Challenge
Rome Housing Authority (RHA) had an outdated phone solution approaching its end of life and support cycle on January 31, 2017. M.A. Polce’s primary goal was to design a cost-effective replacement solution comparable to what they previously had, giving them the same functionality they used to with their old system. The need for a solution that would fit their multi-location business model was of equal or greater importance, as RHA has 16 users across four locations throughout the City of Rome.
Solution
M.A. Polce and RHA determined that the Cisco Spark Collaboration solution would be the best fit. Cisco Spark provides all the voice features, call routing, and voicemail that RHA was accustomed to, with the added benefit of collaboration. Cisco Spark allows the end user to host virtual meetings, instant message, share files, and place calls in a secure fashion that meets the legal and regulatory compliance requirements that RHA has. Hosting a virtual meeting allows RHA employees to conduct meetings internally and externally where they can share video and screen shares. The Spark Messaging component allows RHA employees to interact with each other in secure virtual workspaces. Workspaces can be created on an individual basis or a group basis. Both options allow users to send files and collaborate on team discussions or topics, which helps to reduce the amount of email that goes back and forth. Cisco Spark Calling allows the user to place and receive calls from their desk phone and through their mobile device with the Cisco Spark app installed.
Business Outcome
Since Cisco Spark is a hosted cloud platform, this reduced the footprint at the main office network closet. With a Cisco Spark solution, RHA will see the benefit of streamlined communication and, at the same time, have a reliable, updated phone system.
