EventNet Partnership Delivers Superior IT for Music Events
Allied Telesis helps EventNet Systems take superior networks on the road for large-scale concert tours and events.
A Tailored Network—for on the Road
EventNet Systems Pty Ltd. is one of Australia’s leading IT infrastructure suppliers for concert tours and corporate events. The company has become a cornerstone of concert tour logistics, with the Company providing IP networking and IT services to some of the biggest summer music festivals in Australia.
Tailored network services, including high-quality Internet access, have become a “must-have” at every venue, stadium or farm. Before a touring band arrives, the network is set up, tested and made operational. Depending on the nature and location of the festival or event, the EventNet Systems network may be required to support ADSL, CCTV, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanning for the gates, live broadcast links, or EFTPOS applications, in addition to providing Internet connectivity to touring groups’ devices.
Ready for Anything
To ensure that Eventnet Systems is ready for any occasion, the Company maintains an inventory of network equipment, valued in excess of $150,000. It is predominately Allied Telesis equipment—including all routers, Layer 3 switches and media converters.
One of Devitt’s favourite products is the Allied Telesis MC605 media converter, which transforms existing analog phone-grade wiring into IP-ready cabling. “We keep about eight pairs of these in stock and use them in last-mile scenarios. They are used where we need very high bandwidth over standard copper wire and can provide 80MB bandwidth in both directions. Not many people are aware of them, but the speed you get out of these devices is fantastic. Australian National Broadband Network, beware! They are one of the most golden products on the market for networking,” he explains. “You can pop a set in your carry-on baggage and feel safe that no matter how bad the copper network is, there is a good chance you can run HD video over a single copper pair.”
Challenge Accepted
Right from the start, EventNet Systems standardized on Allied Telesis products wherever possible. Devitt says he shopped around a number of networking vendors but found many were prohibitively expensive—or too scared to take on the challenge. “We were impressed with the service that Allied Telesis offered and, because of the quality of their equipment and support, it became a given that we would exclusively run with their products in the long term.”
It’s IT in the extreme. We push the living daylights out of our networking equipment. Whenever it is taken on the road, it gets full of dust and dirt. We know we push the equipment beyond anything it was designed to do and we do this in critical environments. It can be heart breaking to see one of the road cases full of equipment fall off the back of a truck; you almost cry when you see the hole in the case. I can’t explain the relief you feel, when you plug it in and it still works. You’ve got to love Allied Telesis equipment! You almost want to hug it.
Director of IT
Devtech Technologies
Devitt believes his faith has been well placed. “The Allied Telesis gear never misses a beat. We’ve never had major problems with any of their products, and even the original equipment we purchased is still working on the road. The moment we have even an inkling of a problem, we can contact Allied Telesis and they give us 100% support.” He cites the example of a recent Melbourne concert where an Allied Telesis support staff team member arrived within 15 minutes of his call. “It was one of their top guys, too.”
