Everywhere and now up there
OpenScape Secure
Cloud in action
Identifying real-world return on investment,
and investigating use cases
Siemens Enterprise Communications
2011
In the first of our five minute guides ‘Is Secure Cloud for me’ we discussed the growing trend of large enterprises taking their communications into the cloud. Here we see how Siemens Enterprise Communications did just that to reduce its own cost and increase productivity across the board – using same OpenScape technology being offered now to small and medium-sized organizations.
OpenScape in action
Having taken the decision to migrate our own fragmented legacy systems onto a single, cloud-based OpenScape platform, we were able to slash our communications costs by more than 50%.
We migrated to a SIP-based voice network, reduced our server estate from 134 to just two, and eliminated 132 voicemail, PBX and unified communications systems. We saved in excess of $320,000 for each office location.
Same technology…different business
The key point is that we used exactly the same SIP-trunking technology, the same OpenScape applications and a highly reliant and secure global infrastructure to do it. In fact all the elements now available to your business. And crucially, moving our communications into the cloud laid the foundation for broader deployments of collaboration tools and technologies that continue to enhance workforce productivity today.
OpenScape
Extending OpenScape: common use cases
While the financial and operational benefits of our own move reflect the relative size of our organization, the experience we have gained in our own deployment and in supporting those of global enterprises means we can bring the benefits of OpenScape Secure Cloud to a much wider audience.
OpenScape Secure Cloud delivers a complete portfolio of base packages to suit every requirement; from enterprise-grade voice through to advanced unified communications. Additional booster packs can be added with ease to create a bespoke solution that maps onto the specific needs of individual organizations.
Now, for the first time, small to medium-sized organizations can take advantage of the cost-reducing,
productivity-enhancing advanced communications capabilities that were once the preserve of large enterprises. Here we highlight examples of common use cases where OpenScape Secure Cloud can deliver true
business value.
Example One: Law firm achieves seamless remote collaboration
A local law firm with 40 lawyers and 60 staff is running into communication barriers with its dated
phone system. Lawyers working from home use their mobile phones for most communication. They dial into third-party voice conferencing services for meetings and cannot easily share document drafts with colleagues or clients.
Though a capital investment in new technology has been planned, the in-house IT manager is stretched thin; lacking the resources or background to adequately research communication system options and implement hardware intensive solutions.
Challenge
After the success of an initial OpenScape Secure Cloud trial by its frequent home workers, the law firm adopted the UC Advanced pack and the Company Presence booster pack. The UC Advanced pack delivers full audio and web conferencing functionality, and enables further collaboration through desktop and document sharing. The Presence booster pack eliminates communications bottlenecks as lawyers can instantly see who is available to take the call, in a consultation or in court.
Solution
Better communications and increased remote collaboration makes the firm more productive, its mobile bill has fallen dramatically through one-number routing, while the entire cost of party conferencing is eliminated. Its lawyers have the functionality to work remotely while the IT department is freed from the maintenance and upgrade headaches of managing the firm’s communications network.
Example Two: Start-up achieves ‘enterprise’ infrastructure without the cost
In order to develop, market and sell its unique new software suite, the company plans to grow rapidly from a core start-up team to 40 or 50 staff. The five founders had used personal home and mobile phones, email, instant messaging and Skype to communicate with investors, potential customers, and most importantly of all at this stage of the growth, potential employees – many of whom are in lower-cost geographies across the world.
But the costs were rising and the company was becoming concerned about building a consistently professional interface to external stakeholders. Although they had recently moved into an office suite, it was without formal business communications.
Challenge
The web collaboration, presence and one-number capabilities available within OpenScape Secure Cloud have built flexibility and cost saving into this emerging business. Pay-go-as-you-go billing and system ownership avoidance delivers the financial freedom the new firm needs, while the ability to instantly add new employees to the system is critical as the business grows.
Choosing the UC Advanced pack and Company Presence booster has helped the partners to hire software developers right across the world – confident in the ability of OpenScape to bring these people together through advanced conferencing and collaboration.
Solution
The company has been able to instantly deploy an enterprise-grade communications system without the upfront investment associated with premises-based systems. Communication costs have fallen and seamless collaboration with its global team has helped the company employ top talent. It now has a flexible communications platform that will grow in line with its business.
Example Three: Marketing agency manages instant growth
Having won a very large new account, this 200 strong marketing agency is facing a major communications challenge. In order to service this new account immediately it must hire 20 new consultants. But current office space is limited and its existing phone system has reached capacity. For a short period it will be forced to provide home working options for 20 existing members of staff, to free up space for the influx of new employees. Challenge
The agency owners opt for a two phase strategy to manage this change. The first priority was to deliver enterprise-quality voice to its new employee’s onsite and existing homeworking staff through OpenScape Secure Cloud’s Voice Premium package. This solves the immediate capacity issue as new and remote users can be instantly added to (or removed from) the network with a quick phone call to their OpenScape Secure Cloud Certified Partner.
Phase two saw the agency trial advanced unified communications through the UC Advanced and the
Community Presence booster pack to add presence and conferencing facilities to client teams, and one-number services for remote and mobile consultants.
Solution
The agency was able to seamlessly and quickly integrate this large number of new starters into its communications infrastructure – without the cost and inconvenience of a hardware system upgrade. The addition of presence and collaboration technologies has become the catalyst for working practice change as the benefits of flexible and remote working become clear. Critically, service to existing clients and the major new account has remained consistently high.
Example Four: Managing multi-site expansion in the education sector
As its course portfolio and student numbers expand, this higher education college needed to connect planned new locations – from administrative and faculty offices near the university’s main campus to an undetermined number of lecture venues scattered throughout the city. The university has expressed interest in modernizing all its communications for faculty, staff, and students. However it did not have budget to replace its dated communications system.
Challenge
Because of fluctuating student numbers and undetermined satellite lecture locations, extending its current premise-based system would have been costly and have lacked the required level of flexibility. Utilizing the OpenScape Secure Cloud Community Presence booster pack, UC Advanced Pack and Point-to-Point Video boosters the university could add or remove connected satellite locations in line with enrolment numbers and during term/holiday periods. It was also able to take full advantage of new enterprise-grade voice communications, web collaboration, audio and video conferencing and presence functionality throughout its central administration and faculty offices.
Solution
By taking advantage of the pay-as-you-go cloud model, the university can now scale its financial commitment up and down in line with student numbers, and bring remote lecture theatres online as needed. Crucially, it has been able to deploy an advanced communications network across its sites without the upfront capital costs. Result
Take action today
Of course, we understand every organization has differing objectives, characteristics and challenges; and we have an OpenScape Secure Cloud package, and comprehensive portfolio of booster packs, to suit all requirements and budgets.
Next steps
For a guide to how to build your business case, uncover the hidden costs of your
existing premises infrastructure and to take advantage of our Secure Cloud
Saving Estimator, download our final five minute guide ‘Build your Secure Cloud
Siemens Enterprise Communications is a premier provider of end-to-end enterprise communications solutions that use open, standards-based architectures to unify communications and business applications for a seamless collaboration experience. This award-winning “Open Communications” approach enables organizations to improve productivity and reduce costs through easy-to-deploy solutions that work within existing IT environments, delivering operational efficiencies. It is the foundation for the company’s OpenPath commitment that enables customers to mitigate risk and cost-effectively adopt unified communications. This promise is underwritten through our OpenScale service portfolio, which includes international, managed and outsourcing capabilities. Siemens Enterprise Communications is owned by a joint venture of The Gores Group and Siemens AG. The joint venture also encompasses Enterasys Networks, which provides network infrastructure and security systems, delivering a perfect basis for joint communications solutions.
Copyright © Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. KG
Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. KG is a Trademark Licensee of Siemens AG Hofmannstr. 51, D-80200 München, 06/2011
The information provided in this document contains merely general descriptions or characteristics of performance, which in case of actual use do not always apply as described or which may change as a result of further development of the products. An obligation to provide the respective characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of contract. Subject to availability. Right of modification reserved.