Key Business Challenges
A recent joint venture of two large federal defense contractors was established to support a new spacecraft launch service program serving both NASA and the Department of Defense. The new venture needed to swiftly enable an internal communications platform to support its new facilities and 800-plus employees.
IT Challenges
The space launching organization needed to install an infrastructure that would offer basic phone and voice mail functionality as well as the scalability and flexibility needed to eventually add more advanced communications features.
Sales/Engagement Process
GTRI had long-term business relationships with the organizations involved in the creation of the space launching organization and won the space launching organization’s business by responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP).
Why GTRI?
As an expert in implementing Cisco communications solutions and an IT provider with vast experience serving government-related organizations, GTRI was an ideal candidate for the space launching organization project.
GTRI Solution
GTRI initiated the project by holding station reviews with the space launching organization department heads and other decision makers to clearly establish solution requirements. After putting project parameters into place, GTRI installed Cisco Call Manager, the software-based call-processing component of the Cisco IP telephony solution. Next, GTRI registered and configured phone sets, performed security encryption tasks, and implemented Cisco Unity to provide voice messaging capabilities. GTRI used Microsoft Active Directory to configure the Unity application for the space launching organization’s user base.
After successfully deploying the telephony and voice messaging infrastructure in the space launching organization’s primary facility, GTRI installed the same solution in a second building.
Finally, GTRI provided “train-the-trainer” instruction to administrative personnel, preparing them to get the rest of organization’s staff up to speed on the new system.
Benefits
The new Cisco IP telephony infrastructure provides the space launching organization with the communications capabilities it needs today and offers a scalable platform to accommodate more advanced features in the future. The organization has already begun adding fax and video teleconferencing functionality, and will soon enable paging and unified messaging capabilities.
The space launching organization was very pleased with GTRI’s performance on the project—its IP communications expertise was critical in getting the new venture up and running on its new platform quickly and smoothly.
