T4G Case Study: Open Source and Standards SIP/IAX-Based Solution

T4G case study
T4G Limited is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, the highest certification, with expertise in five different competencies: Data Management, Custom Development, Advanced Infrastructure, Information Worker and Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS). T4G's client list includes many leading Canadian and international corporations and governments, including Rogers Communications Inc., Tourism British Columbia, LL Bean, Onex Corp., RBC Financial Group, Skyservice Airlines Inc., Bell Canada, Reader's Digest, Sears Canada, the Province of New Brunswick, Staples Business Depot and Victoria's Secret.

T4G Limited is a full-service, project-based information technology services company founded in 1996. The company believes in its people and building teams and breaking conventional wisdom in each and every project. T4G believes in The Intelligent Application of Technology™ where less can be more, where innovation leads to opportunity, and where a culture of commitment always strives to exceed customers' expectations.

The Situation
In 1996, T4G implemented a Windows PBX system for their main office in Toronto. By 2003, T4G was experiencing significant growth, adding offices, and increasing telecommunication expenses. While the existing system was adequate for one location, its proprietary nature, lack of expansion and interconnection meant it was no longer an appropriate solution. The company recognized that the success of their business required a new communications infrastructure that used VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and supported SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

“It was imperative to find a new standards-based PBX solution that managed all of our locations while supporting our remote and expanding employee base,” stated Geoff Flood, President and Co-Founder of T4G.

“In my research I came across several SIP based solutions from the major telecommunications vendors. The cost for those solutions was around $200,000. T4G is a value conscious organization and these solutions were definitely not in line with our corporate values,” stated Michael Cottenden, CTO and Co-Founder of T4G.

The Solution
Looking at an open source solution was a logical next step. Much time was spent researching solutions from vendors such as Fonality, Switchvox, and Digium’s Asterisk Business Edition. T4G concluded that an open source and standards SIP/IAX-based solution would allow the company to grow effectively without the risks associated with a proprietary solution.
Taridium's ipbx enterprise VoIP platform offered T4G all the advantages of an open standards solution with the reliability of non-stop hardware, 24x7 monitoring and software support.

“We could have installed Asterisk on our own, but that provided too much risk for us,” Mr. Cottenden said. “We want a supported version, one that could still offer us the flexibility of full access to the dialplan and most importantly, a Web interface for the employee. Most of our employees are in the office one day and at a client site the next. And that means employees require the ability to modify their own call routing on a daily basis. The features of the Taridium ipbx product are exactly what we were looking for. Based on the feature set and excellent price point we moved forward with initial purchase. The Taridium team provided us with a clean remote installation of the ipbx software and we were up and running in a very short time. Their built-in phone provisioning makes deploying SIP phones a breeze.”

Key Drivers
- Web based End-User Interface
- SIP and IAX support
- Expert installation, 24x7 monitoring and support
- Full dialplan access
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
“The Taridium team and solution were the perfect fit for us,” T4G’s Michael Cottenden.