Unified Communications Consultant for a UK University
The Project
A UK University engaged 4C Strategies to act as its independent Unified Communications consultant and to undertake a review of the current arrangements for data network, wireless network and telephony across the University.
The University had a network core that was no longer supported by the manufacturer and had reached end of life. There had been a number of recent network outages, which appeared to be due to aged equipment failing. It was concluded that continuing to run the existing equipment presented a significant operational risk to the University.
Whilst the University had excellent high-speed links between its main campus sites, the links followed single, non-resilient routes between the main sites. This also presented a significant operational risk in the event of a link failure.
The existing telephony system was generally reliable and appeared, by and large, to meet the day-to-day needs of the University. A significant percentage of the handsets, however, had reached end of life and were no longer supported by the manufacturer.
The most significant issue identified during the review was ongoing problems with the coverage and the performance of the wireless network. It was also noted that a significant percentage of the current wireless access points had now reached end of life and were no longer supported by the manufacturer.
How 4C’s Unified Communications Consultants Helped the University
4C Strategies was able to assist the University by undertaking a detailed review of the existing arrangements for data network, wireless network and telephony across the institution. This allowed 4C Strategies to ascertain the best possible solution, in each instance, to meet the University’s requirements.
Outcome/Benefits
The overall outcome of the 4C Strategies project is that we have been able to successfully advise the University on how it can vastly improve the day-to-day working of its data network, wireless network and telephony across all of its campus sites.
The key benefits arising from the outlined approach will be the following:
- The recommended replacement core network will eliminate operational risk to the University, lasting for a minimum of a 5-year term.
- 4C Strategies recommended that the most suitable and cost-effective way for the University to proceed was to rent a point to point private circuit to provide a diverse network route, which would provide network resilience in the event of the failure of one of the main intercampus links.
- The new wireless network will provide a solid foundation for day-to-day teaching and learning, and present additional opportunities for flexible / mobile working, and other services hosted over the wireless network.
- The recommended telephony solution will allow the University to run a single platform for telephony and unified communications functionality such as instant messaging and collaboration, which could enable improvements in mobile and flexible working, internal communication, productivity and the overall teaching and learning experience.
The Unified Communications consultants at 4C Strategies had extensive knowledge of the wide range of issues that they would need to address in order to achieve our ambitious transformation plan. 4C Strategies engaged with all stakeholders; provided clear advice and support and maintained complete integrity throughout the complex negotiations.
