Hardy Group Case Study

”A one-stop-shop relationship which works very well, to get the best systems, with the bonus of saving significant amounts of time and money...“

For most companies, moving offices and simultaneously scaling up business critical communications systems is something of a daunting task. That is unless there is a long standing relationship with a trusted supplier with a proven track record of handling such tasks. Such was the case for the Hardy Group which recently moved into new premises in the City of London.

Growing fast, the firm of Lloyds underwriters has worked with Reeves Lund for several years, benefitting from their specialist consultancy services and expertise in specifying networks, commissioning and maintaining converged voice and data systems.

In this latest move, Reeves Lund recommended and installed a new telephony system and upgraded the existing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and unified communications solution adding around 80 new phone lines. It also handled negotiations with the telecoms operator to connect the new office with the Lloyds building and with a disaster recovery site via leased lines.

All the test and installation work was done ahead of schedule and before the Hardy Group actually moved into their new premises so it was live from day one and there were no service interruptions. “We have worked with Reeves Lund for about four years during which they have given us excellent training and support so we were glad to continue the relationship,” explains Tony Bennett, IT manager at the Hardy Group. “They supplied the new phone system ahead of schedule and made moving a painless process.”

For security reasons the main phone and unified communications system will be moved from its current installation in the Lloyds building to the data centre once it goes live in mid-2010. When that happens, the system will continue to be mirrored at the new office and in the Lloyds building.

In addition to the three City locations, the system is connected to the Hardy Group’s Bermuda office. All internal calls are toll free and terminating international calls in both countries are charged at local rates.

Fully redundant and secure, the Avaya Aura system is future proof and scalable to accommodate growth. It supports a range of unified communications features and functions plus high end capabilities including video conferencing. “Demonstrations were arranged with Avaya to make sure we fully understand the functionality and benefits of the new system,” said Bennett.

Although the Hardy Group handles the daily management, they have security of technical support from Reeves Lund which configures and maintains the system.

Currently the two companies are working to integrate mobile phones into the system and are evaluating the most suitable option. Having previously dealt directly with the telecoms operator for its mobile connections, the Hardy Group is handing over negotiations to Reeves Lund which will handle all the necessary consultancy and technical work including specification, installation and management. Once that is complete, both fixed and mobile communications will be managed through Reeves Lund. “This will give us a one-stop-shop relationship which works very well,” concludes Bennett. “We get the best system for our needs with the bonus of saving significant amounts of time and money.”

For Further information please contact Peter Harper-Hill at Reeves Lund on

E peterhh@reeveslund.com
DDI +44 (0)20 7749 7402