LSE picks InTechnology for cloud telephony

UK managed IT provider InTechnology is to provide cloud telephony and unified communications to the London School of Economics.

The agreement includes the provision of over 3,000 telephone handsets, 1,000 softphones incorporating Microsoft Lync, 100 days of training, and round the clock support hosted on InTechnology’s cloud infrastructure. Calls can be routed across Janet, the UK’s research and education network.

InTechnology’s Janet-connected delivery coupled with its own private IP connectivity will enable and support over three million external calls made annually by LSE. Janet is the infrastructure network used by the UK’s research and education community. 

The agreement follows testing and evaluation by the LSE. The academic institution said it had a need for a “school-wide communication and collaboration platform to support its academic and administrative staff.”

Adrian Ellison, assistant director of IT Services at LSE said that the adoption of InTechnology’s cloud-based service would “provide LSE staff with a wide range of tools that will not only improve communication but also deliver the potential to save on travel and the associated impact on sustainability, through the extensive collaboration facilities provided by the solution. 

“InTechnology were chosen for their value proposition, the tight integration between the Broadsoft hosted telephony platform and Microsoft Lync, and for their commitment to the higher education community,” added Ellision.

He said he hoped that the deal would “pave the way for other education institutions to take advantage of Cloud-based communications.” He added that the licences used in the deal have been tailored for academic users.

Tim Marshall, chief executive of Janet said the investment by LSE was “bold move” and pointed the way forward for other education institutions looking to “increase cost efficiencies while converging their telephony connectivity with their Janet IP network provision.”

Marshall welcomed the approach taken by LSE and InTechnology “which has developed a ‘model contract’ that other Janet-connected institutions can benefit from.”