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ConstructWorks™
October 04, 2002
As Chicago experiences a population surge and an increase in multi-unit, multi-million dollar developments, technology companies are compelled to develop solutions that can keep up with market demand.
"Not only are these new developments redesigning the Chicago lakefront, but they are also offering cutting edge technologies within the buildings," says Nick Valavanis, vice president of onShore.
onShore, a systems integrator and a managed service provider, delivers broadband services to businesses in the Chicago area. onShore has installed multi-tenant data networks (MDNs) in a number of Chicago buildings including the Monadnock Building, Museum Park, Clark Place, Dearborn Tower and Huron Pointe.
Using scalable networking technology, onShore wires entire residential and commercial buildings for business-quality, high-speed Internet access. For Museum Park, onShore built a Multi-tenant Data Network on switched Ethernet, which delivers 100Mb to tenants´ desktops—70 times faster than DSL—and does not require additional expensive equipment for end users.
"Since we are an integration company, designing, implementing and maintaining large-scale networks is what do," Valavanis says. "We are providing business level Internet services to the buildings we network. Our technology allows residents of these buildings to enjoy what we call ´future Internet services now.´"
onShore began in 1991 as a freelance adjunct to Stel Valavanis´ job as Network Analyst at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. With Stel´s technical expertise backing the growing team, onShore´s suite of services expanded significantly over the next few years.
In 1997, onShore purchased and renovated a hundred year old building located at 1407 W. Chicago Ave. to better provide the two-hour emergency response to their clients.
Since 2000, onShore´s focus has been dedicated to fine-tuning their suite of on-site and remote services, which are packaged under the umbrella of completeIT® services. These services include Internet and Intranet connectivity, 24x7x365 on-site and remote support, management and monitoring in addition to on-demand client project work.
The company´s newest completeIT® solution, the Multi-tenant Data Network (MDN), is a distributed Ethernet network that opens the door for multi-unit buildings all over Chicago to offer secure, high-speed Internet service and intra-building services such as firewall security and automated backups.
"We bring two T1s to each building, meaning that users have access to 3Mb download bandwidth and 3Mb upload bandwidth," Valavanis says. "Most businesses do not have that much bandwidth available to them. And it is all managed by us, a local integration company."
onShore´s future network plans for its MDNs include providing additional services like streaming media and Voice over IP, increasing port density and adding fiber to some units.
Eleven years after the company´s inception, onShore has created strategic partnerships with network and server hardware manufacturers such as Extreme Networks (EXTR), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Sun Microsystems (SUNW), IBM (IBM) and fiber-optic carriers such as YiPes and AT&T.
onShore has also become literate in technologically advancing the budget-strict philanthropic sector. Their nonprofit client list includes Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Alexian Brothers Bonaventure House, St. Ignatius, Retirement Research Foundation, The Spencer Foundation, The Fry Foundation, The Jesuits, Planned Parenthood, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).