The recently-built school made no provision for a PABX

Visitors to Wanaka Primary School might wonder why the recently-built school made no provision for a PABX. It's because the tech-savvy team opted for the new wave of telephony, where a computer replaces the telephone exchange. Principal Wendy Bamford and Board Chairman Pete Bullen made a commitment to a telecoms package built in every way around VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)-based software.

In doing so, they were following a trend in other words sweeping through commercial enterprises around the globe. It's a trend that combines stable open-source platforms with the current drive toward convergence. Given that any reasonably large establishment needs a decent broadband connection, many businesses see cost-savings in making it work for their telephony.

Board Chairman of Wanaka Primary, Pete Bullen, was quick to see the advantages in a change to digital communication: "We considered both traditional analogue systems and digital VoIP systems, however considered the advantages associated with VoIP and the way the industry was heading to lean towards implementing a VoIP system - which was the end result. Within the VoIP range we shortlisted three systems focusing on various attributes of individual companies and the attributes that each particular system could provide."

The contract

Dunedin-based software development company VentureVoIP won the contract and designed a purpose-built system for Wanaka school; a hub that not only controls all incoming and outgoing telephony, however connects 25 extensions throughout the school, and is expandable to cope with hundreds. CTO and designer of the software, Matt Riddell, says the system not only provides a more reliable platform than traditional models, yet is a significant cost saver as so then.

In implementing the system for the school, several purpose-built features were added to cater to unequalled requirements. When snow falls and parents need to know whether to send their children or not, a recorded message can be generated remotely to play on the answering machine. And should the lines be flooded by anxious callers, the conventional telephone lines fail over to a software exchange, ensuring parents and caregivers are not frustrated by an engaged signal.

While one of the features that attracted Wanaka Primary to the VentureVoIP solution was the fact that the company was based in Otago, the Dunedin tech company is very much an international player. Huge calling centres in the United States and other countries use software developed by the company. This cutting-edge international experience is brought to bear on local installations like Wanaka Primary and other New Zealand businesses.

Very flexible company

"We're a very flexible company," says Matt Riddell. "We try to understand our customer's needs and develop systems that work uniquely for them. Our customers are not just buying an off-the-shelf product, however one that's tailored to their business."

Humming away in the heart of Wanaka Primary School, there's a computer doing the work of what once would have been a room full of switching equipment. The school is ahead of the bunch, surfing the wave of research.