Nonprofits Improve Communications
Educational Institutions Depend on Netarx's Specialization to Install Single IP System

Sharing office space in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are two nonprofit organizations that are committed to serving higher education. The National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) serves 91 institutions-mostly small, private liberal arts colleges-helping faculty to bring technology into the classroom. The Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) serves 12 private colleges of liberal arts and sciences in the Great Lakes area, addressing fundamental issues such as educational quality, managerial effectiveness, and public support.

Although the two organizations share the same office space, each had separate phone systems and, according to Eric Harper, technical manager for NITLE, "neither worked very well." GLCA was burdened with a key system that had reached its limit, and it was so outdated that adding a new employee to the phone system was expensive. The NITLE system was just as obsolete-it supported only four lines and the busy office experienced dropped calls, static, and crossed lines where other conversations could be heard.

Harper looked at several bids for both voice over IP (VoIP) and traditional phone systems. Through the local phone service provider, Harper learned about Netarx Inc., a Cisco® Gold Certified Partner with headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Netarx holds specializations from Cisco Systems® in IP Communications, Partner Voice Support Offering (PVSO), WLAN, and VPN Security and is a Cisco SMB Select partner.

Heather Rumsey, education account manager at Netarx, brought Harper to the Netarx offices to see IP telephony operating in a real environment. "We have used Cisco IP telephony equipment since early 2001," says Rumsey. "We're definitely an early adopter of the technology and it really makes an impact on prospective clients when we show them that we depend on IP to run our business every day. We work hard to educate people on the power of IP and help them understand that it's not 'just a phone,' it's a computer. And we can show them phone bills to demonstrate how long distance charges have virtually disappeared. It's very powerful."

The existing data network was patched together and Harper was not comfortable using it to run the organizations. When he considered a combined communications and data solution and the long-term benefits, he decided that a converged network was the best solution for the two organizations. He agreed that when considering the business needs of the two organizations, along with the number of remote workers each has, the IP features provided the best solution.

"We have a lot of people with IP certifications and experience on our staff in order to hold our Cisco IP Communications specialization," says Craig Perry, marketing coordinator for Netarx. "That specialization tells our clients and prospects that we know IP telephony and IP communications inside out. We can plan, design, implement, optimize and support IP telephony for them."

As the technology manager for two nonprofit organizations sharing resources, Harper wanted assurance that he was working with a partner with solid technical experience and who would understand the business needs of NITLE and GLCA. And as with any nonprofit organization, it is important to restrain costs. Rumsey worked hard to get every price as low as possible and to make sure that NITLE and GLCA were getting the most out of every dollar.

Netarx worked on a converged Cisco IP network solution for NITLE and GLCA-it was to be full project, beginning to end, with Netarx handling the solution design, implementation, and optimization. The solution included 30 Cisco IP phones, and up to three remotes with expansion for more. Cisco CallManager with Cisco Unity® Express would handle voicemail, and a Cisco in-line power switch would power the phones.

With the new IP phone solution in place for NITLE and GLCA, lost calls and voicemail issues are in the past.

"Having one system serve both organizations has really unified the two companies," says Harper. "The workers are more organized and unified with each other, and it's absolutely seamless to the people we're serving. They can call from California into Ann Arbor and get transferred to someone to Texas and never know." The organizations also are saving on their long distance bills and more than US$400 a month just on conference calls.

Rumsey sees it every day in the education market. "K-12 schools have money issues," she says. "When I show them the return on investment (ROI) an IP solution will deliver, it can really make a difference for them. They can show their school board and their community that they're saving hard dollars that can go back into the classroom. That's very powerful."

Perry agrees that converged networks are the wave of the future, and says Netarx strives every day to stay on the forefront of this important technology.

"IP telephony is not an easy thing and not everyone can get it to work right, but it so easily utilized," Perry says. "We see every day how it can change a business. We concentrate on people, tools and processes so that we can pass our knowledge to clients quickly and easily. We offer third-party applications and are constantly pushing for new and advanced certifications to stay on top of this technology. We're very committed to Cisco and to offering a complete convergence package."

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