Siemens Installing End-to-End IP Phone System

Siemens Improves Communication Among Parents, Schools and Community Through Installation of End-to-End IP Phone System. Siemens' Deep Knowledge of K-12 Education and Experience as a Systems Integrator Help It Win a New Customer, Supersede Incumbent Technology Providers and Competitors

Siemens Communications, Inc. today announced that the Hatboro-Horsham School District in suburban Philadelphia has chosen Siemens to replace its district-wide phone system. The new system is designed to streamline business processes, save money and improve communication among teachers, parents, administrators and the community.

"Our phone system was old, outdated and breaking down, and we were beginning to put a tremendous amount of financial and human resources into repairing and maintaining it," said Curtis Griffin, the district's Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education. The 5,600-student district required a new, cost-effective solution that would meet its current and anticipated future business needs while being fully compatible with the $1-million-plus Cisco infrastructure it had already installed.

Siemens' understanding of K-12 education, its excellent track record as a systems integrator and its standards-based, open, user-centric technology convinced Hatboro-Horsham to choose Siemens over all other competitors. The district replaced five different legacy phone systems with the Siemens HiPath 3000 Real-Time IP Communication System, reducing total cost of ownership and maximizing investment in existing infrastructure. A HiPath Xpressions Voice Messaging System enables teachers and administrators to access messages from parents on any phone in any of the district's 11 buildings.

"Siemens' core business is voice communications and that's why we chose them over our legacy providers," Griffin said. "Siemens offered a full array of services, from design through implementation and support." The district installed the $394,000 system last December.

David Grill, Senior Consultant at Fortune Consulting, a telecommunications consulting firm employed by Hatboro-Horsham, approved of the deal. "It was a thorough implementation, where Siemens demonstrated experience and knowledge of best implementation practices in the IP realm," he said.

Hatboro-Horsham selected Siemens' end-to-end IP phone solution because Siemens is a trusted partner for organizations seeking a vendor with experience in delivering and managing customers' voice and data systems, said Michael Lewis, Vice President of Government Sales at Siemens. "This is especially true," he said, "for educational and governmental entities looking to optimize their current investments in multi-vendor environments at multiple locations" - Siemens.