PARAMUS, NJ; June 14, 2007 – Fargo-based Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) was formed in 1996 by 15 independent rural telecommunications companies representing 85% of all the telephone exchanges in North Dakota and over 90% of the state's total surface area. Initially created to provide broadband services throughout the state, DCN has grown considerably. The North Dakota based companies have more than 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable installed today providing services to over 164,000 business customers in 244 communities in the state. Dakota Carrier Network currently provides broadband, frame relay, ATM and Internet services throughout North Dakota and the region.
DCN has continually invested in the most contemporary hardware and software solutions for its network. In fact, North Dakota has recently been honored by several publications and organizations for having one of the best data networks in the U.S. Additionally, the network is so highly regarded that the State of North Dakota runs a virtual private network on the DCN system to bring high-speed network technologies to every school district and government body in the state.
This commitment to deploying the latest technology was recently brought to bear on a significant challenge the organization was facing: alarm monitoring. Because DCN has a need for 24/7 alarm monitoring, the company required some method of alerting itself to network outages occurring outside of standard business hours. Receiving a call from a customer to understand that a piece of equipment had failed was simply not an acceptable practice. That's where Dataprobe's Contact Closure over Ethernet (COE) product fits in: bringing remote site alarms to the DCN control center.
Closing the After Hours Loop
"We operate a unique business, and it’s difficult to find equipment to fit our individual needs," said Matt BenDaniel, co-founder and chief scientist of Slooh. “Finding a product to help warm a telescope on an island isn’t as simple as looking in the yellow pages. Dataprobe’s iBoots not only met our needs, but exceeded them through reliability and performance."
Slooh purchased two Dataprobe iBoot devices after a cold winter season in 2003. The iBoots were connected to two radiators within astrological domes housing the telescopes, allowing Slooh staff members to remotely power and control the radiators via computer. The radiators were positioned to heat the telescopes and keep them functional through the damaging snow and ice of the winter months.
During the winter of 2004, the Canary Islands were unexpectedly hit with the biggest snowstorm in a generation, disabling nearly all of the observatories located on the islands. Slooh was able to keep its telescopes warm enough to sustain the damaging conditions by remotely controlling the two radiators. As a result, Slooh stood as the only fully-operational observatory in the aftermath of the storm.
"The iBoots helped us prepare for the unforeseen," said BenDaniel. "The storm was so severe that there was a 4-inch layer of ice on the equipment. A constant flow of heat is the only weapon against that kind of damage, and the iBoot allowed us to generate and maintain heat without even setting foot on the island."
"Millions of dollars are invested into maintaining facilities such as the ones on the Canary Islands. Our investment in the iBoot is a small price to pay for piece of mind," BenDaniel continued.
The iBoot device includes a unique auto detection capability that identifies failures in any connected system by monitoring IP devices on the network. If programmed, iBoot can perform a timed reboot or other power controlled function automatically whenever the device fails. iBoot can also be directly activated by other network management systems.
"The iBoot is designed with the convenience of the user in mind," said David Weiss, CEO of Dataprobe. "More and more businesses are operating a portion of their resources remotely. By allowing these users to control resources from a preferred location, the iBoot reduces on-site visits and saves the business both time and money."
The device is available for purchase through Dataprobe’s Web site and through its reseller channels.
About Slooh
Bringing the rhythms and wonders of outer space to people of all ages, Slooh’s mighty telescopes are the centerpiece of LIVE interactive ‘missions’ to hundreds of known wonders of the universe. Slooh has stationed high-powered telescopes at the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands, one of the world’s best locations for astronomical viewing. Slooh’s missions are driven by its patent pending LightMachine™ technology, which accumulates the light of distant celestial objects and displays them in real time for the viewing audience. With members in over 60 countries, Slooh has been named Duke’s Choice Award by Sun Microsystems and PC Magazine’s site of the day. For more information, please visit www.slooh.com.
About Dataprobe
Dataprobe is a leading manufacturer of innovative technology solutions for today’s demanding remote site management and networking needs. Since 1969, Dataprobe has been providing communication managers, OEM developers and direct consumers with innovative technology products that help make their jobs easier, businesses more successful and overall work environment more productive. By listening to their customers’ needs, Dataprobe provides specific product customization and devoted customer service.
Led by industry veteran David Weiss, Dataprobe, serves over 4,000 customers worldwide in the remote technology market sector. The company continues to lead the remote site management industry by leveraging their core expertise combined with their skilled research, engineering, sales and customer service professionals. |
