Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) needed a specialist Microsoft partner to implement a Unified Communications System which offered cost savings as well as increased functionality, and productivity.
KFRS had a communication infrastructure based on a Cisco IPT system that was costly and did not meet their needs. They engaged Modality Systems to help them identify operational efficiencies, and improvements that could be gained by migrating from their existing Cisco infrastructure to a Microsoft Unified Communications solution.
Recognising that they needed external expertise, KFRS partnered with Modality Systems to implement a Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 R2 pilot. Having realised the benefits associated with OCS2007 R2, Modality systems then worked with KFRS to develop a UC strategy based on Microsoft Lync.
With a clear strategy, and Modality as a partner, KFRS have been able to rollout the full Lync feature set to every desktop and all 1800 users across the county of Kent, and are working with Modality to migrate from ISDN to SIP trunking for PSTN access.
KFRS’s unified communications project has been so successful that they will soon be decommissioning their existing Cisco VoIP solution. With Microsoft Lync rolled out across Kent, every employee, from firefighter to Chief Executive, has access to a smart communications toolset using IM & Presence, Video and Audio Conferencing.
Staff are already starting to manage their availability far more efficiently, and are choosing the communication tools and methods that they prefer. By 2012, KFRS expect to realise approximately £100,000 a year in savings on existing telephony and conferencing contracts and services alone.
http://www.kent.fire-uk.org
September, 2011