Merit Launches Storage Cloud Services

Merit Network, Inc., a company dedicated to developing new services that create organizational
efficiencies and deliver cutting-edge applications over its high-speed
backbone network, announced its Merit NOC, MeritVideo, and Merit Storage Cloud services, new offerings that provide significant benefits to its members.

"We’re very excited by Merit’s new services," said Rob Golden, Merit Network’s vice president of Research and Development. "They are the latest chapter in Merit’s effort to meet our Members’ most pressing needs. These services assist our Members in performing some of their most essential functions: providing and maintaining reliable, robust networks, leveraging the power of video conferencing, and solving the problem of explosive data storage growth."

Since 1987, Merit’s Network Operations Center (NOC) has been monitoring complex networks, including the NSFNET and Merit’s backbone network. The Center is staffed by NOC analysts that are among the most experienced in the industry. Merit Network recently began offering Merit NOC Services, 24X7 network monitoring, reporting, and trouble resolution. The new service can improve network maintenance coordination and decrease outage times for the Member’s local or WAN network.

"We have significant experience and a customer service perspective," said John Labbe, Merit’s NOC manager. "We will partner with Merit’s Members and manage their network services as if they were our own. The economies of running a NOC just do not scale except for the largest organizations. Hardened physical facilities, redundant systems, tool development, staff training and sufficient depth to ensure 24 hour coverage and management all can create significant barriers to implementing a well functioning NOC. The Merit NOC can provide these services at more reasonable price, affording you 24X7 coverage without the expense and overhead."

Merit NOC Services save staffing expenses and support administrative efficiencies for Member organizations, and by using tools such as Zenoss and Remedy, Merit’s Network Operations Center can readily monitor multiple environments, including computer networks, phone systems, security alarms and systems, servers, applications, and power status. Merit NOC Services are currently being used by the University of Michigan, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Michigan Lambda Rail, and other organizations.

Golden noted: "Merit’s NOC services are a great example of taking what we’ve built over 40 years of operating our own network and making it available to others at a fraction of the cost of doing it yourself."

In 2008, Merit launched the Merit Video Collaboration Service (MVCS), which provided end-to-end, interactive videoconferencing solutions. The service was well received by Merit’s membership and was recently renamed MeritVideo to incorporate enhanced and additional features.

MeritVideo is a suite of video services that can be customized to fit an organization’s needs and includes multipoint videoconferencing, event streaming, media storage, and professional consulting. MeritVideo provides high-definition and standard-format interactive videoconferencing over IP and ISDN connections, with each videoconference monitored by Merit’s Network Operations Center to ensure the best video and quality possible. MeritVideo also offers flexible media storage options that can accommodate multiple audio and video formats for on-demand delivery, which is ideal for streaming recorded presentations or events from a centralized location. MeritVideo is used by Michigan Technological University, Michigan State University, Michigan Community College Association, Alpena Community College, and other organizations.

"These days, videoconferencing is critical," said Patty Lins, director of educational technology & online learning at Michigan Technological University. "It can take a lot of time and energy setting them up, but Merit Video makes it easy to set up a conference. It has freed up my time since others can set the conferences up. It’s definitely worth every penny."

"The overarching goal of the MeritVideo service is to provide services that are built on reliability and superior customer support. Videoconferencing is fraught with many barriers to entry which will, in short order, turn off a first-time user from ever trying the service again so Merit has focused it’s efforts on the managed aspects of providing a multipoint videoconferencing service," according to Laurence Kirchmeier, video services manager. "NOC video operators are available to both help setup and qualify an endpoint and to help endpoints get connected before a scheduled videoconference starts. On the Media Repository front, the goal is to provide Flash media access to video-on-demand media assets and to live streams because flash media delivery provides the simplest access for most users to view video streams on the web today."

Merit recently announced to its members the creation of the Merit Storage Cloud, a new on-demand storage service that can be customized to satisfy an organization’s growing needs. Cloud computing and network-based storage has been a frequently requested service from our membership, and Merit has developed the new service to meet the demands of higher education, government, and other non-profits. Merit is currently accepting service subscriptions through its Member Portal, with the service scheduled to begin operation on March 31st.

"Cloud-based services have almost unlimited potential, but the risks can be unacceptable when commercial service providers trade off client needs against profits," said Golden. "As a non-profit dedicated to the needs of education, Merit has created cloud storage services with outstanding performance, and protection as well as the best economics in the industry."