Installing an IP-to-IP Gateway for New, Lower Cost Business Lines

Location:
Phoenix, Arizona

Products/ Services:
Innovative, custom communication solutions for SMBs

Network Insight Services:
Network infrastructure consulting

Products Used:
 •Cisco IP-to-IP Gateway
 •Cisco Firewall

Client: Advanced Telemanagement Group

Advanced Telemanagement was founded in 1995 to deliver affordable, world-class communication solutions to SMBs. The company has grown ten-fold in the last five years and now offers one of the most robust portfolios of voice and data services in the industry. Advanced Telemanagement has thrived in such a competitive market due, in large part, to its innovative network and advanced technologies that help maintain a streamlined and cost-effective business structure driven to deliver quantifiable results to customers.

Objective: Install an IP-to-IP Gateway to Fulfill a Market Need

As Advanced Telemanagement evolved from a managed services provider, monitoring and managing phone and data lines, to a telecommunications service provider, enabling voice and data communication connectivity to other provider networks, the company developed the need to terminate and originate SIP traffic at its gateway. Advanced Telemanagement also identified that by not having an IP-to-IP gateway in place it was missing out on an entire market segment that was requesting gateway service. The company knew it needed to fill this gap.

Challenge: Switching Consulting Firms in Mid-project

As a result of Advanced Telemanagement’s commitment to efficiency, it maintains a streamlined business structure that includes a modest-sized IT department. Because of the streamlined structure and the company’s recent move into the service provider space, Advanced Telemanagement chose to outsource the gateway deployment.

After a limited search, Advanced Telemanagement chose a large network infrastructure consulting firm with Cisco Gold certification to work on a project whose scope included installing a gateway. Unfortunately, even with the highest Cisco partnership status, because the bulk of the firm’s experience was enterprise-focused it began falling short on commitments, not meeting deadlines and exceeding budgetary limits. The consulting firm was not familiar with the demands of Advanced Telemanagement’s service provider network.

“We knew the project was not running as smoothly as it should. I didn’t want to continue overpaying for these services so we set out to find another VAR,” said Brian Maguire, Advanced Telemanagement Chief Financial Officer.

This time Advanced Telemanagement had very strict requirements for the new consulting firm. The criteria included: a company with proven expertise in SIP-to-SIP design and deployment, a Cisco partner and a specialist in network infrastructure needs of service providers.

Solution: A Proven Methodical Approach combined with Experience and Excellent Customer Service

“Network Insight engineers and project managers kept the project on track. They were responsive and flexible, going above and beyond what was expected.”

- Brian Maguire
CFO
Advanced Telemanagement

Through years of consulting on high-availability IP networks for service providers, Network Insight has developed a methodology for successfully completing network projects on time and within budget. Even taking on the Advanced Telemanagement project midstream did not derail Network Insight’s approach.

Network Insight utilized a combination of established methods, highly skilled CCIE engineers and experienced project managers to get a thorough understanding of the network and the situation. Network Insight was then able to design, test and install redundant high availability Cisco IP-to-IP gateways secured by redundant Cisco Firewalls in active/failover mode within just two weeks. “Network Insight engineers and project managers kept the task on track. They were responsive and flexible, going above and beyond what was expected, even participating in customer calls,” said Maguire.

Result: New Service Offering with Vast Growth Opportunity

The gateway successfully answered Advanced Telemanagement customers’ requests with a carrier-class solution enabling tens of millions of minutes of originating and terminating SIP traffic. “With our new service offering, Advanced Telemanagement benefits by filling existing customers’ needs for a gateway, not to mention the opportunities and growth potential from untapped prospects.” The new gateway will facilitate many more business lines at a lower cost for Advanced Telemanagement resulting in higher profit for the service provider and reduced rates for customers.

Network Insight’s quick completion and smooth project management also saved the service provider what could have been months in project time and tens of thousands of dollars in project fees.

Network Insight:The Right Choice for Network Infrastructure Consulting

Network Insight is a leader in providing network consulting, engineering and managed services for service providers and companies with high-availability IP network needs. With an average of 10 years experience per engineer, the highest levels of certification in the industry and a history of successful consulting and managed services projects for nationwide and local customers alike, Network Insight delivers projects with results that rival the top four consulting firms but at prices the mid-size service provider market can afford.

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