Azzurri rolls out managed service for Allied Carpets

Allied Carpets is centralising its network infrastructure with Azzurri Communications as part of a five-year, multi-million pound contract.

The carpet and flooring firm will see new voice, data, mobile and WAN infrastructure provided for its 225 retail outlets, as well as contact centres, distribution centres and head office, at a cost of nearly a million pounds annually for the first three years.

Azzurri will provide a managed service, covering Allied's networks, maintenance and support.

Currently, the firm has a separate voice and data infrastructure, from BT, and mobile from O2. It was looking to converge and centralise its systems in order to reduce complexity and costs, as well as to help staff deal with less technology on-site. "We wanted to make everything as thin as possible in stores," explained Ken Moss, the firm's IT controller. "It makes it easier for property managers, IT departments and for staff."

Another key aspect of the implementation is business continuity. Allied handles many insurance claims - making up a fifth of its business. Because of this, the insurers it works with expect the same levels of service and compliance as are required by them by the financial services act, Moss said.

Roll-out of the service is currently underway and should finish between mid-June and mid-July, Moss said. The cost is expected to be about £900,000 annually for the first three years, with a drop in price for the remaining two, Moss explained.

Allied is also looking into using IP alarming, IP-CCTV and video streaming in their stores - all of which are made possible by the centralised management of the new intelligent networks.

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