Microsoft Communications SectorCustomer Solution Case Study

Local council mobilizes with unified communications system

OverviewCountry or Region: New ZealandIndustry: Local Government

Customer ProfileThe New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) is a local government elected by the ratepayers of New Plymouth.

Business SituationNew Plymouth District Council (NPDC) is a medium sized New Zealand District Council with a population of 70,000, infrastructure worth three billion and more than 500 employees.

SolutionThe Council embarked on a public tender process, and after considering several companies and products chose to work with Gen-i to implement Microsoft Lync.

Benefits• Increased productivity• Instant visibility to staff availability• Instant Messaging functional• Complete multi location and• Instant disaster recovery

“The final solution was a quantum leap in connectivity and collaboration for the Council.”

Kevin Glynn, Manager ICT, New Plymouth District Council

As part of their future strategic plan New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) wanted to deliver a Unified Communications (UC) solution across the organization. This forward thinking Council intended to create an environment where council staff were able to quickly and easily respond to requests from the public, and systems were in place to facilitate seamless interaction and effective team collaboration. The existing Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system at NPDC lacked the functionality to support this plan. Maintenance and the threat of a total system failure was an on-going risk, which could result in some potentially serious consequences for the Council. NPDC took action to prevent this and decided to implement Microsoft Lync, which was able to provide a complete UC solution in line with the Councils long term strategy. NPDC now have an effective future-facing system with increased functionality that facilitates effective collaboration and communication both internally and externally.

SituationNew Plymouth District Council (NPDC) is a medium sized New Zealand District Council with a population of 70,000, infrastructure worth three billion and more than 500 employees. The council is responsible for the management of the environmental, social, economic and cultural well-being of the New Plymouth District.

NPDC was looking to the future and had a vision of providing a robust Unified Communications (UC) solution throughout the organization. With a philosophy of content sharing, the Council aimed to provide the public with easy access to information and staff, but was increasingly restricted by the existing infrastructure.

As part of the Microsoft infrastructure Optimization (IO) model, NPDC worked through an overall strategic plan called the Data Centre Renewal and Optimisation Programme (DROP) which is made up of three phases. The second phase involved replacing the legacy PBX and contact center systems.

The existing Private Branch Exchange (PBX) had limited functionality and concerns about reliability were an ongoing source of stress for the Council. The system was impacting the Council’s ability to service external customers.

NPDC required a system that was easy to use, while providing the required levels of functionality and robust collaboration needed to service the entire organization. The legacy phone system previously in place, provided some of the required functionality, but it was too complex and

cumbersome for council staff to use effectively.

"Some people knew how to use certain features on the existing system, but because it was so complicated it was difficult to teach others and most people just didn’t bother with them. We needed a system that was easy to use,” says Kevin Glynn, Manager ICT at NPDC.

With the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011 games planned for New Plymouth, it was the ideal time to assess the current infrastructure situation, review the needs of the organization, and select the appropriate replacement.

SolutionThe Council embarked on a public tender process, and after considering several companies and products chose to work with Gen-i to implement Microsoft Lync.

Gen-i was chosen as the selected partner due to the breadth and depth of their technology capability. The system decision was based on multiple criteria – best fit, value for money, and the ability of the system to grow and change with the needs of the Council in the future.

Prior to the Microsoft Lync rollout NPDC installed the Microsoft Lync Client throughout the organization. This gave staff the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the look and feel of the system, and to utilize some of the features such as ‘Presence’ and ‘Contacts’.

“Installing the Client allowed users to test out some of the system features before

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they actually had to use it and this worked really well for us,” says Kevin. A phased approach was selected for the implementation which began in May 2011 and continued through to August 2011. Part of the implementation strategy involved selecting a group of enthusiastic product advocates from a cross section of departments. This meant that there were people with varying degrees of familiarity in each department, who could then support their co-workers.

An initial pilot group of 50 users was selected for the first phase. Once this group was running successfully, the number was then expanded to 100 to test the system with higher call volumes. The next step was to roll out the Wide Area Network (WAN) based sites in August 2011, with the remote access sites completed in September 2011. The implementation ran in parallel with the existing PBX which is in the process of being phased out.

The implementation ran very smoothly, with any new system it takes time for everyone to get used to using it, but Lync is very intuitive and Council staff picked it up very quickly.

“There were no real issues, it was remarkably straightforward and people were very positive about the new system in general,” says Kevin.

BenefitsSome of the benefits of implementing Microsoft Lync were realized immediately by the NPDC team. Staff learned to use the

system very quickly and with minimal training. Some of the benefits include:

• Increased productivity• Instant visibility to staff locations and

availability • Instant Messaging functionality• Complete multi location and offsite access

for staff• Instant disaster recovery• Future proofed solution

The ability to collaborate easily amongst groups of people has been a real time saver for the Council. Using Microsoft Lync has reduced the amount of meetings required and helped to expedite decision making. For example, when people are on a call discussing an issue and input is required from another person, it is easy to see if that person is available and invite them in to your discussion to solve the problem there and then.

Council staff can use Presence to see, at a glance, the status of colleagues – if they are busy or available, and where they are currently located in the building. They can even view a photo of the person whom they are communicating with, particularly useful in large organizations such as NPDC where staff often deal with teams in different locations that they may not have met in person before.

“The final solution was a quantum leap in connectivity and collaboration for the Council,” says Kevin.

Instant Messaging (IM) is a very useful communications tool when colleagues need quick responses to questions. It allows staff members to collaborate

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effectively and efficiently on topics. As a topic requires further input, other users can be invited to participate in the discussion.

Microsoft Lync provides a mobile solution for NPDC staff. Users logging in to the network have the same access to Contacts, Presence and IM regardless of their location. This means that people can work from home or different locations without issue or technical changes.

One of the major advantages of a mobile solution, is that in the event of a disaster, staff can be moved to a new location and begin working almost immediately. This will reduce recovery time, costs and prevent a delay in providing council services.Microsoft Lync has provided NPDC with a sophisticated, future proof communications tool that facilitates effective collaboration. The new system has delivered a group wide UC solution for the Council.

Microsoft Communications SectorMicrosoft Communications Sector delivers integrated, adaptable, comprehensive solutions built on innovative software. These solutions help communications service providers develop, deploy, and evolve customized and differentiated offerings that enhance the user experience.

For more information about Microsoft solutions for the Communications Sector, go to:www.microsoft.com/serviceproviders

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Gen-i products and services, call 09 306 4600 or visit the website at: www.gen-i.co.nz

For more information about New Plymouth District Council products and services, call 06 759 6060 or visit the website at: www.newplymouthnz.com

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published November 2011