NetStar deploys IP LAN solution for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

The new Cisco IP Telephony Local Area Network (LAN) solution has been rolled out across GSK’s Ermington site, which encompasses both the manufacturing and supply and commercial business units. The solution supports more than 400 end users across both business areas.

GSK chose to upgrade to IP infrastructure because of a desire to eliminate the ongoing costs associated with traditional telephony infrastructure and keep pace with the changes taking place across the communications landscape.

“We wanted to be in a position to roll out a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution and future-proof our communications infrastructure,” said Phil Walsh, IT Manager at GlaxoSmithKline. “The network upgrade will enable us to look beyond the typical five to six year lifecycle that comes with traditional PABX technologies and adapt to changes and improvements in IP technologies as they happen.”

“We are now VoIP-ready and have reduced the amount we will have to spend on redundant TDM technologies in future. Our employees also benefit from gigabit to the desktop, which will enable us to take advantage of new technologies, such as video to the desktop, as it becomes available,” he said.

Jonas Clayton, Senior Account Manager at NetStar Australia said: “NetStar proposed a migration of GSK’s current outdated infrastructure across to solutions and technologies that will better support applications and services in the future.

“Ultimately with the roll out of VoIP in future, GSK will benefit from significant operational cost savings for voice services and more flexible messaging services and functionality,” he said.

The new infrastructure is already delivering benefits to employees with increased speed and flexibility across the LAN. The upgrade has provided a tenfold increase in speed across GSK’s distribution links to different floors and buildings within the compound. It has also delivered speeds up to 100 times faster to user desktops, which will enable VoIP capability to be rolled out quickly and easily.

GSK’s new core network infrastructure is comprised of two Cisco Catalyst 4510 switches designed for enterprise LAN access. The roll out also included six Catalyst 4503 and one Catalyst 4506 switches to connect outlying offices and departments to the core infrastructure.

ABOUT NETSTARLOGICALIS

NetstarLogicalis is part of the Logicalis Group, which is a division of Datatec Limited (DTC), a $4.2 billion multi-national Group listed on the AIM market of the LSE and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. NetstarLogicalis offers a complete range of end-to-end solutions for converged data, security and Data Centre infrastructure. NetstarLogicalis’ state-of-the-art network management facilities help customers reduce the cost of managing their infrastructure. Our goal is to help customers better run their business, leveraging our proven networking and Data Centre expertise and experience.

For further information, please contact: