Healthcare Industry- cisco phone deployment case study
About the company
This organization is an award-winning non-profit and Medi-Cal-managed health management system providing healthcare solutions for Santa Cruz, Merced, and Monterey county residents in Southern California. With over 22 years of successful operation, this health plan services over 300,000 clients and is in a network with more than 7,900 medical providers and specialists. Founded in 1996, their mission is to help improve access to health services for lower-income residents residing in these counties. They serve the disabled, pregnant women, low-income mothers and their children, and also low-income adults with no children from ages 19-64. Their services include member accessibility to the following: follow-ups, prescription drugs, radiology, vaccinations, health and wellness, and specialist visits. They are the exclusive health services of over 36 percent of the population in the Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Merced counties.
CHALLENGES
This non-profit health service provider had IT issues that were two-fold:
They were in need of an upgrade of their existing phone systems and required a team to carry out the implementation. They required phone upgrades to carry out business functions and wanted the implementation of video desktop services and rack and stack devices across their three locations. They also needed individuals who could carry out the installation due to their internal team being engaged with other projects. This included racking servers, installing conference room devices, and incorporating the new phones and phone lines in all three locations. They also required the large-scale installation of conference room devices, IP desk phones, and phonesin the common areas.
Assessment and solution
With these challenges in mind, this organization reached out to PM2NET to install and configure their Cisco UC phones, video desktop services, and rack and stack devices. The scope of work involved the following deliverables: device installation in three locations and the dialing of predetermined IVR number to connect phones.
Device Installation
For the Scotts Valley region in Santa Cruz, the PM2NETteam was responsible for the installation or racking following:
(1) Racking 1 BE7K-H server (2RU rack mount server)
(2) Installing and configuring 1 Cisco 4431 integrated services router (ISR)
(3) Installing and configuring 1 voice gateway hardware, Cisco VG310
(4) Installing, configuring, and testing 475 IP desk phones
(5) Installing, configuring, and testing 52 common areas phones
(6) Installing, configuring, and testing 34 Cisco IP Conference Phones 8832
(7) Installing 5 Cisco Webex DX80 video desktop devices
For the Merced location, the PM2NET team was responsible for the installation of the following:
(1) Racking 1 BE7K-H server (2RU rack mount server)
(2) Installing and configuring 1 Cisco 4431 ISR
(3) Installing, configuring, and testing 90 IP desk phones
(4) Installing, configuring, and testing 22 common areas phones
(5) Installing, configuring, and testing 4 Cisco IP Conference Phones 8832.
For the Salinas region in Monterey, the PM2NET team was responsible for the installation or racking of the following:
(1) Installing and configuring 1 Cisco 4431 ISR
(2) Installing, configuring, and testing 90 IP desk phones
(3) Installing, configuring, and testing 22 common areas phones
(4) Installing, configuring, and testing 6 Cisco IP Conference Phones 8832.
advantages
With the incorporation of their new Cisco ISR’s real-time threat intelligence, users benefited from malware and phishing protection. The multi-core processing feature of ISR allowed for increased network service performance and availability; Cisco’s application visibility and control (AVC) allowed for IT team visibility into more than 1000 applications for capacity planning and prioritization. The installation of Cisco IP Conference Phones 8832 allowed for the reliable and secure communication of employees. For end users, it boasts a crystal-clear audio feature from its wideband (G.722). The phone system allows for crystal-clear coverage of up to a sizable 800 square feet. Its user interface eases viewing and navigation through the software; the phone provides an antiglare and color pixel display.
Further, the organization can also benefit from conference calls of up to 26 attendees. The IT staff benefitted from ease of management, since 8832 comes with wired and DECT wireless microphone options. SHA-256 encryption promotes secure communication for its users, relieving IT staff from the possibility of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations.
With the Cisco Webex DX80 installation in the Scotts Valley location, the organization’s users benefited from an easy-to-use user interface –being able to join meetings with a click of a button– while Cisco Expressway allowed for quick and simple remote registration for users. Webex DX80 also has features such as whiteboarding, an always-on HD video communication system, high-quality audio system for speakerphone use, and secure end to end communication. While end users benefited from ease-of-use and robustness of their Cisco UC solution, employing PM2NET allowed for the reliable and cost-effective installation of their IT project; customer satisfaction guaranteed.