Cisco SMB Select Partner i-Tech Support Brings IP Communications to CPA Firm

September 1, 2006

The certified public accountant (CPA) industry has a reputation for traditional business processes and not always being on the forefront of technology; however Tedder, James, Worden & Associates, public accountants in Orlando, Florida, wanted to break free of that tradition. An SMB-sized organization with about 90 employees, it contracted with Cisco Premier Certified Partner i-Tech Support, Inc. to bring in new communications technology that would accommodate the firm's growth and provide a competitive advantage.

"CPA firms typically are conservative with their money," says Bill Barton, technology manager for Tedder, James. "They will keep old systems running rather than invest in new technology. However, we tend to be forward thinkers, and when we see the benefits that big and midsize businesses get from exciting new technology, we want those kinds of efficiencies and productivity gains too."

Tedder, James was preparing to move into a new facility, and its existing phone system was at capacity. It was faced with investing up to $20,000 in the old system just so it could keep up with firm's growing demand. The cabinets were full, and ports could not be added for new users. Traveling employees had to depend on cell phones to stay in touch with the office. Tedder, James could no longer accommodate its call volume, it was reimbursing employees for cell phone expenditures, and the archaic system did not integrate with e-mail. Barton was spending time away from strategic work to keep the phone system running, and moving, adding, or changing a phone line was an expensive and time-consuming proposition.

Barton had an existing relationship with i-Tech Support and was pleased to see their strong response to his request for proposal. Richard Vaughn, vice president of i-Tech Support, and Barton had discussed the upcoming facilities move and the need for a new network infrastructure and phone system, but Vaughn knew Tedder James was considering competing solutions. In the end, Barton went with the Cisco converged data and voice network that i-Tech Support recommended because he trusted i-Tech.

"I really trust i-Tech Support, and I chose the IP telephony solution because I have confidence in their recommendation," says Barton. "Vendors with traditional PBX [private branch exchange] solutions did not seem to know about their next steps or told me that they would move to IP eventually. We needed a communications system that would meet the needs of the firm today and in 10 years without continually investing in upgrades." Barton's trust in i-Tech Support is well founded. With headquarters in Orlando and offices in Tampa and Atlanta, i-Tech Support works with small and midsized organizations as true technology partners. They work closely with their clients to align their business needs with the proper technologies, acquire those technologies, deploy them, educate their clients on the use of the technologies, and then support them throughout the lifecycle. "We are 100 percent focused on unified communications for the SMB community, and that is a very deep and robust product line," says Vaughn. "Focusing on this has made a big difference in our business, our profitability, and the happiness of our employees. Everyone feels that they have a better handle on the technology, their job and career path, and most importantly serving customer needs."

i-Tech Support designed a converged network solution that would take advantage of the existing pieces of Cisco gear at Tedder, James. It would also deploy Cisco Unified CallManager, Cisco Unity messaging, new router gateways with a firewall. The phones deployed would be one Cisco wireless 7920 Unified IP Phone, 55 of the 7940 Cisco Unified IP Phones, ten each of the 7960 and 7912 Cisco Unified IP Phones, and100 licenses of Cisco IP Communicator, which provides a soft phone application on a PC that can be connected to the company's network through a VPN client.

In addition to the Cisco Unified Communications system, Tedder James also invested in a new wireless system deploying new Cisco AP 1200 access points. The wireless system enabled the firm to set up two virtual WLANs on one set of equipment. A privateWLAN serves the company-owned equipment, and the second is a public WLAN for clients' use and secures their traffic separately from Tedder James' corporate system.

"Wireless is part of everyday life now," says Barton. "People want to pull the network plug at their desk and take their laptop into a conference room, and it is very valuable for clients to have access when they come in."

The deployment was carefully planned, and a mock system was set up in the existing facility. In addition to the new IP phone system, switching and routing needed to be upgraded and optimized to provide the supporting infrastructure. i-Tech Support tested the solution and got all the components working together at the old facility, so that it could be moved and deployed over a three-day weekend at the new building with minimal troubleshooting.

"I would advise other companies embarking on a similar deployment to build a long-term relationship with the company with whom you are working," says Barton. "i-Tech understands our business, our unique needs, and where we want to go as it relates to technology, as well as being committed to us as a customer. Our relationship with them is what made this project a success." Vaughn concurs, adding that, although it may appear to be a simple IP communications deployment, a lot of preparation needs to go into it.

"You need to fully understand and verify the network and spend a lot of time upfront planning the deployment," says Barton. "This helps to ensure long-term success. You really have to put yourself out three, five, seven and ten years from now and think about where you want your technology to be."

As Tedder, James employees moved into the new building, an i-Tech Support technician conducted training on the new phones. Barton says that everyone adjusted from the old phones to the new ones very quickly. And 25 new employees who did not need to "un-learn" the old system needed no training at all on the Cisco Unified IP Phones.

"The phones are very intuitive and not at all intimidating," says Barton. "On our old system, technical help was sometimes needed just to forward or transfer a call. Lots of calls were lost. With the new system, it is easy to get the call to the right person, and people are really using the features."

In addition to all the new features, IP communications technology has unified the company. Employees in the audit department who are at client locations can stay in touch via the Cisco IP Communicator soft phone.

"These employees can sit at a virtual extension just like they are at our offices," says Barton. "The soft phones have really enhanced our company unification, and we are realizing big savings on cell phones and long-distance calls."

Tedder, James, Worden & Associates is adding up the benefits of IP communications technology, and they are realizing maximized productivity without being tied to a desk.

"Billable time is our goal, not the number of hours people are sitting in their cubicles," says Barton. "With the Cisco Unified Communications solution, our people are where they need to be to get business done. That is attractive to employees, and we are recruiting very favorably against the big firms."