Avocent DSR Series DSR2161 Brochure

"What truly sets Avocent apart
from all the others is the remote
accessibility. You don't have to
run to the office everytime there
is a problem. You can fix the
problem from wherever you are.
And that means reduced
downtime which benefits
everyone."
Bruce Wright,
Systems Administrator/
Enterprise Server Operations,
Nova Chemicals
Case Study
Chemical Company discovers
unique element for success
Nova Chemicals is a commodity chemicals company that produces exceptional resins and
chemical and energy co-products. These elements are the building blocks for a variety of
products used in everyday life. From grocery bags to packaging to medical devices, Nova
Chemicals is committed to excellence and ensuring that outstanding products provide
comfort, security and stability in today's fast paced world.
World-wide locations cause major reactions
With operating centres in Calgary, AB and Pittsburgh, PA, manufacturing and research cen-
tres located in the Americas and Europe, and sales offices located across North America and
throughout Europe and Asia, Nova Chemicals essentially operated in numerous
time zones.
Add to that, Nova Chemicals had approximately 30 UNIX and 90 Intel windows servers that
were mostly connected individually or into non-networkable KVM appliances in the Calgary
centre and it's easy to see that a problem in Europe for example, would cause a late night
reaction back home.
"We have eighteen IT staff, with all but two located in the Calgary Operations Centre"
explains Bruce Wright, Systems Administrator/Enterprise Server Operations. "Whenever
there is a problem in Europe, we would need a Calgary area IT staff member to wake up
and run down to the data centre at 2 or 3 in the morning. A process that inevitably creates
serious delays and increases our downtime."
Avocent solution proves to be an essential element for success
When the data centre eventually moved to new premises, it provided an opportunity to
reassess the IT infrastructure and implement a new solution. One that would help staff
react and respond to problems sooner, reduce costly downtime and free up valuable data
centre space that was previously overloaded with individual cables, keyboards, and moni-
tors from the numerous servers.
However, changes are often met with some resistance. Therefore, choosing a solution was
not an easy task. It would require finding a solution that could be easily implemented and
essentially simplify the IT department's training and responsibilities. More importantly, the
solution would need to meet the senior management's necessity for cost efficiency and R.O.I.
"Avocent offered a complete solution that was web enabled and provided remote accessibility"
says Wright. "And because of their market share, they are the industry leaders and bring
with them a cache of exceptional products and extraordinary support."
The Power of Being There
®