User Insights

Independent Insights

Strategic Path - Case Study #1: Quantifying UC Success

Measuring your business’ UC return on investment The transport and logistics industry is a fruitful environment for UC-based solutions. UC has enabled changes in business processes, where today we see everyone in our workforce as a knowledge w...

Strategic Path - Case Study #2: Convergence is a journey not a destination

McGrath-Nicol is a leading Australasian firm specialising in corporate advisory, forensic, transaction services and corporate recovery. Since separating from a ‘big four’ accounting frm in 2004, McGrath-Nicol has used the adoption of new te...

UniComm - Leveraging VAR and SI Talent

For unified communications success The best approach for your business By Marty Parker, Principal, UniComm Consulting, Co-founder UCStrategies.com Unified communications (UC) is now a proven business tool. Since the Strategic Path articles in ...

Strategic Path - Unifying your phone systems: the Challenges for Management

Integrating and updating its communications systems for greater mobility provided major benefits for Wellington City Council, but also posed some unexpected challenges when it came to training, management and product lifecycles. What went well and what...

Strategic Path - IT theory of everything

The Web Oriented Architecture revolution By Sheldon Dyer, IT Manager, Cricket Australia If CIOs were to compile a wish list of key goals of their infrastructure and solutions, surely the list would look a lot like this: • Minimal TCO and ...

UniComm - Getting started in Unified Communications - Easily and Economically

The four steps to successful UC By Marty Parker, Principal, UniComm Consulting LLC Unified communications is truly gaining traction. The number of positive UC reference cases continues to grow rapidly. These reference cases report specific, high-RO...

Get smart about integrating voice says Angus Kidman

Unified communications is often bandied about as the ultimate vision for corporate networks, but setting up and cost-justifying any UC platform can be tricky. Strategic Path writer, Angus Kidman, looks at how to effectively map business processes to vo...

Strategic Path - Cairns City Council: UC in a warm climate

UC in a warm climate When it comes to Unified Communications there are many questions you should be asking: What is the quantifiable ROI of Unified Communications? How do you successfully evolve to embrace UC and how do you prepare? How do you...

Strategic Path - Evans & Peck: Covering the globe with UC

Covering the globe with UC Mike Lorimer, CIO - Evans & Peck Group outlines the professional services company’s UC implementation and how it has reducing international travel, increasing communication and providing staff a sense of being...

Strategic Path - Mallesons Prove Quantifiable ROI and UC success

Quantifiable ROI and UC success The Strategic Path talks with Gerard Neiditsch, Executive Director — Business Integration & Technology, Mallesons Stephen Jaques about the firm’s recent “richer than UC” communications i...

Strategic Path - Mirvac builds on UC for global growth

Mirvac builds on UC for global growth Mirvac’s CIO, Chris Kennett talks with The Strategic Path about the company’s recent UC upgrade that will help its staff collaborate to overcome skills shortages. What is the specific Unified ...

Strategic Path - Optus moves to IP for productivity

Optus moves to IP for productivity The Strategic Path talks with Jon Wilkie, Director, Corporate Services at Optus about the benefits of and challenges in relocating the company’s head office. Can you tell us a little about what has now b...

Unicomm - Unified Communications - What, How, & the Big Rewards

Unified Communications - What, How, & the Big Rewards While enterprises can leverage generic UC tools to make some productivity gains, there are higher-gain improvements available to enterprises that start by improving business processes, using...

Strategic Path - Crowne Plaza manages to get a triple play

Crowne Plaza manages to get a triple play Part of the worldwide InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, which opened in October 2006, boasts150 rooms, 72 two-bedroom villas and conference facilities for up to 560 dele...

CIO Institute - CIOs Harnessing the Hype

CIOs Harnessing the Hype CIOs can rise above the avalanche of misinformation in today's market by working out where their organisation stands on the path to IT maturity. Anyone who has encountered IT vendors' more hyped claims – such as, f...

Strategic Path - CIO Panel on the reality of IP telephony

The Strategic Path CIO Panel on the reality of IP telephony Moderator: Jim Berry, Publisher, Strategic Path to Converging Communications Panelist: Mark Jones, Infrastructure Manager for Corporate Express Panelist: Marcus Moufarrige, Chief Inf...

Strategic Path - Western Integration: Interview with the Office of Shared Services

Western Integration: Interview with the Office of Shared Services By 2008, the OSS will be staffed by corporate service professionals who will play a pivotal role in the largest corporate services reform process ever in WA. Working in this way re...

Strategic Path - 2007 will be the year of the customer service war for Channels

A channel to success? By Kirsten Marsh Why service bundling? Why now? Strategic alliances What SMEs have to gain from market development If 2006 was the year of technology war in telecommunications, then 2007 will be the yea...

Strategic Path - Q&A with Garry Whatley, CIO Corporate Express

Movin’ on up! Q&A with Garry Whatley Chief Information Officer, Corporate Express Australia Motivation for upgrading The keys to successful migration Business benefits of advanced IP telephony Q: You are currently i...

Vendor Insights

NSC Group - Integration Provides Increased Customer Satisfaction For Flexirent

As a market leader in 'small ticket' (under $20,000) rental finance of IT products for either personal or business use, Australian rental finance company, Flexirent Capital Pty Ltd has a 100 seat contact centre handling more than half a million calls p...

CISCO - Case Study #3: Single System, multiple benefits

Integrating its communications systems onto a single platform has enabled pay TV provider Austar to reduce its call centre costs while also improving service levels to customers. How did it achieve that feat and what lessons have been learned? Over ...

NSC Group - IP Telephony Network Delivers Financial Benefits for ANU

The Australian National University (ANU) is ranked among the top 50 universities in the world - higher than any other Australian university. To further advance the course of learning and research, the university recognised the need to enrich its commun...

NSC Group - Case Study: iSelect Increases Conversion Rate

- 30% - 50% From Day One With so many health insurance funds currently in operation, the task of choosing a health insurance policy can be extremely confusing. Launched in 2000, iSelect is Australia's number-one health insurance comparison site desi...

NSC Group - Case Study: NSW Office of Fair Trading Boosts Customer Service with IP Telephony

NSC Enterprise Solutions successfully completed a $6.8 million contact centre upgrade incorporating Avaya IP telephony for the NSW Office of Fair Trading, an Australian statebased government department. The project consolidated three disparate contact ...

NEC - Rice County Municipal Govt move to a fully converged network

Rice County, MN Rice County, located in Central Minnesota, 30 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, is the state’s 13th most populous county. Like many others in Minnesota, it has a great deal to offer residents—attractive outdoor rec...

3Com - A Single Voice/Data Network Increases Daniel Silva's Productivity and Profits

A Single Voice/Data Network Increases Daniel Silva’s Productivity and Profits Snapshot Moving its main office was the perfect opportunity for freight forwarders and customs broker Daniel Silva Ltd. to reduce communications costs and increas...

3Com - Case Study on Mairangi School NZ IP Phones

Mairangi Bay School Puts a Phone on Every Teacher’s Desk for Increased Safety and Communications SNAPSHOT Affordable, Easy to Use and Manage 3Com® IP Telephony Solutions Improve Safety and Communications for School Staff, Parents and St...

NEC - Black Box Network Services

Black Box Network Services In May 2006, Black Box, a large distributor of networking products, acquired Long Island’s Nu-Vision Technologies, one of NEC Unified Solution’s most successful associates with a solid book of business in gover...

NEC - DACA move to a new office and implement UC

Debt and Credit Advisors Debt and Credit Advisors (DACA), based in Camarillo, CA, is dedicated to guiding consumers to a debt-free future by motivating them to implement practical, proven strategies. According to Debt and Credit Advisors Executive D...

Cisco - Making the most of Technology Now! Cisco's Sheila Jordan reveals how Cisco is Embracing Web 2.0

An insider’s view of how Cisco is embracing Web 2.0 for internal productivity gains and a richer employee experience Interview with Sheila Jordan, VP, Communication and Collaboration IT SP: What is the aim behind the Cisco “Communicatio...

3D Networks - Are you ready for UC Change? Asks Chris Luxford, CEO of integrator 3D Networks.

Strategic Path interview with Chris Luxford, CEO of 3D Networks (Australia) SP: As 3D Networks is a global integrator: how do Australian businesses compare with the rest of the world in terms of deploying convergence and UC? How is the UC market in ...

Strategic Path - Strategic Path Integrator Roundtable: Successfully Integrating Unified Communications

Successfully Integrating Unified Communications When you do choose to take the path towards unified communications, a good partner and integrator is essential. Not only to help guide you through the maze of suppliers but also to manage the varie...

Dimension Data - Cairns City Council Case Study 2007

Cairns City Council Builds Unified Communications Infrastructure Dimension Data Deploys Unified Communications Infrastructure to Support Regional City Council’s Strategic Plan Executive Summary Cairns City Council (the ‘Council&r...

Dimension Data - Cairns City Council Builds Unified Communications Infrastructure

CAIRNS CITY COUNCIL BUILDS UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE Dimension Data Deploys Microsoft and Cisco Infrastructure to Support Regional City Council’s Strategic Plan Sydney, Australia, October 18, 2007 – Dimension Data today ...

3D Networks - 3D Networks Pharmaceutical Case Study

A VoIP enrichment of an existing PABX slashes costs. Tasmanian Alkaloids’ traditional telephone network was prohibitively expensive to expand, and maintenance time and costs were an increasing problem. 3D Networks upgraded the existing PABX...

CISCO - Unified Communications - the CISCO definition

Unified Communications – the CISCO definition The theory of unified communications says that is should provide a single point of access to all message types - voice, fax, email and SMS - from virtually any communications device such as tele...

Ericsson - Unified Communications - the Ericsson definition

Unified Communications – the Ericsson definition The Strategic Path talks with John Kelly, Director, Enterprise & Government, Ericsson Australia and New Zealand about how Mobile Unified Communications help businesses achieve measurable ...

Microsoft - Unified Communications - the Microsoft definition

Unified Communications – the Microsoft definition Strategic Path interviews Oscar Trimboli, Director, Unified Communications Group, Microsoft (A & NZ) about the company’s definition and vision of UC in Australia. What is your ...

Strategic Path - Unified Communications - the NEC definition

Unified Communications – the NEC definition By Rocco Arico, NEC Australia, Executive General Manager National Sales and Marketing, Business Solutions Group, NEC Unified Communications (UC) is a new name for a group of technologies that ha...

Integ - Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley beds down converged network and IP communications

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley beds down converged network and IP communications Part of the worldwide InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley boasts 150 rooms, 72 two-bedroom villas and conference facilities for up to 560 ...

Integ - From IP Telephony to flexible workplaces

From IP Telephony to flexible workplaces SP: We’re hearing a lot about companies implementing IP telephony at the moment. Given the investment an organisation makes in this regard, how can they get more out of the converged network, over a...

Gibson Quai - Good advice makes the convergence journey a walk in the park

Good advice makes the convergence journey a walk in the park Gibson Quai-AAS Consulting’s research arm Telsyte has just surveyed more than 900 Australian business decision makers on telecommunications technology adoption. The survey has confi...

NEC - Convergence in Telecoms

Convergence in Telecoms VoIP has finally broken free from its early image as a platform for cheap calls, judging by a growing number of customers – such as the City of Greater Bendigo – crediting it with making a significant difference ...

Prognosis - Multi-vendor IP telephony management: Challenges and Solutions

Multi-vendor IP telephony management: Challenges and Solutions This article from IP telephony management software vendor PROGNOSIS discusses the growing occurrence of multi-vendor IP telephony installations, and the challenges associated with manag...