RigNet
Offshore drillers need reliable connectivity and high network performance for critical applications—on the ocean and on land.
Challenges
- High costs of downtime—up to $1 million a day in rig rental costs
- Unreliable connectivity at sea due to restricted bandwidth and high winds
- Space constraints on rigs
- Complex regulations defining the countries in which satellite data can land
- Need for visibility across multinational operation
Benefits
- Reliable connectivity: traffic is sent over the best transport option dynamically each moment
- 90% less network infrastructure, lowering space, power, and cooling requirements
- Fast site onboarding, with zero-touch provisioning
- Visibility into application performance from a single portal
- Improved crewmember quality of life, a morale booster and retention advantage
Overview
A leading global provider of offshore drilling services needed a reliable WAN for emergency communications, cloud services, suppliers, and crewmembers. The company chose a managed Riverbed SD-WAN service with integrated WAN-op and application acceleration delivered by RigNet, a managed services provider for the oil-and-gas industry that helps customers realize the business benefits of digital transformation.
RigNet meets the need with a managed SD-WAN service based on Riverbed® technology. In customer data centers, RigNet deploys Riverbed® SteelConnect EX, which combines routing, SD-WAN, WAN optimization, next-gen firewall, and unified threat management—all in one device. “Consolidating all the network services in one SteelConnect EX reduces our customers’ on-premises WAN connectivity and security footprint by 90%,” says Daryn Richard, Head of Engineering for RigNet. A converged device also simplifies management and reduces the opportunity to make mistakes.
Solution
- Managed SD-WAN service from RigNet, with global satellite and microwave links
- Riverbed® SteelConnect™ EX for SD-WAN, Routing, Next-Gen Security and WAN Optimization
- Riverbed® SteelHead™ CX for WAN Optimization
- Riverbed® SaaS Accelerator for Microsoft 365 and other SaaS Applications
Riverbed Professional Services worked side by side with our team so we could learn and document best practices. It’s been one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve ever had with a vendor. We gained expertise and confidence to bring a critical solution to the front line.
Brendan Sullivan, Global CTO, CIO, and Head of Cybersecurity
RigNet
"In terms of challenging network conditions, oil rigs are right up there with the International Space Station. Riverbed SD-WAN helps us make the best use of customers’ bandwidth by combining all the techniques—SD-WAN, WAN optimization, SaaS acceleration, and security—in one device."
Brendan Sullivan, Global CTO, CIO, and Head of Cybersecurity
RigNet
