Planar Video Wall Provides Versatile Visual Platform for Network Operations Center of Nationwide Communication Services Aggregator
Based in Neptune, New Jersey, Spectrotel is one of the nation’s fastest-growing aggregators of voice, internet, cloud and managed services, delivering the versatility of any service and any carrier at any location to provide a custom network solution that is flexible and scalable as technologies evolve and businesses expand. By aggregating hundreds of disparate networks, carriers, transports and equipment throughout North America, Spectrotel offers a single cohesive solution that can be viewed and managed through one source.
In 2019, Spectrotel completed a major renovation of its headquarters, which included the construction of a Network Operations Center (NOC) for better 24x7 monitoring of their entire network ecosystem.
To provide a visual focal point in the NOC, Spectrotel engaged technology solutions provider iTEC Consultants to collaborate on a display solution.
Following a consultation process led by Joe McNeill of iTEC Consultants—which included a visit to Planar’s New York City showroom—a 24-foot-long, 13.5-foot-high Clarity® Matrix® G3 LCD Video Wall System in a 6x6 configuration was chosen for the newly built NOC room.
Spectrotel President Ross Artale said the intent of building the NOC and installing the Clarity Matrix video wall was to create a best-in-class facility that aligns with their overall strategy of being a next-generation aggregator. “The Planar video wall allows us to interface with all of the different technology that we monitor, whether its internet communications, managed service devices, SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) or security at the edge,” he said.
“Visually, the video wall is very impressive and shows the breadth and depth of what we manage for our clients.”
In the NOC, the Clarity Matrix video wall is set up to display live newsfeeds and a U.S. map covering all of the endpoints that Spectrotel is responsible for. Visual alarms indicate if anything goes down, alerting technicians to respond and act.
“Before we invested with Planar, it was challenging to use computer screens to display this information at a single source,” Artale said. “Now, using the video wall, we can manage our business much better.
It helps a NOC technician multi-task and visually look at the checks and balances in a different way—in a more meaningful way than before.”
A tool for customer engagement
As a centerpiece for Spectrotel’s new headquarters, the Clarity Matrix video wall also provides an asset to engage and impress new clients. Visitors who come to the office can view the NOC and video wall from both the first and second floor through a large glass wall.
“We love bringing sales partners, suppliers and potential clients to the workspace to show off the video wall technology,” Artale said. “We service enterprise customers, some of which are Fortune 500 companies, and the command and control type of atmosphere the video wall creates allows them to visually understand the service we provide. That’s the type of confidence we want to instill in our clients.”
Flexible technology supports different uses
With advanced video wall processing, the Clarity Matrix video wall offers multiple viewing configurations, allowing Spectrotel to change the way information and data are presented. “It’s completely customizable,” Artale said. “We’ve chosen to display five or six critical systems with our ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) environment and live newsfeeds, but if there was, say a hurricane in the southeast, we could easily reconfigure the display to hyper-focus on those areas. Or, if we have a specific client coming in to visit, we can customize the video wall to create greetings and targeted messages. The video wall is very fluid and as a managed service provider, it brings our business to a new level.”
Clarity Matrix was also a logical choice to support the mission critical environment of the NOC, according to Joe McNeill. “Planar products are dependable and known for robustness and the ability to perform 24x7 with no issues,” McNeill said. “I have done many projects with Planar and I know Clarity Matrix to be very reliable. That’s what led me to recommend it.”
About the Clarity Matrix Video Wall System
Built for mission-critical reliability and delivering ultra-high-resolution, the Clarity Matrix G3 LCD Video Wall System provides superb image quality and is the first LCD video wall on the market to embed advanced video processing directly into the product. With extreme narrow bezels, Clarity Matrix offers tiled bezel widths as small as 0.88mm between adjacent LCD displays for a nearly seamless video wall solution. Clarity Matrix also includes the Planar® EasyAxis™ Mounting System, providing an installed depth of just 3.6 inches (91mm) for perfect, panel-to-panel alignment. Additionally, Clarity Matrix features a unique off-board electronics design for maximum reliability and minimal downtime.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
