Converged networks offer potential cost savings, increased
flexibility of working, as well as scalability and an integrated
phone system across multiple locations. Here we find out how two UK
organisations have realised these business benefits.
Brewin Dolphin Securities
In the summer of 2006, financial services company
Brewin Dolphin Securities went live with a
voice over IP (VoIP) system, timed to coincide with a move to new
offices in the City of London.
An independent private client portfolio manager with 35 offices
across the UK, Brewin Dolphin Securities rolled out the VoIP
network over time, starting with the new City office.
With nine offices and half of its 1,600 employees now using VoIP
services, Brewin Dolphin Securities has seen several benefits in
adopting the technology.
One of the main reasons for moving to VoIP was to prove to the
Financial Services Authority (FSA) that it had a fully resilient
voice/data system and a suitable business continuity system. It was
important for Brewin Dolphin Securities to get the right converged
network that could tick all the boxes.
The company evaluated three technology suppliers and asked them
to recommend the most suitable technology. It decided on Dimension
Data, partly because the supplier had undergone an office move
itself and had implemented its own converged communications
network.
Brewin Dolphin Securities had worked with Dimension Data for the
previous 12 months on storage, security, and voice and data
projects. Dimension Data also had strong partnerships with Avaya,
Cisco and Microsoft, and good project management experience.
At the time, Brewin Dolphin Securities was running multiple
voice systems across its branches, maintained by various suppliers.
Dimension Data suggested that the firm standardise on a VoIP
platform from Avaya, based around Avaya Communication Manager
servers in key UK sites, and 800 Avaya IP handsets.
The system would also use Avaya’s Modular Messaging unified
communications suite and Avaya MX, a group-wide conferencing
product that can create teleconference meetings quickly. It would
run on a Cisco quality of service-enabled local area network
infrastructure, and this would need to be implemented as part of
the project.
Brewin Dolphin Securities opted for a piecemeal approach to
upgrading its network, making the change whenever it moved or
expanded offices. It is still upgrading the network, with a
Newcastle office move planned for late 2007.
“It is physically easier to build a new comms room when you move
offices. An existing comms room might be adequate but there might
not be room to expand,” said Neil Bath, IT director at Brewin
Dolphin Securities.
The company employed Dimension Data and Avaya personnel to run
the project, but its own IT staff were also involved.
Brewin Dolphin Securities had network professionals who knew
little about telephony, and telephony people who did not know about
networking. “They were all fully involved in the roll-out, but they
were basically training on the project, doing one- or two-day
courses,” said Bath.
The project went according to plan and was delivered within a
tight timeframe, driven by the need to leave the old offices by the
end of June.
“There were one or two hiccups and a few minor heartaches. For
example, the fact that some of the telephone line providers seemed
to stop a couple of hundred yards short in the street. But we found
workarounds,” said Bath.
Brewin Dolphin Securities solved the problem by using telephone
lines from Thus and Easynet to give it the telephony coverage it
needed.
The network needed to be resilient to meet the FSA requirements,
and also had to adhere to Brewin Dolphin Securities’ business
continuity plans. The network needed to dovetail with business
continuity services from SunGard, which hosts a remote back-up
facility in Scotland where Brewin Dolphin Securities staff can
relocate in an emergency and link remotely into the London
datacentre.
As a regulated industry, Brewin Dolphin Securities fund managers
and other staff must be able to record their telephone
conversations regardless of the location of where they are
working.
The VoIP system has freed fund managers to work flexibly, using
their home broadband connections with the same office phone number.
Staff can also participate in voice conference meetings with
colleagues.
Bath said the project had taught him several lessons. “Never
underestimate time lags. When people say there is a delivery, it
always takes a bit longer, so make sure there are contingency
plans. Also, there are always one or two bits of technology that do
not work quite as you would expect them to.”
His comment refers mainly to an executive who wanted to conduct
his meetings via a radio microphone while walking around the
office. Bath had to abandon the project when the deafening feedback
rendered the IP headset and radio mic useless. “It was down to the
physics,” he said.
Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (Acca) is
using a VoIP system to help it manage fluctuations in call centre
traffic and cut its telephony costs by 10% a year.
Acca has 650 staff, 50 of whom work in its Glasgow call centre.
The association provides education, training and professional
qualifications for accountants, so its communications systems are
an essential link with its members and students who contact it by
phone, fax, letter and
e-mail for information and advice.
Prior to 2004, when Acca merged two Glasgow offices into one,
its data and voice communications infrastructure was based on
equipment from several suppliers.
Mark Devine, Acca’s IT director explained, “In 2004, we had a
four-site UK network based on old buildings, with analogue PBXs
which were 12 to 14 years old. When we decided to consolidate two
offices in Glasgow and rent a third in London, it meant we had the
opportunity to review our wide area network construction.”
Acca’s IT maintenance costs were high because it had multiple
equipment suppliers, including BT, Siemens, Cable & Wireless
and NTL. The system was growing increasingly complex, and it was
hard to view the performance and capacity of the whole network
infrastructure.
“In moving to new premises, you do not necessarily have to take
your old PBX equipment with you, so it became a relatively
straightforward decision that IP was the future,” said Devine.
Acca was looking for highly integrated telephony across all of
its sites, and ideally wanted a single supplier for the entire
network. After receiving proposals from several suppliers, Acca
chose NTL, which offered a Wan based on Cisco technologies.
“We were able to negotiate certain proof points and put together
a multi-year framework that was mutually beneficial,” said
Devine.
“Choosing the right partner comes down to the people. Cisco,
Avaya or anyone else will do the job for you, but I will
always
choose someone who is at reasonable arm’s length. They must also
have a good track record and good references. If I do not like the
account manager, or if they refuse to put engineers in front of me,
I would go with somebody else,” he said.
Acca deployed Cisco’s IPCC Express platform with centralised
network management and IP handsets with LCD displays. The
deployment went smoothly, although lessons were learned, said
Devine.
“On the IP telephony front, it was surprisingly easy. We found
you cannot deploy IP telephony across old category 5 cabling — you
do not necessarily have to upgrade to category 6, but the old
cabling infrastructure has noise and crackle on the circuit and you
have to test it. This is not a big job, it just needs someone with
a cable tester, but it has to be done.
“In terms of upgrading the infrastructure, it was the same as
rack mounting a server – though it is now a Cisco appliance, not
even a server, which is far easier. An old PBX of a similar
capacity is the size of a family fridge,” said Devine.
As part of the IT project, Devine sent some network support
staff on courses so that they could manage the new equipment, but
he described this as par for the course.
The VoIP system has saved Acca 10% of its £700,000 annual data
communications costs.
Another advantage is being able to divert excess call centre
calls to staff working either in the Glasgow office or in London,
without affecting the level of service.
“With the older telephony system, we would have had to hardwire
all the phones in the building. Now, we can use any handset to pick
up any IP call,” said Devine.
About 30 call centre employees can be based at home, using their
IP handset with a home broadband connection. Call quality remains
good, said Devine.
One potential drawback of VoIP platforms is that they are not going
to be as mature as some of the more established systems on the
market in terms of functionality, said Devine.
“But in terms of a top 10 tick list, it works off the same
handset and integrates into a global call manager directory. You
can get just as many variations of headsets, and features like
group pick-up and call forward,” he said.
The IP system has also meant that Acca has been able to
introduce videoconferencing to the network with 45 Cisco VT
Advantage cameras, which help Acca to reduce its travel
requirements through the use of virtual meetings.
“This is deployable not just in the main UK offices, but also
the regional offices and to home-based staff who are not
consistently in the office. In the past few months, we have added
life-size room-based conferencing and, because it is all digital,
it integrates with the Cisco systems,” Devine said.
The room-based system can be billed through the UK IP network,
even though a meeting might take place in Hong Kong, and this also
helps to keep communication costs down, he said.
More information:
www.computerweekly.com/voiptoolbox
www.voip.org.uk
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