CU-ICAR-Integral Solutions partnership creates advanced communication system

Published: May 23, 2011

Integral Solutions Group image by: Integral Solutions Group

GREENVILLE — Clemson University has partnered with a leading Upstate information technology company to incorporate state-of-the-art communication systems at the Center for Emerging Technologies.

Integral Solutions Group will provide communication technology for use by resident partners, a move that further strengthens the Greenville area’s IT infrastructure.

Located at the heart of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), the Center for Emerging Technologies provides office, administrative and laboratory space for the transportation and energy sectors.

Emerging or established companies are able to expand and develop technologies that complement research of Clemson faculty and students. The center is designed to complete the technology chain from laboratory to the consumer end-user.

The center’s resident partners will have at their disposal:

• access to high-bandwidth fiber-based Internet service connected to Integral’s Tier IV Data and Business Continuity Center located just outside Spartanburg.
• wireless Internet access.
• Cisco-based voice over Internet-protocol phone technology, including unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling at no additional cost. Standard phone capability will include voicemail and numerous other business phone functions.
• 24-hour personalized technology support from Integral’s Network Operations Center.
• access to Integral’s suite of Cloud Office Services that includes off-site backup and archiving, email hosting (with iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry synchronization and 24/7 support), SharePoint hosting, website hosting and virtual servers.
• access to colocation, enterprise monitoring, business continuity and 24/7 help-desk solutions at Integral’s Tier IV Data and Business Continuity Center. 

Bob Geolas, CU-ICAR executive director and Clemson University associate vice president for economic development, said such a state-of-the-art facility dictates state-of-the-art infrastructure.

“Our tenants are at the leading edge of technology in their fields,” he said. “This partnership with Integral Solutions Group will provide the cutting edge communications they require — and the technology they are entitled to expect in such a facility.”

Vice President Tom Farthing said this partnership is an example of positioning a technology-centric facility to truly live up to its mission of delivering enterprise-caliber technology solutions that are scalable and forward-reaching. 

“Teaming with CU-ICAR to deploy Integral’s Cloud Office Services will provide tenants and users with a world-class infrastructure that is coupled with services based on the most current technology found anywhere,” Farthing said.

The 60,000-square-foot center represents a total investment of $11 million and marks another milestone in CU-ICAR’s short history. The Clemson University Real Estate Foundation received $3 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. 

The center is under construction on property adjacent to the AutoPark and tower housing the CU-ICAR Partnership Office, St. Francis VRUM fitness center and Carolina First Gallery in Technology Neighborhood One, and is scheduled for completion this summer.

Sage Automotive Interiors, a spinoff company started by former employees of Milliken and Co. who have purchased the company’s automotive fabric division, has signed a lease for approximately 16,000 square feet of space.

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Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is a 250-acre advanced-technology research campus where university, industry and government organizations collaborate. CU-ICAR offers masters and Ph.D. programs in automotive engineering, and is conducting leading-edge applied research in critical areas, such as advanced product development strategies, sustainable mobility, intelligent manufacturing systems, and advanced materials. CU-ICAR has industrial-scale laboratories and testing equipment in world-class facilities available for commercial use, as well as a comprehensive computational center dedicated to solving clients industrial problems, backed by high-performance computing infrastructure.  

Integral Solutions Group
Integral Solutions Group is an Upstate South Carolina-based provider of technology solutions and communications infrastructure, supporting users worldwide. Since 1987, Integral has led the industry in network design, technology integration and communications cabling. The company’s move to build its own data center was highly anticipated, as Integral has helped build and maintain data centers for more than two decades.