By: Meg Campbell Newspapers in the Bay Area News Group have been connected by a metro-area Ethernet network installed by Time Warner Telecom. The voice and data services network is designed to let the group's properties share content and store material at a central location in order to consolidate operations and reduce costs.
With two data centers and a shared service center, the 300-megabit network offers "true" ring architecture, meaning it can be broken at any one locate and still operate, says Jack Schneider, California Newspapers Partnership/Bay Area information technology director for CNP/Bay Area. The primary data center is at the San Jose Mercury News, while the Contra Costa Times serves as the disaster recovery site. The network keeps them synchronized.
The network provides multiple points of entry into both data centers, a key factor in going with Times Warner, Schneider says. Having multiple entry points is critical in disaster planning, but very expensive, he explains. Time Warner agreed to install the network for free in exchange for becoming the primary telecommunications supplier.
The network installation is part of a larger consolidation effort following a series of mergers and acquisitions of CNP properties in the Bay area. The Bay Area Newsgroup is part of the California Newspapers Partnership, owned by MediaNews Group, Gannett and Stephens Media.
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