© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential. Level 3 ® Enterprise Communications Solutions Avaya IAUG Rocky Mountain Meeting, August 2015
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Level 3® Enterprise Communications Solutions
Avaya IAUG Rocky Mountain Meeting, August 2015
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
© 2013 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Today’s Presenter
Mike Robles – Director Enterprise Communications
– Mike Robles is the director for Level 3’s Enterprise Communications services and has been involved in telecommunications product management, design and development for over 10 years in both data and voice roles. He has been with Level 3 since 2010.
Migrating to Next-Generation Voice: The Customer Journey
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
The advantages of a unified communications (UC) solution are clear for employees and customers alike.
Last year the North American UC&C services user base grew by 30.5 percent to reach 5 million users by year end.**
But developing and implementing an migration path towards voice-enabled unified communications can create headaches across your company.
Enterprises are Embracing UC, But Voice Remains The Hardest Step
**Source: Frost and Sullivan 2014 North American Hosted IP Telephony and UCC Services Markets
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.4
Need separate, dedicated networks for voice and data
Can converge communications across all
applications, including voice
MYTH TRUTH
We’ve already invested in IP – we don’t need SIP trunking
Networks that still use ISDN / TDM to connect to PSTN don’t fully leverage the investment
SIP voice is the same as consumer-grade voice over IP
Enterprise-grade SIP is more robust and scalable than
consumer VoIP
Migration Perceptions vs. Reality
SIP voice is difficult to implement and manage
SIP is probably no more complex than your legacy
voice infrastructure
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
The Typical UC Implementation Path
It’s a multi-phased project:
1. Evaluate current communications network and business challenges / goals
2. Evaluate providers and solutions for a voice pilot or bakeoff
3. Complete a business case and migration plan
4. Integrate on-premise Instant Messaging, with a voice pilot program
5. Add UC audio conferencing• Combine with a conferencing solution as a back-up for larger meetings
6. Complete desktop UC replacement with IM, conferencing and voice
SIP provides the necessary platform for enterprises migrating in steps toward a broader UC desktop
replacement
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
One Customer’s Journey
A Top 5 US Financial Institution with over 5,000 branches
Their challenges
• Legacy telephony deployment – some IP investment, but some end-of-life equipment
• Mix of individual branch and regional Centrex end-user lines• Large number of T1 connections from multiple providers• No plan or pathway to integrate communication services• Limited ability to reduce total cost and streamline
administration
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What Does a Successful Migration Look Like?
* Timeframe depends on size of network, number of employees and sites, and multi-provider evaluations
#1: Define
Objectives
#2: Assess
Network
#3: Build a Business Case
#4: Cross
Functional
Team
#5: Identify
OPEX &
CAPEX
#6: Evaluate Network Providers
#7: Network Provider
bakeoff (optional but
typical)
#8: Detailed Migration Plan
6 Months Average*
Planning Phases
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
What Does a Successful Migration Look Like?
#1: Implement
new SIP
architecture
6-12 Months Average*
Implementation Phases
* Timeframe depends on size of network, number of employees and sites, and planned pace of migration
Pilot departments and groups to
test
#3: Turn up
conferencing
Adoption Phases Swing Outbound
calling (optional)
End user testing / training
Migration
checkpoints
Upgrade LAN / network readiness
Port pilot TNs
1
2
3
4
5
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Customer Defines Objectives
• Migration to a new voice/ UC platform
• Gain network efficiencies
• Cost savings
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The MigrationChecklist Step #1
Banking Customer’s business goals
1. Converged voice, data and collaboration services enabled by SIP
2. Cost savings of 30-50% through elimination of parallel networks
3. Reduce operational complexity with a voice architecture that can scale
4. Enable enterprise-wide UC deployment to achieve simpler, more cost-effective collaboration for geographically dispersed employees
5. Create enhanced failover / business continuity options
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Assess the Network
• Conduct a complete network assessment prior to implementing an IP telephony solution.
• Ensure plan for working with legacy equipment
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The MigrationChecklist Step #2
Banking Customer’s voice network
1. A patchwork of telephony deployment – some IP investment, some end-of-life equipment
2. Mix of individual branch and regional Centrex end-user lines
3. Over 5,000 ISDN PRI and Private Lines
4. No clear path to implement a UC solution
5. BCDR vulnerabilities
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Create a Cross-Functional Team
• Create team to represent all aspects of the migration
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The MigrationChecklist Step #3
Banking Customer’s team
• Telecom / IT (TN, site CPE management)
• Network managers (MPLS, Access)
• Desktop support
• Billing
• Vendor management (LECs, Carriers)
• Business users
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Identify the Appropriate Human and Capital Resources
• OPEX (Operating personnel resources required)
• NETEX (any capital required)
12
The MigrationChecklist Step #4
Banking Customer
• Reliance on existing operational personnel for site / equipment audits and access migration
• Some reliance on optional professional services from carrier (TN porting)
• Minimal capital investment (no forklift of existing non-IP PBXs and Key Systems)
• Investment in chosen UC solution (licenses, desktop CPE)
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Select the right network service provider
– A converged network infrastructure
– A solid TDM background– Experience in scaling a VoIP
network– VoIP as an integrated part of the
data infrastructure and not an “experiment” next to their traditional switching
– Monitoring systems that recognize issues unique to VoIP networks, such as jitter and latency.
13
The MigrationChecklist Step #5
Banking Customer
• Reliability / BCDR of utmost importance
• After Hurricane Sandy, limited evaluations to national, tier 1 network providers
• Evaluated four network providers
• Ultimately selected three providers for limited trials to determine a split award of sites / usage
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Ask The Right Questions When Evaluating Network Providers
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Scale of footprint?
Native (owned and operated) SIP Network?
SIP implementation track record?
Assists with business case and migration plan?
Professional services are available if needed?
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Top Five Dangers of Migration
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Security
Voice Quality
Connection
Inefficiency Cost
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Importance of BCDR to Customer
Managed Customer Router
Customer IP PBX 1
Data Center 1
SBC #2
Managed Customer Router
Customer IP PBX 2
Data Center 2
Level 3 SIP Network
Enterprise Softswitch
Feature Server #1
Feature Server #2
Representative
Remote TDM Office
SBC #1
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
What To Look For In a “UC Optimized” Voice Provider
• End to end QoS capability backed with Service Level Agreements
• Footprint and quality of voice network architecture
• Local phone number and 911 connectivity
• Service built on an all IP network (ideal)
• Quality portal for self service (ex: call routing controls)
• Experience in the market (number porting scale and best practices)
• A carrier with a deep bench of SIP expertise
• Supports major UC solutions and vendors
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Develop a detailed migration plan – and stick to it
– Detailed call and UC service testing
– End user training & adoption
– Monitoring and measuring success
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The MigrationChecklist Step #6
Banking Customer
• 3-carrier, limited site bakeoff• 2-carrier dual award• Phased migration of sites (18 month total
plan)• Migration checkpoints
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.19
THINGS TO WATCH FOR DURING YOUR PILOT:
1) User adoption2) Provider quality of
service (QoS)3) How internal network
interacts with provider network
4) How provider responds to problems
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Migration Checkpoint
– How is the migration progressing?– Are SLAs being met for
activations?– Technology works as expected?
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The MigrationChecklist Step #7
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Full Deployment: What Success Looks Like
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UC Platform
Large Branch Office
Enterprise MPLS WAN
Branch Office
IP Voice Network
PSTN
Data Center
Internet
IP Access UC Platform
Audio/Video/Web Conferencing
IP Voice Network
Corp Headquarters
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
One Customer’s Journey
Migration goals
1. Converged voice, data and collaboration services enabled by SIP
2. Cost savings of 30-50% through elimination of parallel networks
3. Reduce operational complexity with a voice architecture that can scale
4. Enable enterprise-wide UC deployment to achieve simpler, more cost-effective collaboration for geographically dispersed employees
5. Create enhanced failover / business continuity options
Customer’s results
1. Customer replaced inefficient ISDN-PRI connections to the PSTN with SIP trunks and shared CCPs
2. Large, native TN coverage offered the ability to cover most locations for streamlined management and a more consistent customer experience
3. Simplified interconnection methodology allowed easier and faster activation / migration
4. Customer also purchased Dedicated TF and evaluated Contact Center Services for call centers requiring optional hosted features
5. Customer total cost savings of ~35%
© 2014 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential.
Questions?
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