When Metuchen Savings Bank, a 100+ year old community-based bank in New Jersey, sought to extend its LAN/WAN between the branch and two administration buildings. Replacing the existing laser antennas with a solution that addressed all mandated requirements, time lines, and budgetary considerations was a challenge. Metuchen Savings must comply with many State and Federally mandated regulations, as the FDIC,SEC, Federal Reserve, and the NJ Department of Banking all require compliance with ever changing regulations including off site data storage, system ‘failover’ and back-up power.
Unlike the larger players, this local bank does not have unlimited in-house technical resources to look to. They enlisted the expertise of On-Line Communications, a provider of on-site telephone installation/maintenance services, and voice/data systems, fiber solutions, paging, and video. On-Line Communications was tasked with replacing a line of site laser set-up. Being over 15 years old, the lasers were at the limit of maintainable life. On-Line Communications installed numerous Fluidmesh 1200 VOLO radios in a line of site triangle configuration with two antennas on each of the three buildings, the same route as the laser. Each 1200 is connected to a Meraki POE Data Switch via Cat6 twisted pair cabling.
Wireless was the way to go for this installation because direct cable connections are too expensive and require too many permits. Prior to the project, On-Line Communications’ experience with wireless was mostly limited to Wi-Fi. “The old laser system had been installed almost twenty years ago and was in need of replacement,” says Zabohonski. “Wi-Fi was offered as a consideration, but distance was an issue. Wi-Fi security exposure is too much of a liability. We immediately saw the value of considering Fluidmesh as a solution. It fit the same footprint as the laser and eliminated the security concerns associated with Wi-Fi. In addition to providing loads of throughput, the Fluidmesh solution allows redundancy, which is another marked improvement over the old laser configuration.”
A common problem associated with Wi-Fi installations is lighting protection. Zabohonski explains that most Wi-Fi hardware distributors do not provide or recommend lightning protection, which is required for any device wired from the outside to the inside of a building. The simple solution is to connect directly into the LAN, taking a risk. “The Fluidmesh design provides matching lightning protection. Anyone who knows the frustration and expense of finding an OEM protector that doesn’t impede throughput in a POE environment will appreciate Fluidmesh’s attention to this very important detail,” says Zabohonski. “Previously, we had encountered difficulty with outside Wi-Fi installs due to mismatched lightning protection.”
In addition, Business Solutions Enterprises of Cherry Hill, New Jersey provided Internet services coordination and consultation; Verizon FIOS provided Internet service; off -site data storage is managed by SunGard; and, D+H, a provider of secure and reliable technology solutions to domestic and global financial institutions, provided on-site LAN solutions.
“The client must rely on the vendors that they chose to successfully complete the banks’ mission,” says Zabohonski. “A breakdown in communications can result in additional time and expense or an interruption of service. Each vendor plays an essential role in accomplishing some part of the mission. All of the services depend on the Fluidmesh radios as their delivery system. This puts Fluidmesh at a point of convergence of several vendor’s services.”
Metuchen Savings Bank used laser technology to connect the three buildings in its campus-like setting for nine years. “During the reconfiguring of our network and upgrading our devices, D+H suggested that the bank replace the laser system to a mesh device,” says Ed McGovern, CEO of Metuchen Bank. The Laser systems did not provide for an automatic failover, even though there were three in place. The issue was that the branch wasn’t able to connect to its co-located servers that provide connectivity to its core processor Fiserv, or to documents on its server. The Fluidmesh system, together with the bank’s new fiber connections, facilitated the connection to the server.
“Another reason we selected Fluidmesh was because of its security,” McGovern adds. “The security of our customer’s data is the bank’s first priority. With the help of On-Line Communications, D+H, and Business Solutions Enterprises, the project was completed and the bank’s goal was met.” Ahead of schedule, in fact. The project was completed in February of 2015 and Metuchen Bank is enjoying the benefits of a new system.
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