Case Studies

Wildlife Conservation Society

Business Challenges

  • WCS had outgrown its existing network, and was experiencing issues with data availability, capacity maximization, and business continuity
  • Construction of a state of the art facility allowed the opportunity to upgrade data center facilities
  • 24x7 accessibility was necessary for the field scientists accessing the network to file research
  • Limited IT resources meant the solution needed to be easy to manage and deploy

To accommodate its growing business and employee-communication needs, the WCS finalized plans to open the José E. Serrano Center for Global Conservation within the Bronx Zoo to serve as the Society’s headquarters. Complementing the state-of-the-art facility – one of approximately 30 buildings on its campus – WCS needed an equally advanced data center and core network to support the collaboration and resource-access needs of more than 1,500 users worldwide.

Axispoint Solution

  • Robust, intelligent switching infrastructure could better accommodate increased network traffic and activity
  • Unified network for data, voice, and video delivers cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and operational efficiencies
  • Virtualized environment with fiber-attached storage area networks (SANs) ensured 24x7 access to the applications, resources, and content researchers needed to do their jobs

WCS called on longtime partner Axispoint, Inc., to implement a solid, scalable Cisco core and data center to support the Society’s requirements today and down the road. The Cisco Silver Certified Partner with locations in the United States and United Kingdom holds several advanced Cisco specializations in advanced technologies including Wireless LAN, Wireless Mesh, Unified Communications, Routing and Switching, and Security. “WCS had outgrown its prior data center and was experiencing issues with data availability, capacity maximization, and business continuity,” explains Frank Scanga, executive vice president, Axispoint, Inc. “In building its state of the art Center, WCS had the opportunity to redesign and optimize its network and data center facility and capabilities to better support the Society’s growing global footprint.” Axispoint began the 18-month implementation in early 2008, installing a robust Cisco Intelligent infrastructure incorporating Cisco Catalyst 6500, 4500 and 3750 Series Switches to support WCS’ increased traffic and activity. Delivering operational efficiency through automation, reduced energy consumption, and lower total cost of ownership, these advanced switches help WCS increase productivity and ensure investment protection by helping enable a unified network for data, voice, and video.

Business Value

    Network is easy to manage with limited dedicated IT resources
  • Converged network represents significant cost savings and ROI
  • Increased communication and collaboration amongst global staff
  • Redundant design allows for peace of mind knowing downtime is minimized

Axispoint also installed a redundant Cisco data center solution featuring a Virtualized environment with fiber-attached storage area networks (SANs) to ensure WCS employees worldwide could securely access application, resources, and content 24/7. “We knew that to grow we had to build out our infrastructure to connect our departments,” says Mike Mariconda, director of IT, Wildlife Conservation Society. “With limited budget and IT staff, we needed a reliable solution supported by expert personnel to ensure quick, secure, and reliable network access. Our longstanding relationship with Axispoint made them the natural choice to help execute our vision.” “Our new converged, fault-tolerant infrastructure and data center touches all aspects of our business and represents a strong ROI for us. The solution facilitates increased communication and collaboration amongst our global staff, and empowers us to better accomplish our mission of saving wildlife and wild places. More accessibility and availability of resources mean scientists and other WCS users can get and share resources anywhere, anytime. And we have the peace of mind of knowing redundancy is built in to avoid downtime, and that the solution can scale as we grow.

“Axispoint demonstrated their excellence in previous engagements and delivered on this implementation as well. They and Cisco have become an invaluable extension of our team and, as technology changes, it’s good to know we have partners who are there for us every step of the way.”

- Mike Mariconda, Director of IT, Wildlife Conservation Society