The Sportsworld Group, based in Abingdon UK, had a number of requirements to consider during an office relocation during early 2008. A new telephone system was required to replace an existing ageing PBX, along with new infrastructure to support both wired and wireless clients. Flexible communications were key. Being an Olympic year, Sportsworld had a large number of employees and clients that would be travelling extensively and they needed to be able to communicate efficiently and cost effectively with them. At the same time, the environment needed to be flexible and adapt to change quickly and easily.

The Solution:

Nettitude approached the challenge using a modular architecture. Firstly, the new office in Abingdon was designed and implemented using a converged Unified Communications solution from Cisco Systems. Cisco Catalyst switches were installed to provide a high performance Local Area Network environment supporting embedded Quality of Service (Qos) and Power over Ethernet (PoE). Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, deployed on a Cisco 2800 series Integrated Services Router provided a state of the art IP telephony infrastructure, capable of supporting both the Abingdon office, and also remote workers who connected back to the main network utilising VPN technology. Cisco 1100 Series Wireless Access Points were deployed into the site to provide secure wireless services for both internal and guest users.

Once the Abingdon site had been deployed, connectivity to other sites was then implemented. Home workers were connected using broadband services and VPN technology. Further smaller Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express systems were deployed into remote offices including multiple offices in Beijing and Wimbledon. Using VPN technology these systems were interconnected allowing full seamless communications to be delivered across all of the sites at zero cost by utilizing existing Internet services. If for any reason the VPN services became unavailable, calls were automatically and transparently rerouted over the PSTN network. Extension mobility was provisioned to allow travelling users to log onto a handset in any office and have their calls delivered directly to them. Sophisticated Auto Attendant systems were put into place so that clients were able to contact Sportsworld personnel quickly and efficiently.

The Benefits:

All of the elements within the solution were delivered on time and to specification. The new infrastructure within Abingdon has provided Sportsworld with an infrastructure that supports current and future business requirements. The selection of Cisco Systems Unified Communications solution as the platform has allowed Sportsworld to deliver seamless, efficient and cost effective communications to customers and employees across the globe in a dynamically changing environment. As offices are closed upon completion of particular events, equipment is redeployed to where it is needed next providing total investment protection.

About Sportsworld:

The Sportsworld Group consists of five operating divisions working together to provide a full compliment of event management services. We offer our clients a proven first class solution, based on meticulous planning and unrivaled levels of personal service.

To find out more about how Nettitude can help you with your Unified Communications requirements, please complete our contact form, and a Consultant will respond to your enquiry.