CDI's corporate headquarters in Philadelphia, rapid deployment and security were among the driving factors in seeking an optimal solution to link the two buildings. "We needed to ramp up quickly without compromising our stringent requirements for highly available, reliable and secure network connections," he says. "When the team started to assess all the performance and cost considerations of the different options, it became apparent that conventional connectivity methods would fall short of expectations."

As an early adopter of innovative technology, CDI decided to explore wireless connectivity as a viable method for linking the buildings. Initially, CDI looked at radio-frequency solutions but officials worried that RF was too vulnerable to interference and security risks. Because safeguarding highly confidential, proprietary client information is a top priority, an RF-only option was taken out of contention. "Our networks must be bulletproof and provide complete data protection," says Troncelliti. "An RF-only solution couldn't meet our demands for the highest levels of security."

In researching different wireless platforms, Jason Simons, CDI systems administrator for Texas, came upon information on free-space optics (FSO), a line-of-sight technology that uses lasers to provide high-speed bandwidth for optical wireless connections to send and receive voice, video and data. It appeared that FSO could deliver last-mile connectivity between the two buildings without the expense and time constraints of installing costly fiber-optic cable or securing radio frequency spectrum licenses. "FSO provided high-speed networking at a fraction of the price of other options," notes Wolf. "Frankly, we thought it was too good to be true."

As the first group across CDI to contemplate an optical wireless platform, the Houston team set out to determine if the technology provided the security and reliability the organization demanded. So they enlisted the help of Jeff Majeski at Texas-based Crystal Communications, a provider of consulting, design and support services for operating secure wireless LANs/WANs. In Philadelphia, CDI's corporate networking experts also assessed the technology to determine if it met reliability requirements and could be managed seamlessly through the company's existing network management platforms.

Together, the collective team performed an in-depth evaluation of two different optical wireless solutions: the Digital Audio Video Infrared Data (DAVID) system from Dominion Lasercom and LightPointe's FlightStrataT offering. Since most of CDI's contracts are executed on a time and materials basis, it was extremely important to prove that the solution could yield significant uptime. "We had to demonstrate that an optical wireless solution could ensure the data integrity of highly sensitive information," adds Wolf.

To that end, both Houston- and Philadelphia-based teams conducted a series of tests and interviewed other companies with similar requirements that had deployed FSO. CDI was most curious about the impact of commonplace weather issues such as wind, rain and fog on optical wireless performance. After reviewing different weather tests and speaking to various references, these initial fears were allayed effectively. After carefully evaluating both products, CDI chose LightPointe's market-proven FlightStrata as the superior choice.

LightPointe Solution:

In August 2003, Crystal Communications and LightPointe installed a pair of FlightStrata optical wireless links, each consisting of an optical transceiver with a laser transmitter and a receiver to provide full-duplex communications. The initial installation took hours, instead of the weeks-or months-projected for the other previously considered alternatives. In addition, the cost of the FlightStrata pair, along with one spare, was one-fourth the total price of the other connectivity options, including the expense of adding a radio back-up system for additional redundancy.

FlightStrata is LightPointe's flagship product, delivers improved optical wireless performance and connectivity speeds ranging from 1.5Mbps to 1.25Gbps. It features Multi-Beam Array Tracking (MBAT), Automatic Power Control (APC) and Optical Beam Shaping (OPS) to ensure system redundancy via multiple send and receive paths, additional power during reduced weather visibility and continuous adjustment to address movement from building sway.

Sound Byte:

"It was completely transparent to our end users that they were sharing large files with someone in another building. There wasn't one complaint of slowness or LAN performance degradation-the second building functioned as just another 'floor' in our main facility."

"Reliability has far exceeded our expectations. We haven't had one minute of downtime despite several instances of wind gusts up to 35 mph and torrential rains."
— Paul Wolf, Manager of Engineering Technology, CDI Corp.