In the years since the resort's existing network was installed, the business demands placed on it have increased considerably, both in terms of traffic volume and the criticality of applications running on the network. The speed and performance of the existing network was not optimal, so the new network infrastructure solution needed to deliver greater performance, flexibility, and cost-efficiency.
"We're currently undertaking an extensive program to invest in new network infrastructure that will provide a solid operational foundation for the future," said Mark Buck, information technology manager, The Reef Hotel Casino. "The Brocade ICX® switches and high-grade support we're receiving from Integrated Solutions have enabled us to develop a more resilient network, with much more bandwidth and easier network admin."
Brocade and its partner, Integrated Solutions, worked with The Reef Hotel Casino IT team on a network design that eliminates single points of failure, using the Brocade ICX family of stackable campus switches running HyperEdge Architecture. The phased implementation of Brocade ICX switches includes The Reef Hotel Casino hotel operations, back-office administration for management, finance, marketing, human resources, and payroll, as well as its electronic gaming facilities.
The switches provide The Reef Hotel Casino with chassis-level performance and reliability with the flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and "pay-as-you-grow" scalability of a stackable solution. Category 5 copper cabling throughout the complex has been replaced with fiber-optic infrastructure, enabling long-distance horizontal switch stack interconnects of up to 40 Gigabits per second.
"Brocade ICX switches are designed to deliver continuous availability, with hitless failover within a stack," said Gary Denman, Senior Director, Australia and New Zealand for Brocade. "For The Reef Hotel Casino that translates into around-the-clock network uptime so administration support and the customer experience will never be disrupted. Moreover, the Brocade stackable solution provides great investment protection and supports a high level of management automation, with the resort's entire network controlled through a single browser window."
Since the new network was deployed, hotel and casino staff have noticed a significant improvement in application response times, helping speed up completion of key customer services such as check-in and check-out, according to Mark. He says the greatly increased capacity and performance of the network was critical to the planned deployment of a new generation of EMC high-speed network-attached storage.