Mount Airy Casino Resort, the premier gaming and entertainment resort destination in Pennsylvania, selected Emtec to design and implement a vast technology infrastructure that includes separate data networks for gaming systems and back-office operations. Accomplished in just a three-month period, these networks include a gaming system based on Pennsylvania gaming regulations, as well as a complete, separate network for back-office operations to support day-to-day human resources, accounting and hospitality tasks.
Emtec leveraged its experience supporting Bally's, Caesars Palace, and Tropicana Casinos & Resorts to create a comprehensive enterprise solution for Mount Airy Casino Resort that includes a central data center, voice over IP capability, wireless connectivity, server virtualization, a storage network, redundant Internet connections, a multi-layer security plan and backup power systems.
In addition, Emtec helped Mount Airy Casino Resort become one of the first casinos worldwide to have each slot machine integrated in its gaming network. All slot machines on the gaming floor are now tied together and report back to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which monitors all transactions.
"When building this casino, it was very important to us that we hire an organization that could step on board with the right people and make our enterprise information technology vision happen in a tight timeframe," said Mike Ray, chief information officer for Mount Airy Casino Resort. "When it came to selecting our solutions provider, we felt Emtec's proven track record within the gaming industry would enable them to quickly understand our needs and be able to get the job done right and within our tight deadline."
As construction was taking place on the Mount Airy Casino Resort, Emtec set up a functional data center in one of the construction trailers and began staging and configuring gear allowing Emtec to have e-mail and file storage capabilities. This enabled Mount Airy Casino Resort to establish key marketing and human resource functions such as new business, employee training, and the ability to begin taking reservations. Once Emtec was able to gain physical access to the building, they created another node on the network and began porting gear into what would become the permanent data center. The final cutover was accomplished in less than four hours.
"Our challenge was to come up with a solution that allowed all the various segments to coexist and leverage each other while maintaining the security necessary to prevent the casino operations from being put at risk in any way," said Colwyn Warner, chief technologist, Emtec, Inc. "This had to be done while maintaining the normal discipline and security required for back-office operations. We were able to successfully accomplish this using our past experience and a team of experts that were 100 percent dedicated to the priorities and timeline of Mount Airy Casino Resort."
