The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP)newly installed IP telephony platform is now handling more
than one million calls a day.
The landmark figure was reached following the technology's
installation at 435 sites around the UK serving over 35,000
staff.
The Integrated Communications Network Services (Icons) programme
being implemented at the DWP is one of the largest converged data
and voice networks in northern Europe.
The system, provided by BT using IP phones and network hardware
from Nortel, is part of a two-year DWP IT transformation programme
designed to extract the maximum value from IT.
The DWP's two existing networks are being replaced by a single
Voice over IP network capable of carrying data, voice and
video.
This will allow the department's frontline staff to more
effectively manage their workflow, reduce data-access times and
facilitate team working and collaboration via
video-conferencing.
To date, over 24,000 new handsets and nearly 4,000 fax and other
analogue devices are in use over the network providing more
integrated communications across e-mail, voice, instant messaging
and video.
Employees have also been given greater scope for flexible
working with the network, with the potential to link call centres
and enable home and mobile working.
BT has upgraded over 1,000 DWP sites to connect existing legacy
services to the converged wide and local area network.