Fosters chooses Cisco for network refresh

Fosters Group has awarded a contract to Cisco Systems to rip out some 80 legacy communications systems and replace them with a unified communications solution.

The rollout forms part of Fosters' Enterprise Architecture Project, a company-wide review of operational IT systems and business process.

Fosters will replace legacy communications systems with a line of Cisco Integrated Service Routers (ISRs) that will manage the organisation's switching, telephony, network security, WAN acceleration and wireless gateway.

A spokesperson for Fosters said this infrastructure provided "consolidated maintenance and support, simplicity in deploying upgrades via simple router change and centralisation of management and expertise."

Fosters will also purchase up to 4,000 Cisco Unified IP Phones for desktop users at key sites in Australia, Napa, California and London and in smaller offices in 15 other countries.

The brewing company was planning a "progressive rollout", starting with operations in North America and in the company's corporate head office in Southbank, Victoria.

The company said it expected most Australian sites to have migrated to the new system within the next 12 to 18 months.

The company planned to introduce individual voicemail, customised hold music and messages, speed dials and personal directories, before adding the capabilities of IVR (interactive voice response), call queuing, presence technology, extension mobility, desktop integration and collaboration.

Andrew Leyden, CIO at Fosters Group said the Cisco solution would "reduce our spending by simplifying our communications infrastructure and mak[iung] a quick and simple transition to an IP-based unified communications platform."

Peter Hughes, manager of Unified Communications and Collaboration at Cisco Australia and New Zealand said the vendor has worked closely with Fosters to design a UC solution.

"This significant upgrade will create a collaborative environment for Foster's employees, driving workforce productivity across country borders," he said.

The deal has been forged directly between Fosters and Cisco Systems, but the networking vendor said it had "worked with" three Gold channel partners during the engagement to date and expected to award some of the work to a channel partner.

"There is no firm partner at this time as Fosters is currently going through the decision-making process," a spokesman for the networking company said.