IP-Based KVM Solution Helps Address BCE’s Moving Challenge

With more than 200 employees, the Luxembourg-based company serves about 400 clients in various sectors, such as TV channels, radio stations, film distributors, producers, advertising companies, telecommunications operators and public services.

It is also a forward-looking force and an enthusiastic champion of IP technology.

A move with great potential

Relocating is rarely easy, but when the company moving is one of the largest broadcasting centres in Europe, the challenge is huge. BCE was only moving 500 feet away to new premises in RTL City, but it couldn’t risk wasting the opportunity to create a pioneering, future-proof operation.

Consequently, the move involved creating brand new studios for television broadcast, production, post-production and radio, as well as new facilities for transmission, multimedia, IT and resident partner broadcasters. Once designed and implemented, BCE also wanted to ensure that each of these broadcast functions were connected. This would help to improve operator workflows, enable flexibility across teams and maintain seamless 24/7 broadcasting operations while staying within budget.

IP-based KVM technology – the best choice

BCE selected Intronics, a leader in professional connectivity solutions to design the new infrastructure having been impressed by its proof of concept work, and its experience in dealing with IP-based broadcast infrastructures.

BCE agreed that IP-based KVM technology would be the best option for seamlessly connecting each of the broadcast functions on the new site. BCE and Intronics opted for the ADDERLink Infinity, an IP-based KVM solution from Adder Technology that allows for flexible and intuitive infrastructures.

Franz Voss, project engineer at BCE, said: “The choice of an IP-based solution was obvious due to the required flexibility, in line with our decision to go for IP on all other levels, including our SDI infrastructure. During the RFP process, Intronics teaming with Adder proved to be the best choice for this huge endeavour and both showed a very high level of expertise and professionalism.”

The Adder Technology solution consists of several Adder products that work together to perform the overall operation. In the case of BCE, the ADDERLink Infinity solution included two ADDERLink Infinity Managers (A.I.M.) responsible for the management and coordination of the entire KVM system, and approximately 500 ADDERLink Infinity transmitters and receivers — enough for each of the user end points located throughout the new building. In addition to this, BCE opted for multiple ADDER CCS-PRO4 and ADDERView 4 PRO DVI switches. These allow users at certain end points to control and manage up to four different computers using a single keyboard, mouse and display. The ADDER RED-PSU rack mountable power distribution units, with redundancy, were also chosen to optimise reliability and uptime.

The wider KVM network in the new BCE building consists of two core ICX7750-48 switches in separate racks, and 40 satellite switches. All endpoints are connected to both stacks for bandwidth and resiliency.

Fast RoI and much more

Using the common copper and fibre IP network with the IP-based, high performance ADDERLink Infinity KVM solution, BCE is able to successfully connect all broadcast functions and operators within its new facilities. This is a huge operational advantage and a scalable solution that simply would not have been possible in the company’s previous premises.

In fact, the ADDERLink Infinity Solution has delivered multiple benefits. Firstly, it has enabled improved user ergonomics and a level of flexibility and scalability that only IP-based, high performance KVM solutions can provide. If BCE wants to move a number of user end points to a different location, for example, or if it decides to increase the total number of end points required, the changes do not require any dramatic overhaul of the IT infrastructure. The ADDERLink Infinity solution also offers multiple levels of network, hardware and power redundancy, which gives BCE reassurance that they will be able to continue its 24/7 broadcast operations without any unexpected outages or interruptions.  

The nature of standard IP networking infrastructure means that multiple systems can exist on the same network, while the addition of the ADDERLink Infinity solution allows each of them to be accessed more easily. Adder’s solution comes without distance limitations, meaning that a post-production studio at one end of the building can be seamlessly connected to a broadcast studio located elsewhere. It also comes without limitations on the number of connected users or computers in a matrix, meaning the IP-based KVM solution is infinitely scalable to the requirements.

Finally, from a business perspective, Adder’s IP-based, high performance KVM solution delivers significant return on investment for BCE. As the solution relies upon BCE’s existing IP infrastructure, and because the solution can be scaled precisely to the company’s needs, it can save vast amounts of money compared to other more rigid or proprietary alternatives.