Solutions Inc 

Sector: IT

Key Features: SIP & WiFi Telephony. Apple Mac Integration

Two Into One Will Go

Based in Brighton, Solutions Inc has spent the past twelve years building up a loyal following within the Apple community. With a business spread across two buildings, they are one of only ten dealers in the UK to maintain Apple CentreTM status, with a focus on Architecture, Audio, Video and Education where they have been granted the level of Apple Solution ExpertsTM. In addition they have built up a separately branded ISP business - Freedom255 - with a philosophy to provide the very best internet experience and technical assistance to the Apple community, whilst, at the same time, recognizing the needs of Windows and Linux users. The practicalities of running an Internet service provision business, combined with the support of a laser network link between their buildings and a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for staff working from home, has provided Solutions Inc with a wealth of "real-world" WAN and LAN networking skills and expertise.

"As an operation well versed in the way businesses can benefit from deploying the appropriate technology, it was becoming very apparent to us that our telephone system was holding us back," said Aidan Bowen, Solutions Inc.'s Technical Director. "Despite being an IP enabled PBX, the Nortel BCM 400 we were using was unable to integrate with any of our IT systems. As such it was proving both restrictive and costly. System management and administration was achieved through a proprietary Windows application - not good for a business run exclusively on Macs - which was extremely difficult to navigate, whilst adding a new telephone cost us in excess of £200 a time."

The Search Begins

"We wanted to embrace the new wave of converged IP communications in order to retain a competitive edge and enable growth. As an Apple reseller and ISP we recognize the need to employ these essential technologies in-house in order to best advise our clients as well as to deliver the flexibility without constraint that our business demands," stated Bowen. Solutions Inc.'s needs from a new telephone system were pretty straight forward; a pure IP design for future proofing, a single system to unify both their sites, single number mobility for those moving between sites and integration with their IT systems and applications. "With our in-house skill sets we initially considered Open Source systems such as Asterisk, however, we quickly became concerned at the wisdom of deploying what is effectively an unsupported system from a commercial sense. In the end the choice was made for us. SpliceCom's maximiser offered the only true converged solution for Apple Mac systems. As an Apple reseller ALL our in-house systems are Mac based. Having spent the last four years looking for a solution of this type the decision to opt for SpliceCom was simple - it was the only one that could deliver everything we wanted from a business telephone system."

Managing Change

SpliceCom's "Reseller of the Year" for 2005, The Telephone Maintenance Group (TMG), supplied the maximiser system to Solutions Inc., removing the BCM 400 and replacing it with the new telephone system over a three-day period to minimise any possible business disruption to Solutions Inc. staff. A maximiser Call Server connected to a 30 channel Primary Rate ISDN (PRI) service was installed in The Joinery, the main Solutions Inc. building, which offers 7,500 sq ft of floor space spread over three floors. A separate Remote Call Server was installed in the Tech Centre, located some 500m away from The Joinery. The two buildings are linked using a 1Gb LaserBridge with a back-up path being provided with a 54 mbps radio connection with a 3msec failover. With voice and data traffic sharing this connection, it allows the Call Server and Remote Call Server to be linked and operate as single seamless telephone system for customers, employees and system administrators alike. A 2 channel Basic Rate ISDN (BRI) interface is connected to the Remote Call Server at the Tech Centre to provide an alternative route for telephone calls in the event of the PRI at The Joinery failing. Solutions Inc. are currently running with 30 extensions at the main site and 10 at the Tech Centre, however, the system they have installed allows them to expand to 300 and 40 extensions at each site respectively - and system capacity can be expanded even further, by simply adding additional maximiser modules, should it ever be required.

Workforce Mobility Delivered Through WiFi & SIP

The original plan was to allow employees who regularly moved between sites to use maximiser's comprehensive Hot Desk facilities to automatically route their Voicemail, DDI and Departmental calls to whichever phone they were "logged-in" to at that time. However, maximiser's open architecture allowed an even more elegant solution to be deployed, as Aidan Bowen explains. "We've now added a secure wireless infrastructure for voice and data from Meru Networks. This is the only product we've found that delivers predictable bandwidth and over-the-air Quality of Service, allowing us to provide converged voice and data connectivity for our employees over a single Wireless LAN infrastructure. By installing five wireless Access Points in the main building and three in the repair centre our nomadic staff now use SIP WiFi phones from Hitachi as extensions on our maximiser system to make and receive phone calls wherever they are - even if they're walking between the two buildings! "

Choice of Phones

maximiser's open architecture has also allowed Solutions Inc. to allow their employees to chose the type of phone they want to use. "From a technical point of view, maximiser's ability to support SIP, H.323 and traditional analogue phones simultaneously is fantastic," says Aidan Bowen. "It's allowed us to reduce our costs as we can now choose which handsets we use with our phone system." The PCS 10 and PCS 5 analogue phones deployed by Solutions Inc. for those employees who want to use a traditional desktop phone, can be used in conjunction with SpliceCom's PCS 50 phone partner application, which runs on Apple Macs - Windows and Linux versions are also available. This then gives them access to all of the advanced telephony features offered on SpliceCom's top of the range PCS 400 IP, touch screen phone. For those who want to embrace Desktop Convergence, the PCS 50 application can also be run as an IP Softphone on any Mac OS X platform, in conjunction with a Bluetooth, or USB, headset or phone. Finally, the Hitachi SIP WiFi phones are used by those roaming between the main building and the Tech Centre. "Offering the choice to our staff of which phone they can use has been very interesting," says Aidan Bowen, "Invariably our technical staff pick the IP Softphone, whilst nearly everyone else goes for the more traditional desktop phone - even though they then choose to use it with the PCS 50 phone partner application running on their Mac because it makes their life easier."

And There's More….

Solutions Inc. don't see the business benefits of their new business telephone system ending with its installation. "We’re already using maximiser as a SIP Gateway for ClearMeet, the Online Collaboration tool we use and intend to extend this further by converging voice with all of our office IT systems," says Aidan Bowen. "This includes our Filemaker and SQL databases, our Hansa accounts/CRM application and our Security System which is built around IP webcams with X10 signaling and control." This integration allows telephone numbers to be dialed directly from the databases and accounts/CRM package and for customer records to be "popped" from the same applications on incoming calls, either within the integral PCS 50 browser, or via a standard web browser. The images from the security web cams - and their control - can also be monitored by anyone running the PCS 50, either as an IP Softphone or as a Phone Partner. 'We also want to see if the convergence offered by Dual Band GSM/WiFi phones, such as Nokia's E60, can make life even easier for our staff, by reducing the number of devices they need to carry around," said Bowen.

maximiser Payback

Solutions Inc. are already starting to enjoy the rewards from their new telephone system. "In the same way that maximiser has unified our communications between sites, it is already allowing our field and internal sales teams to work together in a more cohesive manner," says Aidan Bowen. "Call costs are being reduced through better management of the overall system, whilst centralized directories reduce the time taken to search for and dial a number. The addition of a customised Auto Attendant to front our Helpdesk support service also means that it's quicker for our customer's to get through to the right person. The ability to manage maximiser from anywhere through a standard web browser has also allowed us to "lose" the Windows PC we needed for the Nortel BCM 400!"

"To any one starting to investigate Business Telephony, don't underestimate the flexibility of a maximiser solution - and don't naturally assume that a telephone system from a global brand name will be the right one for your business," concluded Bowen.

Project Highlights

SpliceCom's maximiser has allowed Solutions Inc. to provide a single unified business telephone system across its two sites. Linked via a Gigabit LaserBridge system and integrated with their Meru Networks secure, wireless LAN infrastructure, maximiser's mobility capabilities allows the use of Hitachi WiFi phones to provide One Number coverage for staff roaming between sites. Support for SIP, H.323 and traditional analogue telephones allows staff to choose the phone that best suits their role within the business. Work is currently underway to integrate Solutions Inc.'s existing databases, accounts/CRM application and security control systems with maximiser to further improve business efficiency and productivity.

System Summary 

• One 4100 Call Server
• Thirty ISDN Trunks
• One 4140 Remote Call Server
• Two ISDN Trunks
• One 4330 Phone Module
• Thirty-Eight Analogue Extensions
• Twelve IP Extensions
• Twenty PCS 10 Display Phones
• Six PCS 5 Business Phones
• PCS 50 Phone Partner Software
• Seven PCS 50 H.323 IP Softphones
• Four Hitachi WIP 5000 SIP WiFi Phones
• Meru Networks Wireless Infrastruture
• 80 Voicemail Boxes
• Unified Messaging
• Auto Attendant

Customer Benefits

• Improvement in customer service levels.
• Customised Auto Attendant for the Helpdesk Support
• Service reduces time to answer.
• Ease of transferring calls between locations helps in getting through to the right person first time.
• One Number and roaming capabilities allows key employees to be contacted whichever building their in - or even whilst in-between buildings.

Commercial Benefits

• Reduction in call costs through better overall system management.
• Scalable, IP based, modular system with no capacity limits provides a platform for future business expansion plans.
• Technology and handset indpendence - H.323, SIP & analogue - allows employees to choose the phone that best meets their business needs.
• Open system architecture allows easy integration and convergence with LAN/WAN/wireless infrastructure and IT applications. This reduces management costs and increases business efficiency.
• Simple browser based management allows administration from anywhere on any platform.

Staff Benefits

• Single system allows calls to be routed or transferred seamlessly between buildings.
• Personal choice of using traditional desktop telephone - with or without PCS 50 Phone Partner application - or IP Softphone running on Apple Macs.
• Wireless infrastructure allows DDI and Departmental calls to be received anywhere on SIP WiFi handsets.