SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Stay informed! Sign up to get expert advice and insight delivered direct to your inbox
The State of VoIP
Companies with fewer employees than larger counterparts need VoIP solutions too. Network Computing begins examining solutions for smaller enterprises.
April 10, 2004
3 Min Read
The Scenario
Why should a 200-employee company buy your VoIP system rather than outsourcing its telecom needs? We're basing our analysis on a fictional 180-employee insurer that is moving into new offices (details below).
The following minimum requirements are essential to this review:
System must support a minimum of 220 Ethernet-attached IP phones (180 employees plus room to grow.)
All phones must support 802.3af
All phones must have two, 100-Mb ports
All phones must support 802.3q/p and either DiffServ- or TOS-based QOS
All responses must include Unified Messaging support
All responses must include ACD support
All responses must include Presence support
All responses must include support for telecommuters
HaveNoFear Insurance LLC insures the makers of reality television programs, including everything from Fear Factor to Candid Camera. The growing reality TV media phenomenon requires insurance because of the dangerous, high-risk activities that make these shows so popular. The likelihood of a lawsuit from a stunt gone wrong, or mental abuse and humiliation from another contestant or panelist, is high. As a result, insuring the sponsors, producers and staff of these shows has become a high-growth area.
HaveNoFear is growing quickly, but also faces stiff competition. Actuaries, risk managers, loss control engineers, underwriters and legal counsel must work together to efficiently set premiums for new shows, sometimes on a stunt-by-stunt basis, while keeping the company's costs down. In addition, case managers, customer service reps and claims adjusters must work together to resolve claims in a timely manner.
The company plans to move its staff of 180 employees to larger headquarters and will require a new telephone system. Upon occupying the building, HaveNoFear IT will install a high-bandwidth, high-quality LAN that will not be part of this RFI. While there are no satellite offices, about 20 employees telecommute from home and 30 additional employees have offices at headquarters but also travel extensively and telecommute from home occasionally.The company is seeking basic, reliable, cost-effective communications, but it is also interested in improving efficiency of staff interactions and optimizing business processes.Aside from traditional telephone service, provided cost-effectively via VoIP, HaveNoFear is also interested in applications such as presence and unified messaging. The company hopes this new system will give it a competitive edge against larger, more well-established insurers that are increasingly attracted to the lucrative business of insuring those associated with reality TV.
HaveNoFear Business Essentials
Total employees: 180
Number working remotely: 50
Existing network infrastructure: The network infrastructure will be LAN-based with Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS enabled. There will be 100-Mb connections to desktops with 802.3af PoE support. A gigabit backbone will connect to the rest of the network.
HaveNoFear Goals
The company hopes to keep costs low and improve productivity as well as its ability to compete.
HaveNoFear Business Objectives
Improve internal communications
React quickly to new business prospects
Provide excellent customer support
Control costs
Solutions will be graded on the following criteria:
General Architecture
Phones: basic, executive, attendant consoles and conference units
PBX
Telecommuting
Presence
Conference Calls
Voice Mail
Unified Messaging
Application Integration
Pricing Summary and Totals
Distribution Channel
0
Read more about:
2004You May Also Like
More Insights
Webinars
