Improved communications through a flexible and adaptable networking infrastructure

The Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education is the largest provider of further and higher education and training in Northern Ireland. With 39,000 students, the Institute offers a comprehensive range of programmes at all levels, ranging from introductory to postgraduate. In 2002, the Institute was in the process of building a new site, The Gerald Moag Campus at Millfield. As part of this project, the Institute needed to equip the new site with voice and data networking technology. The Institute originally approached voice and data networks separately when considering how to network the new site. They knew that converged networking would bring them a more flexible infrastructure, and that it would help them to make more efficient use of their network resources. All of their existing sites had separate voice and data networks.

A new way forward

ntl helped the Institute to reap the benefits of converged networking, without compromising the integration of Millfield with the existing campuses.

ntl installed and configured a complete IP telephony solution for the Institute. The highly resilient telephony system is based on a Cisco Call Manager cluster, comprising two nodes. These nodes are configured as primary and backup servers; in the event that one server should go down, the network would continue to operate using the backup server.

The network infrastructure delivers 10/100 Base-T Switched Ethernet to the desktop. The voice messaging system delivers ‘unified messaging’ with text-to-voice conversion, which means that voicemail, email and faxes can be managed either from the desktop or using a telephone handset.

The installation was carried out by locally based ntl engineers, who are fully accredited to Cisco CCNP level and additionally accredited in both IP telephony and Cisco’s Unity voicemail specialisations. ntl timed the installation for July 2002, out of term time, to ensure that disruption to the college was minimised.

One of the most challenging aspects of the installation involved integrating the IP network with the legacy voice network in place at the other campuses. However, both the installation and the integration went very smoothly.

Why ntl?

There were a number of factors that led the Institute to choose ntl as their supplier: ntl had already provided, and was maintaining, the Gigabit Ethernet ring that links the Institute’s sites. In addition, the Institute had already decided that it wanted to install Cisco networking equipment, and ntl is the biggest Cisco supplier across Northern Ireland and Eire. Furthermore, ntl had experience with a similar project when they installed the IP telephony network at the University of Ulster. According to Jim Woods, Deputy Head of Finance and Administration at Belfast Institute, “ntl was an obvious choice.

We trusted them to deliver the right solution. And we knew they could deliver at the right price. We’ve now got a voice network that will carry us into the future,  delivering the investment protection we need.”

Reaping the rewards

The IP telephony network has been in place at Millfield Campus since July 2002.  The converged network is delivering the following benefits to the Institute:

• A more flexible and adaptable infrastructure: adds, moves and changes are now much easier and can be administered by the institue itself
• Lower installation costs: less cabling is required for a converged network
• Lower management costs: one network is more efficiently managed than two
• A better utilisation of network resources, which delivers cost savings over time
• Increased productivity and better communication, thanks to unified messaging 

The Institute’s investment in the network at Millfield means it now has the option of extending IP telephony to its other sites. By making use of the existing fibre ring that connects the campuses, the Institute is getting good value for money with its converged network. The Institute’s use of leading-edge technology means that they have a network that can cater for their needs not just now, but also in the future.

In the future

The Institute’s relationship with ntl is ongoing. In mid-2003 ntl implemented an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that directs calls between Learner services and telephone enrolment. ntl also continues to install Cisco switches for the Institute as  they expand. In addition, ntl will be linking smaller sites to the Gigabit Ethernet ring that connects the main campuses. And ntl retains responsibility for maintaining both the Gigabit Ethernet ring and Millfield’s IP telephony network.

What’s more, it’s a relationship Jim Woods is happy to see continue: “ntl’s staff who maintain the switches and iron out faults are really responsive. They’re very in tune with our needs.”