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The flexibility and sophisticated functionality of Asterisk provides a framework for the rapid deployment of emerging applications such as desktop IP Telephony. |
About TandbergTANDBERG'S mission is to change the way people communicate. Their vision for the future anticipates a world in which all communication is natural, as if people are in the same room even if they are not physically present.
TANDBERG wanted to ensure that their new EMEA headquarters in London was a showcase for their flagship technology and a productive environment for the 80 staff that would be based there.
What's in a phone system?
One of the weak pieces in their new office was the legacy phone system. "There was no underlying infrastructure, just ISDN," said Eric Nisenfeld, TANDBERG'S Executive Briefing Centre Manager. "There was no room for growth, we couldn't facilitate remote users and we were unable to connect our video network," he continued.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is rapidly overtaking the traditional PBX as it can deliver cost savings and productivity increases. Compared with the traditional PBX, VoIP can provide much lower deployment and management costs by utilising a single wiring infrastructure.
Nisenfield, knew that VoIP was the answer. "Our choice of technology was just the first part of the puzzle. We also needed a systems integrator to compliment the choice of technology. Foehn's experience was a vital part to the successful deployment of our solution. Their knowledge and understanding of not only how to build the right infrastructure but also how to support, architect and deploy it, gave me confidence that they could meet requirements and exceed expectations, " he said.
Foehn is an innovative services company and IP systems integrator helping businesses take the headache out of IT and telephony. Since it began in 2000, Foehn has grown rapidly and built a loyal and varied customer base through a high level of technical expertise, quality of service and a deep understanding of its customers' business.
Having evaluated TANDBERG'S requirements, Foehn recommended a telephony system built around the Asterisk Business Edition version, which is a scalable, distributable and highly available open source enterprise IP telephony call-processing solution.
"Asterisk has growing market share," continued Nisenfield. "It is used a lot by VoIP providers and is behind many SIP service provider platforms. The cost benefits are also huge. I believe we only spent 25-30% of what we would have spent if we had chosen a non-Asterisk route."
The new system also improves TANDBERG'S ability to handle administrative tasks such as;
- Integration into core TANDBERG systems.
- Multi-party calling and conferencing.
- Sending voicemail messages as e-mail attachments.
- Promotions and screen pop ups.
"If a receptionist is called home with a sick child, they can light up their laptop and still answer calls as they would if they were physically sat in the office," comments Nisenfield.
Showcasing excellence
Within TANDBERG'S new headquarters is a 10,000 square foot Executive Briefing Centre and solution showcase consisting of 12 meeting rooms.
"The chosen telephony solution needed to fit seamlessly alongside our product set, utilising all the features and benefits of our solution, so that we could showcase it alongside our other telephony partners in our Executive Briefing Centre," continued Nisenfield.
The flexibility and sophisticated functionality of Asterisk provides a framework for the rapid deployment of emerging applications such as desktop IP Telephony, unified messaging, video telephony, desktop collaboration, enterprise application integration and collaborative IP contact centres. This means that it can integrate with Tandberg's video product offering to allow employees to utilise the functionality and to act as a showcase.
"We see the Asterisk deployment as an important milestone in that it will improve TANDBERG'S operational capabilities, reduce communication expenditure and provide a new angle on its product portfolio," confirms James Passingham, Technical Director at Foehn.
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