Conrad Gargett, Panasonic KX-NS1000 case study

Challenge

Legacy communication systems could not keep up with evolving and changing needs, was not upgradable to SIP or easily expandable, lacked state-of-theart functions, and was incurring high monthly charges.

Solution

Panasonic’s KX-NS700 compact Hybrid System integrated under the KX-NS1000 communication platform handled both present needs and also allowed for future expansion at 2 additional sites, provided enhanced mobility for those in remote locations, and slashed overall telecommunications bills by over 60%.

We have been impressed by the ease-of-use, reliability and great range of features for the price point of the Panasonic solution.
Scott Savage,
IT & Systems Manager, Conrad Gargett

Conrad Gargett

Since 1890, Conrad Gargett has been at the forefront of architecture in Australia. The award-winning Australian architectural firm handles projects in a variety of sectors including aviation, commercial, health, infrastructure, hospitality and retail as well as landscape and urban design and is expanding domestically and internationally.

Conrad Gargett sees “the application of cutting-edge technology” as one of its key strengths. Panasonic and Com2 Communications have supported the company’s demand for the latest technology to advance their business, serve their clients and improve their bottom line.

With offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, and Townsville, dependable and high-quality voice communications is essential for the firm. However, their legacy communication system could not keep up with their evolving and changing needs, was not upgradable to SIP, and lacked state-of-the-art functions. They needed a future-oriented solution to meet ongoing communication demands.

Conrad Gargett faced three main challenges:

Legacy system that was being rapidly outgrown and could not be satisfactorily upgraded.
High monthly expenditure of $3,000 on telecommunications.
With an imminent office relocation, the provider had a 4-week window of opportunity to organise fibre, SIP, voice porting and system delivery, and also ensure the system would be “future proofed”, and upgradeable and expandable as the business grew.

In consultation with Com2 Communications, Conrad Gargett determined the Panasonic KX-NS700 Compact Hybrid System integrated under the Panasonic KX-NS1000 communication platform would best handle not only its present needs, but also future expansion at two sites as well.

The KX-NS1000 communications platform can be easily expanded to support up to 16 sites, providing Conrad Gargett with an easy upgrade path for their future expansion.

With Panasonic’s “one-look” networking, the single KX-NS1000 provides consolidated PBX functionality for two or more networked KX-NS series, with no additional servers. The system can be easily expanded via a web-based maintenance console, and support a maximum of up to 16 sites, providing sufficient capacity for Conrad Gargett’s plans into the future.

The KX-NS1000’s built-in Media Relay Gateway (MRG) also enables installation of IP phones in locations distant from the office, such as the homes of teleworkers. By using a softphone application on a smartphone or PC, mobile workers can also use IP phones as extensions when they are away from the office.

Panasonic’s KX-NS700 compact hybrid communications platform is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises, and can serve up to 250 users, making it ideal for multi-site system integration. The solution was completed by 132 feature-rich and durable Panasonic handsets.

Within four weeks, fibre, SIP, voice porting and delivery to a site under construction were all achieved with actual deployment completed in just four days.

Scott Savage, IT & Systems Manager, Conrad Gargett, explained:

The Panasonic solution provided ease-of-management, a more simplified IT structure and an overall lower telecommunications cost. All of these benefits were in addition to full, integrated SIP capability.

“With such a user friendly system, our general work day has gotten much easier. With only one training session, our staff are using the system for all of the things that we needed it to do.”

One year after deployment, the features and capabilities of the KX-NS1000 solution continue to pay dividends for Conrad Gargett.

These include:

Reduction of overall telecommunications spend by over 60%.
Ease of use and simplified IT infrastructure.
Expandable system design allowing for future business growth.
Voicemail capability allowing users to choose if voicemail is delivered via the handset or email.
Easy “on premise” system management utilising the web manager interface.
High quality, durable Panasonic handsets.

Ability to “Future Proof”

One of the key criteria for Conrad Gargett’s choice of Panasonic equipment was the ability to be “future proofed”. In the next 12 months, they plan to add more than 150 new users to the network at two additional sites. Panasonic’s KX-NS700/KX-NS1000 solution enables Conrad Gargett’s IT department to fully address both present and future needs.

Scott Savage added: “We would recommend Panasonic to anyone who is looking for a great, feature-rich, robust and reliable business telephone system at a fantastic price point.”