"For a large government operation like ours, we need a simple and efficient way to deliver IP telephony capabilities to employees across many different locations," said Jeff Welsh, senior technical support specialist, Maine Office of Information Technology. "Our departments are distributed in buildings across a 10-mile radius -- ranging from public safety to regulatory agencies to the department of administration -- and our people often move to different locations or sometimes work from home. Avaya enables us to quickly deploy IP telephony to our employees in a way that makes sense from both an infrastructure and cost standpoint."
According to Welsh, once deployments are complete, employees will have the tools necessary to quickly access communications, and speed responses to state residents and each other.
The state has been an early tester of the Avaya one-X Deskphone Value Edition IP deskphones. Features include call logs that provide read-outs of calls made or received, embedded contact directories, and mobility capabilities such as extension to cellular, which enables users to bridge their deskphone with a cell phone.
When an office disaster or network interruption strikes, for instance, the Emergency Management Agency can help ensure its employees remain accessible at home using an Avaya IP softphone application that is a virtual representation of one's deskphone on a laptop computer. Or if a worker needs to set up shop in another state building, they can simply log into an Avaya IP phone in the new location. According to Welsh, this hassle-free ability to move people -- and their phones -- from one place to another is another benefit of IP telephony.
"Speed makes all the difference," said Welsh, "and that's what Avaya IP telephony helps bring us. Whether it's as simple as enabling a state worker to remain productive while at home, or moving hundreds of workers to another building due to a disaster, Avaya IP telephony keeps us connected."
