blueAPACHE rolls out WAN and Voice solutions for Melbourne City Mission

Summary

This blueAPACHE post reports: Melbourne, February 8, 2016 – blueAPACHE, the leading Australian-based provider of managed network, cloud and IT as a Service solutions, has today announced the successful deployment of their emPOWER Wide Area Networking (WAN) solution at Melbourne City Mission (MCM), linking critical IT services across 32 sites throughout the greater Melbourne area. The not-for-profit has also introduced blueAPACHE’s Voice solutions to one site, with plans to extend the telecommunication services as new offices are introduced and others redeveloped. It concerns emPOWER Core Network & Data Centre Interconnect, emPOWER Connectivity, emPOWER Cloud. It names Cisco, Microsoft, AWS, NBN in connection with the announcement. Published in 2016. Figures, product names and event details reflect that time; for current information see the linked service pages.

Key facts

Article

Press release

Melbourne, February 8, 2016 – blueAPACHE, the leading Australian-based provider of managed network, cloud and IT as a Service solutions, has today announced the successful deployment of their emPOWER Wide Area Networking (WAN) solution at Melbourne City Mission (MCM), linking critical IT services across 32 sites throughout the greater Melbourne area. The not-for-profit has also introduced blueAPACHE’s Voice solutions to one site, with plans to extend the telecommunication services as new offices are introduced and others redeveloped. MCM is Melbourne’s oldest charity, operating since 1854. The Not-For-Profit (NFP) assists Victoria’s most vulnerable individuals, families and communities. Every week, they help thousands of people escape and avoid disadvantage, economic exclusion and social isolation. The WAN deployment allows MCM to scale for future growth, building in redundancy at the same time as simplifying network architecture. Approximately 740 staff at MCM are now connected to the enterprise via a fast, flexible and reliable network, with full access to applications and data. blueAPACHE’s emPOWER Network is an MPLS Enabled, Q-in-Q Network, powered by Cisco carrier-class infrastructure with ‘On-Net’ datacentre Points of Presence across Australia. It is integrated directly into NBN (National Broadband Network), Microsoft ExpressRoute, AWS Direct Connect and International Sub-Sea IP Transits. blueAPACHE monitor all connections involved in the network 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. IT Manager at MCM, Louise Segafredo, said “A change in the leadership of MCM ICT Services in August 2014 brought with it a change to the manner in which core ICT services were scoped, resourced and delivered. This deployment is indicative of MCM making a move to manage the enterprise as a whole, as opposed to the component parts.” The deployment came about as the result of an independent RFP process by Dog and Bone consulting in late 2014. Ms Segafredo reports that moving MCM’s data network to blueAPACHE’s managed WAN solution will allow the NFP to:

• Size the WAN to suit current and projected business needs (which are different across all 32 sites);
• Simplify the data network architecture;
• Build redundancy into the data network architecture (in line with MCM’s Business Continuity Plan);
• Understand, document and modify data networking protocols (much of what we were changing was undocumented);
• Improve their security posture through embedded next generation firewalls;
• Take advantage of a superior, extended yet simplified VPN network; and
• Manage one overriding contract.

Chris Marshall, Managing Director at blueAPACHE said “We are delighted to assist much-needed organisations like MCM improve their technology platform. Our deep NFP experience proffers valuable insight to deliver the best return on investment – ensuring MCM can focus funding on the services that help those most in need.” Staff at MCM were involved in the deployment process by tracking and reporting issues, and have reported a “huge increase in the response rates of the network at sites where the network speeds have been increased,” according to Ms Segafredo. “The end result is a superior service delivered by a trusted partner.” **** This engagement follows another record year for the blueAPACHE. In 2015, the local cloud specialist grew over 30%, secured global recognition of their ITaaS model and was showcased by HP around the world for their cloud infrastructure.

About blueAPACHE

Since 1998, the multi-awarded blueAPACHE has helped organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and North America leverage technology to their business advantage by delivering comprehensive IT Management, Cloud, Network, Voice, Software and Consulting as a converged service – when they need it, as they need it. This is IT. This is blueAPACHE. To learn more, visit www.blueapache.com

About Melbourne City Mission

MCM was established over 160 years ago and works with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. From children living with a disability, or young people with nowhere to call home, to people who need assistance into education or employment, MCM works alongside them, so they can build a better future for themselves. Melbourne City Mission help people find their own path to independence, providing them with the support they need along the way. In addition to directly supporting people experiencing disadvantage, MCM also advocates for social change to reduce the number of people experiencing disadvantage and to intervene as early as possible to limit the damage done by the experience. For more information, see www.melbournecitymission.org.au

Related

• emPOWER Core Network & Data Centre Interconnect
• emPOWER Connectivity (pillar)
• emPOWER Cloud
• emPOWER Cloud (pillar)

Frequently asked questions

How many Melbourne City Mission sites did blueAPACHE's emPOWER WAN deployment connect, according to this post?

The deployment linked critical IT services across 32 sites throughout greater Melbourne, connecting approximately 740 MCM staff to the enterprise network.

How did the engagement with Melbourne City Mission come about, according to the post?

It resulted from an independent RFP process run by Dog and Bone consulting in late 2014, following a change in MCM ICT leadership in August 2014.

What network infrastructure underpins blueAPACHE's emPOWER Network, according to the post?

The post describes an MPLS-enabled, Q-in-Q network powered by Cisco carrier-class infrastructure, integrated directly into NBN, Microsoft ExpressRoute, AWS Direct Connect and international sub-sea IP transits, monitored 24 hours a day.

What benefits did IT Manager Louise Segafredo report from the new network, according to the post?

Segafredo reported a huge increase in network response rates at sites where speeds had been increased, and said the deployment let MCM manage the enterprise as a whole rather than as separate components.

Is the information in this post still current?

No. It reports on a network deployment announced in February 2016 and reflects blueAPACHE's and MCM's arrangement at that time; for the current position see the linked emPOWER Core Network & Data Centre Interconnect and Connectivity service pages rather than treating this post as up to date.

Source

https://www.blueapache.com/blog/blueapache-rolls-out-wan-and-voice-solutions-for-melbourne-city-mission/

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