Dinwiddie County uses NVT Phybridge PoE switch innovations to improve IP phone deployment

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Located just 25 miles south of Richmond, Virginia, the municipality of Dinwiddie County serves nearly 25,000 constituents.

The local government needed to modernise communication in the buildings that several departments worked out of, including Law Enforcement, the Board of Education, Parks & Recreation, and the Health Department.

Challenge to install IP solution

County administrators wanted to move approximately 160 users across multiple locations to an IP unified communications solution to improve voice and collaboration capabilities. However, layering voice applications and IP phones onto the County’s local area network (LAN) presented significant physical, financial, and operational barriers.

The County did not want to be responsible for the ongoing management of a complex network, across multiple locations. This strategy would also require significant infrastructure changes and re-cabling efforts to accommodate a new IP phone system.

Re-cabling costs were estimated at $26,000, a hefty price tag for any municipality striving to deliver optimal service at a reasonable cost. The County needed a simple, non-disruptive, and cost-effective solution to maximise taxpayer dollars and improve its return on investment.

NVT Phybridge PoE switch

The NVT Phybridge PoE switch delivers Ethernet and PoE which is four times farther than standard PoE switches

Dinwiddie County turned to its telecommunications partner for advice, who recommended NVT Phybridge Power over Ethernet switch innovations. The NVT Phybridge PoE switch delivers Ethernet and PoE over a single pair of UTP wiring with up to 1,200ft (365m) reach, which is four times farther than standard PoE switches.

The NVT Phybridge switch solution allowed the County to leverage its existing and proven voice infrastructure to create a robust IP backbone for the new IP phone solution.

Since the County was using its existing voice infrastructure, it was able to keep voice and data on physically separate networks to reduce cost, improve network design, and simplify ongoing LAN management.

IP solution with scalable technology

The NVT Phybridge switch allowed Dinwiddie County to quickly modernise its locations due to the repeatable, predictable, and scalable deployment methodology. Deployment was smooth and straightforward since the existing voice infrastructure is standard across every site.

Additionally, ongoing network management is simple, due to the physical separation of voice and data traffic. The NVT Phybridge solution also provided plenty of room for future expansion, if necessary.

Fulfilling modernisation objectives

Dinwiddie county took a proactive approach to find new and better ways to achieve its IP modernisation objectives in a financially and socially responsible manner.

The County was able to modernise communication capabilities for its 160 users in record time while saving over $26,000 in network infrastructure costs. Government employees experienced no disruption during implementation.

“We easily disconnected the old phones and installed the new IP phones; simplicity was key,” says Norman Cohen, Jr. Director of Information Technology, Dinwiddie County.

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