Technology briefing – The Semco Intelligent Information Network

Executive summary

This Technology Briefing covers the latest advances in a row of advanced communications solutions from Semco Maritime – now with the inclusion of networking equipment and technologies from industry leading Cisco Systems.

The overall objective is two-fold:

• Adding Intelligence to communications thus allowing business processes to utilize hardware investments better
• Taking a strategic approach to add rich-media conferencing and Unified Communications to existing on- and off-shore installations with the purpose of supporting business processes.

The addition of highly configurable network components from Cisco allows Semco Maritime to take a new business approach to forming lasting partnerships with customers in supporting their businesses. The rapid growth in demand and new applications of network infrastructure creates a necessity to view the network as a living organism with a constant demand of interaction and adaptations.

Unified communication in Oil and Gas

Simply put, Unified Communication is about merging technologies and data into one common transport system which in turn offers a wealth of security and granular QoS mechanisms to provide a measured amount of service to a particular traffic class.

Such a definition may seem overwhelming but when you look a little closer, the true simplicity – and thus the real motivation – reveals itself. The founding principle is to utilize one common transport protocol to convey any type of data. This transport should adequately provide sufficient services to allow control and security.

Multiple disparate sources of data exist in the Oil and Gas sector which traditionally have each their own transport and management system. To name a few:

• Public Address and General Alarm Systems
• Common Telephony applications
• Closed Circuit TV (CCTV)
• Geological Data
• Access Control Systems
• Fire and Gas Detection

Each of these systems generate data and have a tradition of being transported in each their own cabling or isolated systems and each of these systems each have their own redundancy requirements. The true art and objective of Unified Communication is understanding how to effectively merge these data into one common – unified – transport system.

Change in technology paradigm

The shift toward this unified infrastructure takes its roots in the limitations of existing TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) systems, which with their finite multiples of 64 kbit/s have long served the industry. However this fixed structure is often cumbersome to adapt to changing needs and fluctuations in requirements.

An example is the addition of Video Conferences which in modern organizations are spontaneous and may often be spurred by a requirement in larger flexibility in managerial processes. One weekly and neatly scheduled telephone conference is not adequate when agile businesses are on the roll – agility is key and that requires data in multiple dimensions:

• Data to underpin and analyze the problem or process
• Data to present the problem or process
• Data to bring expert-level competence in touch with the problem or process

Needless to say that these data may come from all over the enterprise – even from all over the world with costly support-systems and experts sitting in remote data centers and think tanks.

The resolution

The point I’m trying to make here is that fixed communication infrastructures adapt poorly to the rapidly changing environment. Some would argue that this is easily resolved by adding more bandwidth. True – in part – because which system should be reinforced? One source – two or all?

Bottom line – you ending you spending money on capacity that will sit idle.

Consequently – what if we had one super intelligent unified infrastructure that had the following characteristics:

• Only utilizes one physical path for all data
• Can utilize existing cabling for redundancy and load-balancing across multiple paths
• Offers scalability
• Offers highly customizable interfaces for multiple sources and types of data
• Utilizes industry standards in each and every interface – no proprietary interfaces or protocols
• Offers a highly granular set of delivery guarantees and security features

Semco Maritime have built the Semco Intelligent Information Network to deliver exactly this. The wondrous heart in this, is a combination of understanding the types of data required to run and support the operation – and a scalable platform on which we can graft any service.

Adding intelligence

Taking this one level further we arrive at constructing an infrastructure where you simply snap in more and more services. The relevant analogy is the internet connection in the home: We see an eternal stream of new services being offered through the internet connection. The original two-wire circuit which originally carried only voice, now carried IP packets which in turn delivers anything from Peer-to-Peer YouTube productions to net-based anti-virus checking of your computer and even burglar alarm systems can be installed with IP interfaces.
Actually – with the right unified network infrastructure in place, developers of Oil and Gas applications can now seize a larger market – and much faster – leading to lower prices and higher quality in the services spun off from larger revenue streams and profits. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

The whole trick is to chose the right platform – one that has the characteristics mentioned above and then adding some: The intelligence to be self-healing and self defending in case of either intentional attacks or unforeseen outages in systems. The intelligence is also the constant ability to add features through software configurations and naturally also forming interfaces toward management systems.

Semco Maritime have chosen to invest heavily in network intelligence – by acquiring networking operations developing the necessary skills to provide expert-level services in design, configuration and management of network infrastructures. This has lead to achieving the reputable Cisco Premier Partnership with Unified Communications specializations as well as building a strong foundation in Security, Routing and Switching, Wireless and Content technologies.

Adding business processes

With the right network infrastructure in place and adding to this – the right intelligence to deliver any service any where, we can now leverage the Semco Intelligent Information Network for the big bucks: How do we support and optimize business processes?
This is in fact taking the network to its highest power – creating agility and transparency in business processes.

Imagine this simple example: An ambulance is on its way from the accident scene to the hospital. During transport, the trained staff can radio in status reports to the hospital to prepare particular processes or installations. But what if the ambulance had a video system? The staff could now commence treatment or diagnosis even more qualified and even earlier.

The same applies for geo-data from the well-head: What if we could convey these data – split or enhanced on the scene and via a tight mesh of wireless access points convey these data – along with video-feeds – to experts across the globe.

Sounds exciting – Join the Semco Intelligent Information Network – Money is made this way.

Contact us for an in-depth presentation and design clinic – we would love to elaborate on this exciting revolution in developing network intelligence with you.

www.semcomaritime.com