Case Study: Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Executive Summary

Challenges • Increase network throughput • Reduce administrative demands and IT staff time spent on troubleshooting • Increase network reliability • Lay the foundation for mobility and cloud-based applications

Value Created • 20% decrease in time spent maintaining the network • 30% faster time implementing changes • 90% decrease in reported network incidents from video surveillance issues • 100% improvement in IT team’s ability to diagnose issues to root cause Sports Complex Updates Network • Network is mobility- and cloud-ready Infrastructure, Cuts Maintenance Hours 20% SMG prides itself on its quality management services for its venues, including the Superdome in New Orleans. The Superdome complex consists “Everything improved. of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints football Network service is invisible, team, as well as the Smoothie King Center and Champions Square. It hosts until it doesn’t work. The some of the largest sporting events in the United States, including the fact that no one mentions Super Bowl, College Football Championship, and the NCAA Final Four. Any event, regardless of size, needs to have consistent, stable service to make it because it works like it’s sure the event is successful. supposed to speaks volumes. However, aging network technology increasingly meant that the IT team If people aren’t noticing was tackling recurring problems. The system had been installed after anything, it’s running exactly Hurricane Katrina, and the sheer age of the hardware was causing regular how I want it to.” outages. The only upside to the outages was that they happened during the day, when employees were in their offices, as opposed to during evening Matt Boyd events. By the time Matt Boyd, the current IT manager, arrived in 2014, the IT Manager, SMG staff was used to resetting phones on the network as soon as an outage hit. This hindered productivity, so SMG turned toward a provider that could provide a solution that would stabilize the network. Kicking Off a Stable Network The first phase of the network upgrade was stabilizing router firmware, a process that would at least keep employees connected while the team

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 1 searched for new hardware. It was a ‘duct tape’ solution, at security team can spend time keeping employees and event best, that bought the IT team some time to investigate its attendees safe instead of troubleshooting hardware. options. Prior to the network upgrade, before a Saints game, SMG As Boyd and his team dove into its research, one vendor had a checklist, which included making sure all the phones stood out: Extreme Networks. The team was already worked in each suite. The day before a game, part-time familiar with Extreme Networks hardware, and believed that employees would walk to every suite, unplug, and then plug would make the migration easier. Ultimately, SMG chose in every phone, effectively resetting 120 phones by hand. It Extreme Networks Virtual Services Platform 8400 and would take one person a whole day. That unenviable task Ethernet Routing Switch 4800 Series. “We got quotes from has been eliminated. various other brands with what we thought we needed,” The IT team has also seen its own productivity increases. Boyd says. “But the Extreme Networks products did Prior to the cutover, IT staff spent at least 25 percent of everything we needed them to do for the right price.” its day chasing down network-related problems. Now, the team rarely deals with network issues, instead focusing Setting the Goalposts During on strategic initiatives and other improvements that can Deployment be made. The team spends 20% less time maintaining the SMG had its own unique challenge when it came time to network day to day, and has also seen a 30% faster time to install its new network: timing. The first stage of planning implement changes due to the simplified network design. involved finding dates for the upgrade, when any impact to the network would be the least disruptive. The team Learn More waited until after the football season ended and began the For more information, contact your Extreme Networks initial preparations. After Mardi Gras, SMG’s implementation Account Manager or a member of the Extreme partner partner was onsite and in constant contact with the team. program, or access other materials by clicking on Resource If there was even a hint that something could go wrong, Library at www.extremenetworks.com. support would access the network remotely and make sure any hiccups were worked out. Boyd and his team finished About SMG the deployment and made the final cutover. Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services “Everything went very smoothly,” Boyd says. There were no to more than 230 public assembly facilities including surprises, and the new hardware was ready to handle the convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, network traffic. theaters, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities An Immediate Touchdown — across the globe, SMG manages more than 15 million square and a More Secure Facility feet of exhibition space and more than 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry While the firmware upgrade resulted in a more stable leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, network, once the hardware replacement was finished, the event booking and programming, construction and design IT team did not hear about a single issue. Users now have consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark higher bandwidth connectivity, no downtime for shows, and facilities as McCormick Place and Soldier Field in Chicago, the likelihood that the network will cut out is much lower Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s than before. NRG Park, and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New One of the big upsides to the new network is an improved Orleans. SMG also offers food and beverage operations security system. Previously, with the aging hardware, the through its concessions and catering company SAVOR, security cameras would need to be rebooted regularly. Now, currently serving more than 130 accounts worldwide. a drastic 90% decrease in reported incidents means that the

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