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 "Bell allowed me to consolidate most services into one unit and have one point of contact for everything. From our first meeting, the size of the Bell team convinced me that they would be the key to getting everything done." |
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THE SITUATION
Agrium Advanced Technologies, based in Brantford, Ontario, is a leading supplier of controlled-release nitrogen products through their consumer and professional divisions. Agrium Advanced Technologies's product line includes fertilizers, grass seed, pest control and horticultural items. In recent years the company has made a series of acquisitions and has evolved from five core remote locations in Ontario and Quebec to eight.
Agrium Advanced Technologies needed to simplify and streamline communications between manufacturing and distribution operations. This consolidation is essential for companies competing in a cost-competitive industry as it can help to increase margins and reduce overhead. Consolidating services can also create opportunities for new technology initiatives.
THE CHALLENGE - A GROWING NETWORK
According to John McNeil, Systems Administrator for Agrium Advanced Technologies, Information Systems (IS), Agrium Advanced Technologies was facing a challenge when the company expanded its operations. "The fractional T1 Internet, 56Kbps Frame Relay and LAN Extensions were slow and simply not capable of handling the volume of work that needed to be done. At one point, 128Kbps was about the best line we had. It wasn't enough. It also didn't allow us any flexibility to meet the different size and bandwidth needs of each location."
In addition to the bandwidth issues, McNeil says a number of communication services were managed by different divisions, which meant multiple suppliers and added costs. "Telecom was managed by another department, while the WAN was managed by IS, so we had four different service suppliers. The key to efficiency was getting all of our services for data and voice through one supplier."
THE RESPONSE
When introduced to ProConnect, a wide area network solution from Bell, McNeil was convinced that it was the right solution for his needs. This service allowed Agrium Advanced Technologies to consolidate voice, data and video services over a single, reliable and private IP-based network - while also offering flexible speed and service features that can be tailored to different business needs. The package included a router, standard service level connectivity, built-in security and 24/7 management backed by Service Level Agreements.
During the phase-in of the ProConnect service, McNeil and Bell also discussed the possibility of leveraging the new network to explore IP Telephony opportunities at targeted sites. "That really wasn't a consideration in our initial plan," says McNeil, "But when I saw how much could be saved by moving to IP Telephony, it became something that we wanted to look at. The beauty of it was the cost savings could pay for the system within three years, and the operational expenditure was practically zero. In other words, I wouldn't have to increase my budget to pay for it."
Agrium Advanced Technologies has set up IP Telephony at three of its eight sites - including the Brantford office - which has already benefited from the solutions. McNeil estimates that each site generates at least $1,100 in long distance per month - a cost that can be eliminated with the premised-based IP Telephony system. "By assimilating IP Telephony we will remove most of those costs. A conservative estimate of savings would be about $3,500 to $4,000 per month for these three sites alone."
Agrium Advanced Technologies will be looking to expand IP Telephony to other sites once the concept has proven itself and will continue to migrate their voice and converge more of its communication services to IP under the Bell ProConnect service. "Everything will be through ProConnect because we can use the service in so many different ways for any phone system," says McNeil.
THE RESULT
"When we started with ProConnect, it was to answer a data connectivity need. But we soon realized we had the flexibility to do anything we needed to do. Bell even helped us when we were selecting new network components by pointing out what would best support our IP plans. The team has been amazingly supportive and helped us every step of the way. Their approach has been instrumental in our success."
McNeil also says that consolidating services will allow Agrium Advanced Technologies to reduce overall communication costs by 20 per cent, reduce the number of service providers, and have unlimited flexibility in bandwidth delivery to different locations. Agrium Advanced Technologies now has 3 to 5Mbps capabilities at its remote sites depending on their bandwidth requirements, as well as a 10Mbps at the main site.
With the ProConnect service, Agrium Advanced Technologies was able to inject more efficiency into managing its communications needs, while building the foundation for further consolidation of services and new application initiatives such as IP Telephony.
For more information on ProConnect service or Bell IP Telephony solutions, please contact your Bell Sales Representative or your Bell Certified Partner or visit www.bell.ca/IP.
ProConnect is a trade-mark of Bell Canada. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 2006 Bell Canada. All rights reserved.
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