Dallas Museum of Art and NEC Build on Vision for Arts Network

Business Wire,  June 10, 2008  

Tags: NEC Corp., network, vision

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Nationally Recognized Museum Leverages UNIVERGE360 Technology, Services and Partnership Approach to Help Enhance Communications and Visitor Experience

IRVING, Texas -- Today, NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. (NEC), a leader in enterprise business communications, announced the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is leveraging NEC solutions and expertise to create a unified infrastructure comprising wireless LAN, voice and digital signage. The resulting technology enables the DMA's Arts Network, a technology vision designed to deliver broad public access to great works of art.

The Arts Network provides a digital arts experience, including public wireless access for educational purposes. The infrastructure behind Arts Network also helps enable the museum to accommodate major exhibitions, such as the Egyptian government's upcoming Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, scheduled for October.

"NEC absolutely has been an integral part of the team bringing the Arts Network alive," said Homer Gutierrez, director of information technology for the DMA. "For instance, because the Tutankhamun exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International, AEG Exhibitions, and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, our IT must be flexible enough to accommodate whatever their team needs. With NEC's help, the Arts Network has elevated the museum and helped enable us to be truly prepared to maximize the visitor experience during an exhibit like Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs."

About The Solution

NEC designed and implemented a unified infrastructure for the DMA, including wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure deployed by NEC in 85 percent of its public and back-office spaces, as well as NEC digital signage for public way-finding and the UNIVERGE[R] NEAX[R] 2000 IPS for voice over IP.

More specifically, the network includes the following:

* Mobility - WLAN architecture design and installation consisting of 148 access points with centralized controllers. The WLAN network is most often used by visiting classes from schools in Texas and surrounding states. NEC provided turnkey installation for the museum's Cisco[R] wireless infrastructure, and future plans include increasing coverage to 100 percent of the museum's four floors over a full city block in the Dallas Arts District. The museum is also planning for a fixed-mobile convergence solution for improved mobility and availability among DMA staff.

* Voice - The UNIVERGE NEAX 2000 IPS communications server provides voice over IP services to approximately 150 staff members. IP voice and data communications are a critical foundation element that will be leveraged in future technology decisions, such as fixed-mobile convergence.

* Digital Signage - Five NEC digital signs and the NEC BlueFire[R] VC400 Digital Signage Controller for an enhanced visitor experience. The signs provide directional way-finding and a means to preview upcoming exhibits.

"The Arts Network has enabled us to break down communication silos and enhance collaboration among museum staff while pushing content out on the Web where more people can access it," said Homer Gutierrez, director of information technology for the DMA. "During the design and installation of our WLAN equipment, NEC's wireless services team did an excellent job of working around exhibition department schedules and staying in close touch with the registrars who track the location of art objects. Previous to that, moving to the UNIVERGE voice over IP (VoIP) system with IP phones helped us ease system management and reduce system maintenance needs."

Don Fiorentino, vice president of western regional sales for NEC Unified, said, "The DMA's Arts Network technology vision aligns perfectly with the UNIVERGE360 approach to placing people and their roles at the center of communications. We at NEC look forward to continuing our relationship with the museum as it enables visitors and the public at-large to enjoy great works of art in new and innovative ways."

By using NEC's technology, services and alliances to place its employees and the visitor experience at the center of its communications strategy, the DMA is leveraging UNIVERGE360, an enterprise communications model and approach developed by NEC and unveiled earlier this year. An in-depth case study on NEC's work with the DMA can be found online at www.necunified.com.

For information about the Dallas Museum of Art, visit www.dallasmuseumofart.com.

For information about NEC Unified Solutions, visit www.necunified.com.

NEC, UNIVERGE, BLUEFIRE and NEAX are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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