News: telecoms

4th May 2016

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Odyssey Systems has received top marks from The Education Village Academy Trust (EVAT) after revamping the telecommunications infrastructure serving the Multi Academy Trust’s five schools, which span three separate locations.

After experiencing problems with its aging system, which was installed almost 10 years ago, The EVAT decided to upgrade; after considering a number of providers, it gave Teesside-based Odyssey Systems the call.

The installation of the new Mitel network, carried out by Odyssey’s expert engineers, is an IP-based system and much more flexible than its predecessor, which often required inconvenient upgrades and maintenance.

Following the completion of the two-week project, which included more than 150 phone extensions, The EVAT’s five schools are fully-connected, with staff now able to easily make internal calls between its facilities – which will be particularly useful for its centralised administration department.

The EVAT comprises Haughton Academy, Beaumont Hill Academy, Springfield Academy, Gurney Pease Academy, and Marchbank Free School, which together make up an all-age a Multi Academy Trust.

Its Haughton, Beaumont and Springfield academies share a state of the art, £27 million building at The Education Village, which has allowed for a unique and innovative service provision.

Mike Odysseas, managing director at Odyssey Systems, said: “The EVAT is a forward-thinking educational provider and it was great to work with them. The new system is extremely durable and will maintain its reliable performance without the need for regular updates; it will serve them well for many years to come.”

Paul Thompson, IT & Media Manager at The EVAT, said: “After having a few weeks to test out the Mitel system we are very pleased with the final product. The service has also been first-class; our network presented a unique challenge and Odyssey’s engineers have worked tirelessly to identify and deliver a suitable infrastructure package, which would connect each of our five schools.”
Telecommunications expert and founder of Odyssey Systems, Mike Odysseas has warned that rural areas of the UK would be the biggest losers if the government was to redistribute subsidies supporting the rollout of high-speed broadband.

Mr Odysseas has spoken out in favour of government support for BT’s rural infrastructure expansion, amidst strong criticism from the UK’s second largest broadband provider, Virgin Media.

Under subsidies announced in 2012, BT has received almost all of the scheme’s state aid, which has helped take national coverage of fibre optic broadband in the UK to approximately 90 per cent. However, Virgin Media are calling for the second, £500m phase to be halted as other private sector companies feel they are more than capable to match BT’s provision.

Mr Odysseas has voiced concerns over Virgin Media’s claim and said: “BT is perfectly-placed to deliver high-speed broadband to rural areas and difficult urban zones as a result of decades of investment in communications infrastructure.

“Virgin’s position on the matter is a direct contradiction of its business model, which only serves resident areas and limited commercial locations, which already have access to high-quality coverage. If the government was to press pause on BT’s rollout, a large number of rural businesses would remain without adequate broadband for at least another three years.

“The government’s decision to utilise BT and its existing infrastructure, is a sound business move that will help deliver an accelerated programme, which bolsters the UK’s broadband network. Any plan to alter this subsidy scheme would prove disastrous for technology-reliant companies in hard to reach locations.”
Unified Communications, put simply, is the integration of real-time communication such as IP telephony and web or video conferencing with non real-time communication services like email, voicemail and SMS.

The term doesn’t describe a single product, but an umbrella of products that provide a consistent unified user interface across multiple devices and media types.

‘Unified Communications’, or UC as it is often called, describes the technology that enables both data and messages to reach the recipient, as quickly and simply as possible.

This means we are able to contact anyone, anywhere in the world, in real-time.

What are the benefits of Unified Communications?

A message from a variety of sources can be brought to a single source
- One number can be assigned to a person, reaching their mobile device, home telephone or office telephone system, allowing calls to follow the individual or push/pull between devices without the need to disconnect and reconnect.
- Voicemail-to-email sends a voicemail audio file to the recipient’s email address.
- A downloadable client allows click-to-dial functionality which is commonly used with email software and any web browser.
- In a disaster recovery situation calls can be redirected to any number allowing business continuity
Unified Communication is a method of getting important information quickly, regardless of the situation. UC can result in increased productivity as well as customer and employee satisfaction.

What should you be looking for in a unified communications provider?
- A business class dedicated internet connection
- A solution that can be easily adapted with the change of business needs
- Quality of Service (QoS)
- A security solution so that both your network, and devices are covered
- Emergency back up and disaster recovery so that communications are still accessible in any situation.
At Odyssey Systems, we can design and install a unified communications solution based on the specific needs of your business, just as we did for one of our other clients, PROACTIS. If you are looking for us to do the same for you, speak to one of our experts on 01642 661800 or email us at post@odyssey-systems.co.uk