Reliable and flexible communications for the Styrian Fire Service Association through centralized unified communications
The Styrian Fire Service Association is one of the top addresses in Styrian fire and disaster control. It consists of 771 fire service brigades, spread among 17 area fire service associations, which are divided into a professional fire brigade, 78 company fire brigades, 2 university fire brigades and 690 voluntary fire brigades. In an emergency, fail-safe availability of the emergency services is essential.
Challenge
When it comes to efficient communication, the Styrian Fire Service Association’s requirements are mission critical. After all, it coordinates the operations of a total of 771 fire services with over 50,000 male and female members. Reliable and fail-safe availability for emergency situations is crucial. In addition, the association’s headquarters are located on an extensive site with wooded areas and training facilities, while running two separate telephone systems and exchanges—one for the fire service training center, and one for fire service command. These two systems were provided by different manufacturers, and were no longer meeting current demands. Service intervals were becoming shorter, required increasingly complex updates and even the smallest issues couldn’t be managed without an external service provider, which in turn led to unnecessarily high costs. A new, ‘future-proof’ solution had to be found.
Solution
After an extensive needs analysis by certified Atos Unify Partner Addcom, the Styrian Fire Service Association decided to replace the old system with Atos Unify OpenScape Business, a centralized all-IP unified communications solution. The virtually seamless changeover took place within a week. The statewide control center, with emergency call number 122, was immediately and securely connected to the new system. The integration of Atos Unify OpenScape Cordless for mobility was a particular success. This enables employees to use their cordless OpenStage devices anywhere on the site and includes convenient features such as a conference calling. In addition to this, the association has chosen software support for the next five years, therefore securing the new system’s long-term service and support.
Benefits
The Atos Unify OpenScape Business solution from Unify now provides efficient communications for the Styrian Fire Service Association as well as ensuring high availability in emergency situations. In contrast to the previous installation, the location now has one central system with a shared exchange unit. From now on, the association’s IT department will be able to resolve minor disruptions itself without having to incur the previous high costs for external assistance. A further advantage is the five year software support option. This guarantees optimal system stability, ongoing updates and additional reliability. Whether they are at the control center, the training facilities or in the forest, cross-site availability of emergency service employees is guaranteed thanks to the new, flexible cordless solution with outstanding audio quality and security standards.
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