IBM/Cisco Collaborative Effort Opens Doors for CPT November 19, 2007
Today, Cisco and IBM announced a new joint initiative to outfit the wildlife sanctuary, Carnivore Preservation Trust in Pittsboro, NC, with state-of-the-art server and networking technology to improve the care of CPT’s exotic carnivores and create new potential for CPT’s educational programs.
In the past, CPT has relied on piecing together the generous donations of individuals to create a mismatched and constantly changing internal IT infrastructure. The result was significant loss of staff time leveraging outdated technology to keep pace with the ever changing demands of the technology-oriented community around it (Research Triangle Park, NC). The sanctuary simply could not handle daily operations with its current technology infrastructure.
CPT turned to Cisco and IBM to help modernize the facility and its operations. IBM helped CPT deploy a clustered server solution based on IBM System X servers. The system provides enough hard drive storage to consolidate CPT’s data and media, eliminating the need to rely on CD libraries and spare hard drives, and with spare room to pursue video solutions for CPT’s educational and fundraising programs. Video enables CPT to educate and to share these rare and precious animals with maximum safety to the public and minimal impact on the animals’ environment.
Cisco redesigned CPT’s local network to increase internal connection speeds by 10x or greater. Cisco equipment will provide a wireless mesh throughout CPT’s 55 acre compound, creating the foundation for increased security and communication. CPT’s new Cisco VoIP phone system enables staff to direct opportunities to the appropriate staff members more efficiently, a far cry from the garbled collection of messages on an old answering machine.
In the second phase of the IT transformation, a video surveillance solution by Cisco will not only provide enhanced security, but also enable remote veterinary care, live streaming video of animal behavior and medical care to the public, and presentations to educational groups around the country. Video capability will also open collaborative relationships with conservation research facilities, veterinary hospitals and schools around the world- improving both the care of the rescued animals at CPT and the potential to save these species in their native habitats.
CPT turned to Cisco and IBM to help modernize the facility and its operations. IBM helped CPT deploy a clustered server solution based on IBM System X servers. The system provides enough hard drive storage to consolidate CPT’s data and media, eliminating the need to rely on CD libraries and spare hard drives, and with spare room to pursue video solutions for CPT’s educational and fundraising programs. Video enables CPT to educate and to share these rare and precious animals with maximum safety to the public and minimal impact on the animals’ environment.
