Electronics Review Vol 23 No. 3 - ST Electronics

P R O J E C T SExtending constant connectivityto any locationHow leading companies meet challenges with satellite communication technologyby Dean Griffler, Vice President, Global Sales, iDirectToday’s Companies Face ConnectivityChallenges and New OpportunitiesTo sustain a business in the globaleconomy, one must be connectedround-the-clock. This need forconstant connectivity is fueling thegrowth of broadband services that cansupport a multitude of IP applications— from voice to video to data — andextend to any location, be it on land, atsea or in the sky. Advances in satellitetechnology have made IP-oversatellitea very cost-effective solutionfor companies that want to expandconnectivity to every location andindividual no matter where they are,TerrestrialRouter» Terrestrial SLA» Data securityVoIPBGPDataSatelliteRouter» Satellite QoS» VLAN taggingVideoImproving business continuity andmultimedia distributionSatellite and MPLS terrestrial networkscan be integrated at enterprise sitesto protect business continuity. Satellitebandwidth will not falter when terrestriallines fail, and it preserves broadbandspeeds unlike common ISDN ratesfor terrestrial back-up networks.This satellite bandwidth can also beused to broadcast video and othermultimedia content, preserving spaceon terrestrial networks.and ensure total business continuityunder all circumstances and in anyenvironment.Whether utilised individually orintegrated with a terrestrial network,satellite offers an always-onbroadband connection that actsas a flexible platform, and deliversnumerous benefits, for a wide rangeof applications.Satellite delivers fast, efficientcommunications between companies,customers, partners, and fieldemployees. In addition, opportunitiesMPLSCorePOPRouteriDirectHubTeleport» BGP routing» MPLS labels map to VLAN tags» Network-wide QoS settings» OSS integration with NMSIntegrating satellite and MPLSnetworksTo accomplish seamless integration,both satellite and terrestrial paths mustbe able to handle BGP routing. MPLSlabels must map to VLAN tags on thesatellite network to preserve dataprivacy. SLA specifications on theterrestrial network must be mirrored bysatellite QoS settings. In addition, asatellite Network Management System(NMS) must sync with a carrier’sOperational Support Systems (OSS).for business growth are enhancedby the ability to extend connectivityinto previously unreachable areas.Protection from lost revenue isensured as satellite acts as theultimate backup system when aterrestrial network goes down. Mobileor remote workforces realise greaterefficiency due to high-quality voice,video and broadband connectivity.With satellite communicationtechnology, companies have the abilityto maximise the full potential of anynetwork and minimise the costs.Innovative Satellite Technology toAddress Any Network RequirementSatellite communications hasundergone immense changes inrecent years, morphing from itstraditional role into a packet-based,two-way IP system, designed tointegrate seamlessly with terrestrialnetworks. iDirect created the world’sfirst IP satellite router and hasdelivered non-stop innovation overthe past 15 years, including manyindustry firsts.iDirect’s IP-based satellite platform isthe most advanced in the industry, andone of the most efficient and flexiblesystems on the market. With iDirect,organisations can extend satellitecommunication services to multipleoffices and gain access to carrierclassapplications even in remotelocations.6 ELECTRONICS REVIEW