Case Study: Nantahala Outdoor Center Adds Remotely Monitored Power Management And Protection From Tripp Lite

Customer
Nantahala Outdoor Center is a Bryson City, NC outdoor outfitter, providing whitewater rafting on seven rivers, whitewater and flatwater paddling instruction, adventure travel, multiple restaurants and lodging options, a fully stocked supply store and bike shop, guided activities and leadership institutes in a wide range of subjects. A seasonal business with peak customer volume in the summer, they chose to expand their retail presence by opening NOC Great Outpost in Gatlinburg, TN, at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The new store is housed in a LEED-certified building 1.5 hours away from the company's headquarters.

Goal
As NOC Great Outpost is essentially a branch office, CIO Kevin Sisson knew that he needed to implement a complete IT structure (security, power conditioning and power supplies) which gave him the ability to monitor power remotely. He began a search for a top-quality, name-brand UPS system, PDU and rack storage unit, noting the factors that made the selection process particularly challenging, "Gatlinburg is a rural area which frequently experiences brownouts and power outages," he said. "Company expectations were that NOC Great Outpost would experience high customer volume, and I was determined not to let anything interrupt the new store's operations or revenue."

After considering products from other companies, Sisson found that Tripp Lite—a brand with which he was already familiar—offered a better value point and met each of his criteria for quality and reliability.