Chubb Security invests R4.5 million on Cisco network

Security specialist group, Chubb Security SA, has announced that it will be replacing all networking hardware in its 50 branch offices with Cisco equipment, in a technology investment worth R4.5 million. The standardisation of all the equipment on Cisco will enable a reduction in internal administration, as well as decreased costs and enhanced customer efficiency.

Prior to the standardisation, Chubb had a multi-vendor technology investment, including Cisco, Micom and Motorola. Chubb aims to replace all this hardware with Cisco 3600 and 1750 routers, Cisco Catalyst 4000 and 3548 switches and a Cisco Pix Firewall by the end of October 2001.

The announcement follows the recent acquisition of BBR Security, which has been integrated into Chubb`s existing business. "We will be doubling the size of our network and upgrading all our software. Therefore we need to upgrade our Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN)," says Phil Fourie, Group Managing Director at Chubb Security SA. "At BBR, each branch worked as a separate unit and did not use voice-over-data, centralised monitoring or centralised billing for any of its security procedures. It was therefore imperative that we connect BBR offices to the network effectively. We decided on standardisation of our equipment, which will ensure that administration and maintenance costs are kept low. It also facilitates internal training as IT staff are skilled up on only one kind of technology," he adds.

Fourie goes on to say that the company chose Cisco as it is the leader in Voice over IP (VoIP). "We are currently primarily using voice-over-data for our communication needs, yet want to move to VoIP due to the cost savings the technology provides," says Fourie. "Cisco`s new LAN switches are IP-based, making the moving of data from one point to another, across our 50 offices, much quicker, which in turn streamlines our business processes and increases our productivity."

Jessica Robinson, territory account manager at Cisco Systems Southern Africa, adds that Chubb now has approximately 220 000 to 250 000 monitored alarms. "These are dependent on the network`s efficiency and reliability to ensure that the signals are received and acted upon effectively," she explains. "When a customer activates an alarm, the signal needs to be processed to determine where the customer is located, so necessary action can be taken. During peak periods, this process usually takes only five seconds, but Chubb needs to ensure that with the increased amount of monitored alarms, its network remains of the highest standard and quality."