Municipality of Apex Taps ADVA ALM for Comprehensive Fiber Monitoring

ADVA Optical Networking has announced that the municipality of Apex, North Carolina, has deployed its ALM fiber monitoring technology.

The in-service monitoring equipment is now delivering precise, real-time insight into the town’s optical transport infrastructure. This provides complete network assurance, enabling fiber breaks to be rapidly repaired with minimal disruption.

Issues can now be identified in seconds and technicians instantly dispatched, saving the municipality both time and money. Connectivity between key public locations, including police departments and water facilities, is now fully monitored, and Apex plans to leverage the ADVA ALM solution to assure many more links in the next few months. The technology was installed by ADVA Optical Networking’s partner M2 Optics, a leading provider of innovative fiber optic test solutions.

“Essential public amenities depend on rapid reporting and information exchange. For services like policing, firefighting and wastewater management, reliable, high-speed connections could not be more critical. That’s why we’re leveraging the assurance of ADVA Optical Networking’s ALM fiber monitoring solution,” said Erika Sacco, director, IT/GIS, Apex. “Fiber is only as useful as it is available; being alerted to any damage in real time enables us to take action even before a break happens. That means excellent service availability and major budget savings. What’s more, it makes our processes far more environmentally friendly. We’re currently monitoring six key fiber pairs and will be including ten more locations before the end of 2017. Over the next few years, we’ll expand the scope even further and the advantages will increase.”

The ADVA ALM has been specifically developed to provide continuous, in-service fiber monitoring. With its ease of use and intuitive GUI, it gives Apex’s network operators an intricate understanding of their infrastructure. Now they can easily and precisely pinpoint faults or areas of degradation. No more false alarms means that unnecessary truck rolls and the wasted efforts of maintenance staff can be avoided. Only deploying the necessary crew improves sustainability and significantly reduces operating costs. Unlike other test equipment, the ADVA ALM solution offers plug-and-play simplicity.

And, as it’s built on standardized, open management interfaces, integrating the new technology into Apex’s operational support systems was straightforward. What’s more, ADVA Optical Networking and M2 Optics will provide ongoing technical support.

“Our ALM is the ultimate fiber monitoring solution. It really is the easiest and most cost-effective way for municipalities like Apex to maximize the value of their fiber plant. With proactive, in-service monitoring of its network’s integrity and performance, the town of Apex is guaranteeing availability and safeguarding vital public services,” commented Stephen Zielke, senior director, business development, North America, ADVA Optical Networking. “Our technology creates intelligent demarcation points for total network visibility, enabling all faults to be immediately identified and located. It’s also non-intrusive as it operates independently of transported data streams and requires no active equipment at the user site. Together with our partner M2 Optics, we’re helping the town of Apex take the robustness and efficiency of its transport network to a whole new level.”

“This deployment will have an enormous impact on Apex’s network and on the people who depend on it. The ADVA ALM will enable operators to detect any issues in an instant. That means no more wasted hours finding faults, no more pointless repair visits and altogether simpler operational processes. The improved efficiency is good news for public funds and the enhanced reliability is great for everyone’s peace of mind,” said Keven Miller, CEO, M2 Optics. “By working closely with the town of Apex’s team and with ADVA Optical Networking, we’ve helped transform this municipal fiber network into a truly sustainable infrastructure. We’re ensuring reliable, low-cost optical access exactly where it’s needed most. We’re also building a network that will respond to booming bandwidth demand both now and in the future.”