Quick Facts
Who: US Army
What: GR-63-CORE certified EZ cabinet that protects against seismic activity
Where: Army bases throughout the US Army Pacific theater
Why: Modernize and migrate phone system to VoIP technology while ensuring a reliable network during harsh environmental conditions
For major corporations, analog communications services are an outdated technology. This is no exception for the US Army. The mission-critical need to maintain reliable service, especially in remote geographic areas, prompted a transition to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution for bases in the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) theater of operations. Modernizing and migrating the telephone system throughout the Pacific region also includes ensuring the equipment is protected from seismic activity associated with earthquakes, tsunamis, and harsh weather conditions. The use of a seismic rated cabinet from Great Lakes helps safeguard the system so that it doesn’t go “down”, especially during times of natural disaster.
Standard 52 RMU seismic cabinets from Great Lakes (the EZ) are GR-63-CORE certified in accordance with Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS), which dictates equipment requirements related to vibration resistance. The fully welded EZ frame features reinforced structural tubing that creates a rigid cabinet. Doors are recessed and feature a 3-point latch that contacts the cabinet at the top, center, and bottom of the frame, thus preventing the door from opening if violently shaken. Tamper resistant side panels are recessed and secured from inside the cabinet so that the panel stays properly installed at all times.
STACK integration services from Great Lakes are utilized to configure each cabinet to a pre-existing Army specification for VoIP systems. Great Lakes airflow and cable management accessories are installed to accommodate switches, routers, and Ethernet cables. Third-party PDUs are ordered by Great Lakes and drop shipped to the warehouse for installation in the cabinet. Occasionally, patch panels and other passive EIA equipment is installed. Integration of the cabinet at Great Lakes eliminates the potential of missing and damaged parts that are critical to the VoIP system.
While the configuration of the cabinet remains largely the same, the size of the cabinet, PDU mounting location, and type of PDU changes based on the cabinet’s final destination. The inventory of EZ cabinets and the flexibility of Great Lakes manufacturing and assembly teams allow cabinets to turn around quickly; the urgency of projects in specific USARPAC locations is never held up due to a cabinet order.
Each cabinet ships utilizing Great Lakes “No-Hassle” Freight policy. The policy allows 72 hours for product to be inspected after delivery. If there is any damage, one call to Great Lakes and we handle replacement of the cabinet as well as take financial responsibility of additional shipping costs. Many industry cabinet manufacturers require the customer file and pay for damaged freight claims (prior to receiving a replacement part) which could take weeks or months. Again—Great Lakes ensures that projects are not halted because of a damaged cabinet.
Standard product, STACK services, and a “No-Hassle” freight policy from Great Lakes provide a reliable solution to help fill the need of modernizing a legacy telephone system throughout USARPAC. EZ seismic rated cabinets serve as the protection for millions of dollars of up-to-date communication equipment that supports the US Army’s Pacific region.