The Basel-based architecture firm is developing sustainable context-oriented planning concepts. The company’s primary objective is to achieve a symbiosis of user requirements with context-oriented construction and design, while ensuring that deadlines and budgets are met. Its entirely macOS-based working environment also needs to live up to these high standards.

The Task

Ferrara Architekten AG has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2005. The communications solution installed at the company‘s original headquarters was inflexible, extremely complicated, and high-maintenance, as it was based entirely on analog technology. Despite many costly and time-consuming upgrades, the system was increasingly incapable of meeting the company‘s constantly growing demands for efficient collaboration within project teams. In addition, there was no way to integrate the architecture firm‘s computer workstations, which all ran the Apple operating system macOS, into the existing communications system. For this reason, the company wanted a future-proof and successful all-IP communications solution that could grow seamlessly with its demands while enabling the integration of its existing desktop systems.

The Solution

Having grown to over 35 employees, the architecture firm moved to a new location on its 10-year anniversary. Plans were made, not only to renew the IT and network infrastructure, but also to implement a complete IP- based communications solution that would satisfy all requirements from one source.

Following an in-depth joint analysis of requirements, the long-standing ICT service provider and preferred integration partner Axians COM AG recommended Atos Unify OpenScape Business from Atos Unify with the myPortal Smart desktop client. The complete solution was developed specifically with the requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises in mind, and is also one of the few Unified Communications solutions on the market to allow the integration of macOS-based desktop systems.