Broadcom > Case Studies > United Prepares for HDTV and Video on Demand Needs with Brocade Ethernet Fabrics

United Prepares for HDTV and Video on Demand Needs with Brocade Ethernet Fabrics

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

Europe

Country

Netherlands

Product

Brocade VDX 6720 Data Center Switches
Brocade MLXe Series core routers
Brocade NetIron CER 2000 Series routers
Brocade FCX Series switches
Brocade FastIron SX Series switches

Tech Stack

Ethernet fabric
10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) capacity
Virtual Machines (VMs)
Fibre Channel over Ethernet

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet

Applicable Industries

Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing
Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Process Control & Optimization
Edge Computing & Edge Intelligence
Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

About The Customer

United is a Netherlands-based company that is part of the Euro Media Group (EMG). The company provides personnel and equipment for a variety of television programming, ranging from single-camera units to outside broadcast facilities for large sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup. In addition, United manages more than 45 percent of all Dutch television productions aired and works with international broadcasters, such as NBC and ESPN in the United States and TV Globo in Brazil. United provides an end-to-end service for providers, including cameras, crews, and satellite uplinks. The company was also expanding through the acquisition of smaller companies and was consolidating operations by moving from four buildings into one new facility.

The Challenge

United, a Netherlands-based company that is part of the Euro Media Group (EMG), provides personnel and equipment for a variety of television programming. The company manages more than 45 percent of all Dutch television productions aired and works with international broadcasters. United provides an end-to-end service for providers, including cameras, crews, and satellite uplinks. However, the company's existing network was struggling with video files hundreds of gigabytes in size, and the generation of about 16 terabytes of information daily, which then had to be prepared for various platforms. The existing network was not secure enough and was not up to date with the company's current needs. United was also consolidating operations by moving from four buildings into one new facility, which helped push the company toward a network infrastructure refresh.

The Solution

United selected an extensive set of Brocade networking solutions that allow the broadcasting company to better support its customers and partners, while reducing operational expenses. The solution includes Brocade VDX 6720 Data Center Switches, which create a single logical chassis with a single distributed control plane, and the Brocade MLXe Series and Brocade NetIron CER 2000 Series routers to deliver 10 GbE performance and scalability. It also includes the Brocade FCX Series, Brocade FastIron SX Series, and FastIron WS Series switches; Brocade ServerIron ADX Series application delivery switches; and Brocade Mobility Access Points (APs) and controllers to form a campus-wide deployment. In addition, the solution leverages Brocade Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) to reduce cost and complexity, and Brocade Network Advisor to simplify management through end-to-end visibility across different network types.

Operational Impact

Provided breakthrough 10 GbE performance and scalability to meet traffic demands
Simplified network operations while increasing reliability and performance
Helped ensure consistently high-quality broadcast services
Accelerated virtualization and improved Virtual Machine (VM) management
Improved network-wide visibility, simplifying management and monitoring

Quantitative Benefit