Scouts prepared for IP telephony

NSW's Scouts have entered the IP telephony era, hiring communications integrator NSC to deploy a converged Avaya network for their new NSW office.

NSC has set up IP networking for the NSW branch of Scouts Australia as part of an IT&T upgrade for the organisation's relocated office.

Scouts NSW has about 40 paid staff and some 20,000 volunteers and members. "An office relocation put the spotlight on the need to invest in new technology that would contribute to improving business efficiency and reducing overall costs," NSC said in a statement.

Graham Bargwanna, chief executive of Scouts NSW, said the organisation had feared its "ancient" IT infrastructure would not survive relocation. So the group had decided to deploy IP telephony.

"As a volunteer organisation, hired staff are one of the biggest expenditures, so it is essential they are able to fulfil their jobs in the most efficient and effective way possible," Bargwanna said.

Craig Neil, chairman at NSC Group, the parent company of the integrator, said more SMBs were finding IP telephony affordable.

"This has enabled all types of organisations, regardless of their size, to lift their reporting, management and services capabilities," Neil said.

New IP infrastructure meant all staff and volunteers would be contactable no matter where they were. "By combining remote access with the IP network, Scouts will see massive cost savings as well as enhancements to the performance of their network," Neil claimed.

Scouts relied on regular teleconferences between volunteers, coordinated through office staff, to keep the organisation going.

"On the old system, we had to outsource conference calls because the network could not handle more than two participants," Bargwanna said.