> FAST DATA TRANSFER AND EFFICIENT
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
FOR LEADING FIRM OF ARCHITECTS
Case Study
The scenario
Renton Howard Wood
Levin LLP (RHWL)
As networks become more robust, so does the volume of data which companies
expect those networks to carry. This means that the transfer of large files which
seemed unthinkable just a few years ago is increasingly being taken for granted.
“We needed a complete
communications network –
one that could support both
voice and data, and which
had the capacity to carry our
large data files. Nortel was
the only supplier who could
deliver the end-to-end solution
we needed.”
> Dave Allerton,
So if your network struggles to keep up with these expectations, it can start to slow
business down – as Dave Allerton, IT Director of architectural firm Renton Howard
Wood Levin (RHWL), explains: “We need to transmit large CAD files internally
and externally all the time, but our old network was struggling to cope. So we
knew that a complete network upgrade was required. We also wanted a new
telephone system which would give us VoIP capability, for overseas staff and those
who travel regularly.”
Dave considered a number of vendors, including Nortel. “We needed a complete
communications network,” continues Dave, “one that could support both voice and
data, and which had the capacity to carry our large data files. Nortel was the only
supplier who could deliver the end-to-end solution we needed.”
IT Director,
RHWL
The solution
BT and Nortel delivered a converged voice and data network for 170 users at
RHWL’s new premises in St Katherine Docks. The solution included Nortel Ethernet
Routing Switch 5520s at two sites to create the main data network, plus a Nortel
Communication Server 1000 for IP telephony.
The data network is providing Gigabit speeds to the desktop through the Nortel IP
Phone 1120 and 1140 Gigabit handsets, plus two PC operator consoles. A Nortel
WLAN Access Point 2330 was also installed, to provide secure wireless network
access for staff and for visitors.
The solution gives RHWL:
• Capacity to send and receive large CAD files via the high-speed data network
• Highly reliable and cost-effective voice communications for staff who travel
overseas regularly, using IP softphone
• The ability to set up temporary remote offices easily by plugging IP handsets
into a broadband connection on-site
The results
“We are more than happy
with the new system. It
just works! Not only was
the Nortel solution the
right one for us from a
technical perspective, it
also turned out to be
the most cost-effective
as well.”
> Dave Allerton,
IT Director,
RHWL
This international firm of architects now has the high-capacity data network it needs,
and the IP telephony capability that Dave also wanted. With the new system installed,
RHWL plan to set up a short-term project office for 30 staff nearby, rapidly linking
the sites via a LAN extension circuit. “We set up temporary offices all the time”,
Dave explains. “It’s now a very simple process, just plug and play. We can easily
plug our PCs into the IP handsets. This is a big plus for us.”
RHWL also has an office in Berlin with 15 staff and a one-man office in Qatar. In
future, the Berlin office will be brought onto the network, whilst the staff member
in Qatar will use an IP softphone on his PC to make and receive calls as if in the
UK office.
Dave concludes: “Being able to include our overseas offices as part of the voice and
data network will be a huge benefit. And we’ll save on call costs as well. For me though,
the high-speed connection built into the IP handsets was the huge bonus. It simplified
everything, saving us time and money on the installation as far less cabling was
required. Other solutions we considered could not provide this, whereas the Nortel
system is obviously designed for the purpose.”
Nortel is a recognised leader in delivering communications capabilities that make the promise
of Business Made Simple a reality for our customers. Our next-generation technologies, for
both service provider and enterprise networks, support multimedia and business-critical
applications. Nortel’s technologies are designed to help eliminate today’s barriers to efficiency,
speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people to the information they
need, when they need it. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries around the world.
For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news,
visit www.nortel.com/news.
For more information, contact your Nortel representative, or the European Customer
Information Centre.
Nortel, the Nortel logo, Nortel Business Made Simple and the Globemark are trademarks of
Nortel Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.
Copyright © 2008 Nortel Networks. All rights reserved. Information in this document is
subject to change without notice. Nortel assumes no responsibility for any errors that may
appear in this document.
NN123785-061108-EMEA
BUSINESS MADE SIMPLE
2
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