TRENTON, NJ -- 04/07/2004 -- The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in central New Jersey recently demonstrated that it's possible to add by subtracting. The basic formula goes something like this: 15 schools minus 500 Centrex phones equals more value, features and potential.

The district realized this anomaly last summer when it completed a major voice and data convergence project with the help of Emtec, Inc. By replacing its existing Centrex phone system with a voice over IP (VoIP) solution, school officials found they were able to save enough money to pay for the new system while generating a number of other immediate benefits and establishing the basis for future improvements.

Savings Pays for New System

"Once we began to cost this out, we realized very quickly that the yearly savings from eliminating more than 500 lines of Centrex would pay for the cost of the new phone system in a very short time," said Rick Cave, the school district's Director of Technology. "At the same time, we were able to replace 10 different phone systems, ranging in age from 2 to 10 years old."

"Cost was the driving factor for the district because their Centrex costs were sky high," said Emtec Solutions Engineer Dave Pfiester III. "They were paying for more than 500 Centrex lines, but 30 percent might not be used in any given month. Unfortunately, the lines still have to be paid for. When somebody does need to use that line, it has to be available. It's just a huge expense."

With an IP telephony solution, line costs drop to virtually zero. Delivering phone calls and other voice services over the data network results in easier management and higher reliability. Plus, instead of continually paying rent for a phone system, the organization actually owns its IP telephony system.

Emtec: 'People Who Could Do The Job'

When the district opened a new elementary school two years ago, Emtec was involved in the pilot project to set up a VoIP solution for that facility. When the school board determined that it would be cost-effective to place the remaining 10 schools in the district on a VoIP system, they opened up a bidding process. Emtec came in with the winning bid.

"We were very fortunate that they submitted the winning bid, because that's who we wanted in the first place," said Cave. "We were lucky it turned out that way, because we had worked with them on the pilot project and we knew we were dealing with people who could do the job."

Three issues made this project a bit trickier than normal. The system had to interface with an existing Avaya Octel voice mail system; there had to be extensive redundancy features to ensure none of the schools would ever be without emergency phone service; and it all had to be accomplished over a six-week period during the summer break so there would be no interruption in service once school was back in session.

District Kept Informed

"Our project management was the biggest differentiator," said Emtec's Pfiester. "We had weekly status meetings to let the district know exactly what our progress was, what the issues were, what was outstanding, and the time frame for the next phase. At no point during the entire project did they ever wonder what was going on."

"It was a great partnership between West Windsor-Plainsboro and the Emtec team," he added. "They supplied the information we needed in a timely fashion so that we were able to deploy and configure the equipment, and train everybody by the deadline to meet their requirements."

Virtually Without a Hitch

West Windsor's Technology Director Cave said the implementation went off virtually without a hitch. He added that the district now has more flexibility, with increased redundancy and directory features. Plus, it now has an infrastructure that will allow them to implement more advanced features, including video, XML applications and unified messaging.

"Emtec did a very good job for us," Cave noted. "It was a very positive relationship. I have a pet peeve about companies that send you technicians who don't know what they're doing. That has never been an issue with Emtec. They are very knowledgeable and very supportive, and I think we've been fortunate to work with them," he concluded.

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Contact:

John Howlett
CEO
Emtec, Inc.
Tel: 609-528-8500
Fax: 609-587-1930
Email: john_howlett@emtecinc.com
Website: www.emtecinc.com

John Avitabile
Castle Rock Commun.
Tel: 631-434-6658
Fax: 631-434-1129
Email: john@amhe.com