Three-year deal will see managed service provider supply and manage a unified communications solution for OCS and its 30,000 staff
Azzurri Communications has been awarded a 5 million three year contract by facilities services and strategic outsourcing company OCS for the design, implementation and management of a unified communications solution for its 30,000 staff.
The solution will support OCS’s drive for productivity and innovation based on flexible, collaborative working, according to the managed service provider.
It will integrate OCS’ existing data networks (wide area networks and local area networks) with a centralised and hosted VoIP network, replacing older PBX technology. Azzurri Communications added new converged mobile and fixed devices will provide users with feature-rich standardised functionality and connectivity anytime, anywhere.
The O2 ‘strategic’ partner claimed the new contract will also enable OCS to reduce its communications spend by over 30 per cent over the next three years, whilst continuing to refresh its technology platform through harnessing new technology. It said the new integrated and unified platform will allow the firm to provide significantly improved services to its customers through service innovation and workforce productivity.
It said this is because the solution is the first of a new breed of unified communications solutions to be deployed in the UK which federates the services of a number of previously conflicting vendors and carriers to deliver a fully managed solution.
The managed service provider added it will use its cloud platform to bring together multiple suppliers of MPLS, Ethernet, SIP and DSL services, combined with mobility from O2 and hosted VoIP capabilities from Avaya.
Azzurri Communications director of mobility and converged solutions Martin Flick (pictured) said: “OCS wanted a partner who could match their ambitions and we’re delighted to be working with them on this ground-breaking project. Our 11 years of experience as an independent provider of all of the core communications disciplines gives us a significant advantage over newer entrants into the converged telecoms market.
“Our ethos to align to the customer requirement in the first instance, rather than be tied to a particular technology or carrier, allowed us to meet the challenges OCS posed with an open mind. Once the concept had been developed, it was then down to us to select the best of breed suppliers to partner with, to deliver OCS an innovative solution and ongoing service that will be far more valuable than the sum of its parts.”
OCS ICT director Jenny Sener said: “We really challenged the market with our requirement for a transformational communication infrastructure. Our vision is to take advantage of paradigm shifts in technology to gain an edge in a highly competitive sector. We have chosen Azzurri to help us achieve our roadmap for innovation, productivity and cost reduction to support improved customer services. We believe that a consolidated, managed platform delivered by one primary supplier provides the leverage for delivering economies of scale for major UC implementations.”
