MONACO, April 27, 2009 - Cisco and Orange Business Services today announced that Single Buoy Moorings, a multinational group of companies that provides systems and services to the oil and gas industry, has chosen Cisco TelePresence to help increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with its business operations.
The oil and gas industry is highly competitive and Single Buoy Moorings' ability to foster innovation, increase employee productivity and reduce operational costs is a critical aspect of its business. An all-inclusive Cisco TelePresence implementation managed by Orange Business Services will help Single Buoy Moorings meet these challenges by allowing employees to collaborate effectively on projects and capitalize on the talent it has across the organization irrespective of location. It will also help reduce the amount of time spent and costs associated with business travel and reduce the related carbon emissions.
"Innovation is the lifeblood of our organization. We continually look for new ways to improve productivity, quality and decrease the time it takes to bring systems and products to market," said Guillaume Ramey, IT & IS manager, Single Buoy Moorings. "With Cisco TelePresence we have found a solution that recreates the immersive experience of face-to-face meetings, helping us to transform our business by changing the way teams collaborate on projects, reduce the amount of travel, and ultimately enhancing the services we deliver to our customers."
Orange Business Services is providing a fully-managed solution including project management, consultancy, deployment, network services, and operational management. Single Buoy Moorings' telepresence traffic will be carried on the Orange IP VPN, the world's largest Telepresence-enabled network, which holds Certified Cisco TelePresence Connection (CCTC) status, which is based on stringent performance requirements vital to a successful Telepresence experience.
Single Buoy Moorings has deployed the Cisco TelePresence System 3000 in Houston (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Monaco, and Schiedam (Netherlands) which delivers an advanced, high definition meeting experience with superior audio and video capabilities, allowing employees in different countries to meet as if they were working in the same office. This implementation demonstrates that the company IT network can serve as a platform to improve every aspect of its communications and business operations.
Editor's note
Cisco TelePresence delivers real-time, face-to-face interactions between people and places in their work and personal lives using advanced visual, audio, and collaboration technologies. These technologies transmit life-size, high-definition images and spatial discrete audio. Now it's easier than ever to discern facial expressions for those crucial business discussions and negotiations across the "virtual table." For further information about TelePresence, go to: www.cisco.com/go/telepresence
About Single Buoy Moorings
The SBM group of companies is a world leader in the design, fabrication, installation and servicing on a supply or lease/operate basis of loading and offloading mooring terminals, as well as tanker-based floating production and storage (FPSOs/FSOs) systems, for the offshore oil and gas industry. It has its HQ in Schiedam (NL) and in financial year 2008 had unaudited net profit of US$227m against a record turnover of US$3.06bn.
SBM employs 5,000 people representing 47 nationalities and has a presence at 42 sites onshore and offshore, in 15 countries around the world. SBM clients are global players such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, BP, Total and Shell or national oil companies.
About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With 123 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros and a customer base of more than 182 million customers in 30 countries. These include 122 million mobile customers worldwide and 13 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.
