case studyCbeyond Communications Builds Future-Proof IP Network Overview Cbeyond Communications is a privately held integrated access service provider focused on small- to medium-sized
Trang 1case study
Cbeyond Communications
Builds Future-Proof IP Network
Overview
Cbeyond Communications is a privately held integrated access service provider focused on small- to medium-sized business customers in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Houston The company delivers a fully managed solution with a package of local, long distance and broadband Internet serv-ices over a 100% IP network
Cbeyond believes that reliability and scalability are critical attributes of the network In addition, the company is constantly under the scrutiny of twin masters—offer competitive pricing in each market and operate at a profit
One element of the company’s success is deployment of Cisco 10000 series routers collocated in ILEC facilities The design for infrastructure that surrounds active equipment is also important Cbeyond believes that it must fully realize the value and functionality of the IP network by designing-in a pas-sive cross-connect infrastructure for connecting routers, managing cables and providing test access
Quality and Reputation Determine Buy Decisions
After reviewing alternatives, Cbeyond chose ADC’s DSX (Digital Signal Cross-Connect) panels for both data center and collocation applications “ADC has a reputation for high quality and is the leading provider of DS1 and DS3 panels so we naturally looked to them first,” said Brent DeBrock, collocation manager for Cbeyond
In the Cbeyond network, Cisco routers and other servers are permanently cabled to DSX distribution panels With this configuration, upgrades, rearrangements and rerouting of circuits is completed by moving jumpers in the cross-connect rather than handling active equipment cables The DSX panels also provide jack access to both input and output signals for testing and troubleshooting—an espe-cially important attribute in collocation
Trang 2“ADC has a large and diverse selection of panels with
different capabilities for unique requirements With
the help of Graybar and ADC engineering, we were
able to identify the exact features we wanted,” said
DeBrock After manufacturing DSX-1 and DSX-3
pan-els for the specific needs of carriers for the past 20
years, ADC offers a broad portfolio of DS1 and DS3
products, each featuring different combinations of
front or rear access, equipment cable termination,
density and cable management features
Usability and Scalability
Clearly Defined
For Cbeyond, scalability means network evolution can
occur without disruption of service, making the
cross-connect architecture an essential feature of the IP
network Cbeyond believes this also translates into
savings in labor as installation, upgrades and
rearrangements of active equipment are faster and
easier to perform “As we grow, we expect to be
changing and reconfiguring hardware From a
physi-cal perspective, ADC gives us the flexibility of moving
jumpers instead of equipment cables We believe the
small investment now (in ADC) will pay for itself as
the network grows and evolves,” said DeBrock
ADC’s DSX panels also provide an important function
to Cbeyond—the ability to conduct bidirectional
test-ing on circuits Typical DS1 or DS3 panels offer
moni-toring capability only on the output signal, which
makes troubleshooting in collocation scenarios
time-consuming and difficult, at best Cbeyond’s DSX
pan-els include jack access for monitoring both transmit
and receive signals “With ADC panels, we can test to our equipment and to ILEC equipment We believe
we can see where there is a problem and eliminate any uncertainty Without the ability to look both ways, we feel service would suffer,” said DeBrock
Price and Service are Important
The small- to medium-sized businesses that comprise Cbeyond’s customers have high expectations for their service They are not only used to affordable prices and high reliability but also the extras they did not find with other service providers, according to DeBrock
When it comes to price and service, Cbeyond has high expectations of its vendors, too “Even though I go through a distributor, the ADC rep stays in touch, giv-ing me visibility at both ADC and the distributor With other manufacturers, we don’t get that level of serv-ice,” said DeBrock “I get great service, the best quality and the best price available,” he said
Conclusion
Cbeyond was founded with the objective to deliver big business communications services to small busi-nesses at prices that are affordable—and that could
be delivered profitably Incorporating a high quality cross-connect infrastructure from ADC into the IP net-work helps Cbeyond reach these goals by enabling growth and change without service disruption while holding the line on capital expenses today and oper-ating expenses for the foreseeable future
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