AV Technology - October 2008 - (Page 42)

casestudy corporate NOW YOU SEE IT Two Rooms With A View W The network operations center at NeuStar needed both updating and a technology centerpiece. A TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE AND A HIGH-TECH DIVIDING WALL GIVES NEUSTAR A FACILITY THAT SUITS ITS CORPORATE IMAGE. By Matt Wunsch W hen a company such as communications industry infrastructure provider NeuStar needs an upgrade to its network operations center (NOC) and conference center, you can be sure the final result will be state-of-the-art. The company, headquartered in Sterling, VA, provides clearinghouse services, including databases and systems for workflow and transaction processing. The newly installed NOC allows NeuStar to continue giving customers access to these databases through standard interfaces, which allow service providers to exchange operationally essential data in an efficient, secure, cost-effective, and competitively neutral manner. “The NOC upgrade was needed for multiple purposes, including expansion for increased capacity and functionality, to accommodate our overall data center expansion plans and in general to provide a more modern ‘look and feel’ since our old NOC was starting to show its age,” says Bryan Carter, VP procurement and commercial real estate, who has been with NeuStar since May 2002. “The NOC monitors NeuStar’s production infrastructure for problem incidents,” Carter explains. “When incidents occur, they have standardized operating procedures for handling those problems. This may involve the NOC doing troubleshooting or escalating issues to other technical teams as needed. This is all part of the NeuStar Incident Management Process, which the NOC is responsible for managing.” NeuStar turned to design-build integration firm Professional Products, Inc. (PPI) to facilitate the audiovisual design and buildout of the NOC, which took roughly 14 months to complete last spring. Based in Gaithersburg, MD, PPI specializes in advanced video, audio, data, and control systems, providing a full array of hardware and software solutions for training, broadcast, video on demand, and presentation. Scott Mauriello, applications engineer with PPI, helps provide complete systems design packages and system engineering for companies like NeuStar. “The NOC allows NeuStar to display and monitor their proprietary information,” he says. “They can call up an infinite number of applications at any size.” Mauriello says the NOC contains ten workstations and nine rear projection cubes aligned hen NeuStar Inc. rebuilt its network operations center and conference room, it wanted to create a presentation space that would be both functional and would show off some new technology. An integral part of achieving this objective was a unique glass wall that separates the rooms. “It’s basically a laminated glass wall that, when activated, frosts, and with a push of the button goes clear,” says John Paganelli, a partner at Miller, Beam and Paganelli, an acoustic and audiovisual consultant firm located in Reston, VA, who provided the initial designs and specifications for the equipment. “When NeuStar gives a tour, the glass wall certainly has a ‘wow’ factor to it. You could do it with curtains, but this is far more impressive.” BEI Audio/Visual Products, a manufacturer of AV equipment located in Newport News, VA, provided the electric glass wall. Electric glass is a high-tech solution for privacy and display installations. At the flip of a switch, the electric glass goes from a transparent state to a frosted white translucent state — the response time is less than one second. Ideal for conference rooms, operation centers, and any situation where privacy is not needed or desired at all times, electric glass also can act as a projection screen for storefronts and entertainment industries. When “electrified,” the transmittance is approximately 75 percent and haze is around 2 percent. While standard width offering is up to 38-5/8 inches, with a height of 96 inches, BIE also produces larger laminates, sometimes with multiple pieces of privacy films within the laminate. In these cases, the electrified switchable inner layer is separated for reliability by a 1/16-inch gap between the two pieces of film. This area can be either left clear at all times, or covered by a sand blasted finish. BEI can produce laminates up to 72 x 118 inches, although weight and cost goes up considerably at that size. www.avtechnologyonline.com 42 | AVTECHNOLOGY | october 2008 http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - October 2008

AV Technology - October 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Residential AV Does Not Equal Commercial AV Government: Funding Problems? Education: DIY ISP.EDU, Part Two The Cost of Bandwidth Star Grounding Wars Understanding IoIP How to Equip a Smart Classroom Two Rooms With A View From Primitive to Professional Product Review:�Visionary Solutions AVN 420 Encoder Product Spotlight: Document Cameras New Products Ad Index AV MO: Using Infrared Microphones

AV Technology - October 2008

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