All the benefits of IP telephony - simply easier

Internet Protocol telephony (IPT) can reduce costs and improve the way you do business. But before your organisation can reap the benefits, you face the daunting task of introducing and managing this new technology. With the UK’s number one IPT provider taking care of every aspect of your telephony you can spend more time talking to your customers and less time worrying about your system.

Less time managing, more time talking

Managed IPT from BT offers all the benefits of IP telephony without the worry of managing or maintaining a system. Managed IPT:

• Saves you time by removing the burden of everyday IPT system administration and maintenance.

• Provides peace of mind with the UK's number one IPT provider taking responsibility for the routine maintenance of your telephony system.

• Includes guaranteed levels of service that help ensure your system won't let you down and customers can reach you whenever needed.

• Offers reliability and security with network fault management and system disaster recovery features.

• Provides all the business and cost saving benefits of IPT without the time and effort of looking after a system in-house.

• Delivers a tailored service based on your unique business needs.

Managed IPT: taking care of the details

An IPT system can do many things, but everyday administration is still a human task - for now at least. With BT Managed IPT we'll take care of all the routine, time-consuming tasks such as adding new employees to the system or relocating an existing user. We'll also automatically provide software updates and back up your settings so if your data is ever corrupted you'll be back up and running in no time.

• Keeping your system in tip-top condition: even the best technology needs a helping hand to stay in peak condition. To get the most from your IPT system it needs regular health checks and performance assessments to iron out any inefficiencies, spot potential faults and ensure optimum performance. With BT's Managed IPT service, we take care of your system - so you don't have to.

• Supporting you one-on-one: we offer the personalised support of a dedicated consultant who will be your one point of contact for all your IPT needs - from installation to routine maintenance. Behind the scenes your service is supported by our vast network of engineers and technicians. We also offer a choice of telephone and web-based helpdesks if you need them. So you're in safe hands with BT.

Managed IPT: all the benefits without the burden

IPT can reduce costs and improve the way you do business, but we understand that introducing and managing this new technology can be a daunting task. Let BT take care of maintaining your IPT system - so you can spend more time talking to customers and less time worrying about the phones. BT's managed service includes:

• Configuration management: managed IPT performs configuration tasks on your local area network (LAN) or IPT solutions from BT's remote network management centre - freeing you from the burden of everyday network management. We can plan and design your equipment configuration, and make controlled changes to preserve the security and functionality of your network.
• Fault management and diagnostics: powerful and proactive monitoring systems mean we can detect and solve problems before they become an issue. Our remote diagnostic tools and platforms ensure your converged network delivers consistently reliable services. This provides fast, remote diagnosis of problems and is designed to restore services to your site without the need for a field service engineer.
• Helpdesk: BT Managed IPT has both a web and telephone helpdesk so you can get support in whichever way suits you best. Available 24/7, the helpdesk teams are on hand to help whether you need to report a fault or simply want further information about our equipment or services.
• Maintenance: our ServiceCare options leave you free to choose a repair package that reflects the needs of your business and network. For each package, we provide a single point of contact for fault reporting.
• Project managed installation: we provide an en-to-end implementation service covering project management, solution design, installation, configuration, acceptance testing and rollout. These can be provided on your equipment as well as your own or a BT-leased network.
• Equipment purchase: BT offers transparent, competitive pricing through either outright purchase or flexible leasing. Meaning there's no need to juggle multiple suppliers, contracts and invoices.

Want to dig a little deeper?

Following is a more detailed breakdown of what's included in the BT Managed IPT service.

Configuration management

We perform configuration tasks on LAN and IPT systems from a remote network management centre, including:

• Moves, adds and changes (MACs)
• Software upgrade management
• Archive and restore

Fault management

Proactive monitoring systems provide several fault management and diagnostics services, including:

Rapid fault diagnostics: remotely accesses your network to diagnose and repair faults quickly. If a fault cannot be resolved remotely a support engineer will be sent out to your premises. Rapid fault diagnostics incorporates the following features:

• Recognising and reporting problems
• Proactive fault tracking and automatic escalation
• Analysis of severity and allocation of priority
• Detailed diagnosis
• Online problem reporting and tracking
• Remote fault resolution
• Email and Short Message Service (SMS) notification
• Fault history log
• Vendor alerts

Proactive alarm monitoring: an entry-level service that monitors device and interface status for alarms and basic life signs to identify potential problems.

Proactive fault management: actively accesses devices to monitor performance indicators such as central processing unit (CPU) and backplane, infrastructure ports and infrastructure port protocol use and errors.

Critical port monitoring: proactively monitors nominated individual ports at pre-determined intervals.

Maintenance

BT offers two flexible maintenance options available for customers with existing IPT/VoIP estates:

• Take Over of Maintenance Only (TOMO): a competitively priced repair and maintenance service for your existing LAN and IPT estate. You benefit from BT's expertise, service and support.

• Take Over of Maintenance and Management of Existing Equipment (TOMMEE): includes services provided in TOMO as well as management of existing equipment and connections. Passing over the management of more of your infrastructure services helps to rationalise your supply chain and consolidate your infrastructure management into one contract.

Service packages

Tailor your service package to suit your needs:

• StandardCare: maintenance during standard working hours/days with a response time by the end of the following working day.

• PromptCare: maintenance during standard working hours/days with a response time of less than four working hours.

• TotalCare: around-the-clock maintenance with a response time of less than four hours.

You can also apply different service packages to different site types or groupings. For example, you could choose to have TotalCare at your head office and StandardCare at branch sites.

Project managed installation

Our implementation service includes:

• Staging: includes a range of services from simple box testing (plug and power on tests) through to full racking, configuration and network replication facilities.

• Project management: includes a project rollout plan and change management during implementation.

• Design and commissioning (design, configuration and testing): includes provision for scalability, resilience, traffic prioritisation and protocol addressing schemes.

• On-site equipment installation: includes configuration loading, functionality testing, network equipment visibility check and and complete solution testing.

• LAN integration service: includes assistance with special implementation needs arising from migration from an existing LAN environment.

Is a managed service right for you?

BT's managed IPT service is ideal for most organisations introducing IPT for the first time or those with existing IP or VoIP telephony who want to get more from their system and ensure it won't let them down.

We'd suggest that businesses looking for the following from their IPT system should opt for a managed service:

• Maximised security and minimised risk
• Minimal downtime with faults corrected quickly
• Automatic software upgrades
• Automated backup with archive and restore facility
• Reliability with guaranteed service levels
• Flexible service, maintenance and finance options

BT has global coverage and can provide the managed IPT service in more than 100 countries.

We've been there and done it

BT has unrivalled experience in providing managed IPT solutions to companies of all shapes and sizes, including organisations such as NHS Direct, Sitel, Abbey National and Visa. We've got more than 20 years' experience in developing IP networks and are the UK's number one provider - supplying IPT globally. We understand every business is different and tailor our products and services to suit your needs today with the flexibility to add more tomorrow.

BT has Gold Partnership status with market-leaders like Cisco and Nortel, meaning we're in the best position to manage and maintain systems that include these organisations' components.