Between 2004 and 2006, Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Penang was closed for a major redevelopment and repositioning exercise. The resort reopened in September 2006 with a brand new look and equipped with the best of modern amenities to provide the perfect luxury retreat for vacationers and to cater to a growing number of leisure and business travellers.

The resort's redevelopment provided the opportunity for the IT department to look into redeveloping the outdated LAN infrastructure. The key objectives were to increase the speed of the network to gigabit speed, support VLAN segmentation, add wireless connectivity for resort guests, and consolidate three existing physical networks into one.

In 2006, Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa implemented a ProCurve gigabit-speed network. IT manager Ho Cheng Soon said, "The ProCurve network was cost-effective, provided flexibility and delivered results quickly."

Prior to the redevelopment, the resort faced many problems with its outdated LAN infrastructure. The network was not up to speed for a business operating in current demanding times. A fast-speed network is essential to support the communications needs of the resort staff and guests.

It was also a business imperative to provide wireless connectivity for the resort guests. "Even though we are a luxury resort and many guests are here for a retreat, they still want to be connected with the outside world - to stay in touch with family members, to keep up with work updates, or to check their stock portfolios," said Ho. Previously wireless connectivity was not available for guests. The new ProCurve network providing a seamless wireless infrastructure supported by thin AP (Access Point) connection enables guests to now enjoy wireless internet access. With robust connectivity, guests are able to move around the resort's wireless areas without interruption to their network connection.

"We also wanted to implement VLAN segmentation for better efficiency and security. However, this was not feasible without upgrading the network," added Ho.

Over the years, Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa had installed three separate networks. These were for the resort front and backend operations, the POS (Point-Of-Sales) system and internet access for guests. With the restructuring of the network infrastructure, it was imperative to consolidate all three networks into a single physical network for more efficient network management.

To address the various challenges, Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa decided to build a unified wired and wireless network infrastructure with gigabit-speed connection.

After evaluating proposals from different system integrators and vendors, the resort opted to work with Trident SR Sdn. Bhd. and Originex Controls (Pg) Sdn. Bhd. to build a network with ProCurve switches. Two ProCurve core switches - the 5400 Series and 5300 Series with Wireless Edge Module - performed core switch functions, while 24 ProCurve 2600 Series switches were deployed at the network edge and 12 Radio Ports were installed for wireless coverage.

The reliability and cost-effectiveness of the ProCurve devices were major factors in the decision, along with ProCurve's industry-leading life-time warranty. "Our first consideration was product reliability and I felt reassured after reading Gartner reports and following the experiences of ProCurve products in other installations, noting that ProCurve was gaining popularity in the market for product quality," said Ho.

The ProCurve network was implemented within one month and there were no glitches. "The network performed as it should from day one, fulfilling our objectives. We also see potential to get more performance out of the network as we work with ProCurve on further configuration and optimization. There are cool features like IDM (Identity Driven Manager) but our current environment will not be able to exploit the feature."

The first major benefit was robust wireless connectivity for resort guests, a significant service for the different resort clientele. "The resort serves Internet-savvy leisure travellers and increasingly, business guests using the hotel for conventions and corporate functions. Being able to provide highspeed wireless Internet connectivity is a major plus point as we emphasize the highest standards of hospitality," said Ho.

"Guests are enjoying their wireless connectivity. The design of our infrastructure using ProCurve wireless access points provide high-speed and robust connections, and ensures that guests do not lose their connectivity as they move about different parts of the resort."

Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa has also reaped the benefits of improved network reliability and easy network management from having a unified wired and wireless infrastructure. VLAN segmentation and the consolidation of the three previous physical networks into one provides for greater efficiency in the IT department.

ProCurve's lifetime warranty is a compelling value proposition and major benefit for the resort which aimed to get the best value out of its IT investment budget. "ProCurve's lifetime warranty is a valuable advantage in containing the cost of investment and network maintenance. It does not imply that the ProCurve products are not reliable. On the contrary, the lifetime warranty is even more valuable because it is offered by such a reputable vendor such as HP ProCurve," said Ho.