Summary

Le Friquet Home and Garden & Living is not just a retail outlet but the central hub of Blue Diamond Group's retail operations located throughout the Channel Islands and the UK. Fusion Systems manages, maintains and evolves the Blue Diamond Group technology infrastructure that supports this network.  In this complex project Fusion has delivered the following:

• A structured cabling solution from HT Data comprising of copper and fibre optic cabling to suit the specific site characteristics
• An updated Avaya telephony system incorporating Voice Over IP and unified communications
• Re-location of the group's core IT infrastructure to the new location

  Structured Cabling System - HT Data

The physical design of Le Friquet Home and Garden & Living building provided a design challenge for the data cabling system.  The main retail space is in the shape of an octagon with a canopy covered centre together with adjoining structures for the warehouse and offices.  The physical proportions of the building are beyond the limits of a single copper based cabling system for data applications, consequently a design that incorporates a high speed fibre optic backbone was required.

Fibre Optic spurs run out from the central server and communications room to a number of satellite cabinets distributed throughout the building.  Each of these satellite cabinets each has it's own network of copper cabling out to individual data outlets in order to provide data outlets distributed throughout the building.  By using Voice Over IP telephony data outlets can be deployed for either voice or data applications.

We used Hellerman Tyton Cabling Sciences products to complete the installation complete with a 25 year performance guarantee. More details on our data cabling activities can be found here.

We also supplied a complete set of active network equipment - gigabit ethernet switches to complete the network and provide a complete high speed voice and data network

  Telephone System - Avaya IP Office

 

The new building functions as both the head office for Blue Diamond Group and also the new retail outlet so it is important that the telephone system can be sufficiently flexible to accommodate both functions with maximum ease of use.   Fusion Systems had previously supplied an Avaya IP Office telephone system to the Blue Diamond's former head office location at La Villiaze and this system, was suitable to be updated and extended to be deployed in the new building.

The original Avaya  IP Office 406v2  base unit was replaced with a new IP Office 500 base unit so as to provide maximum flexibility and the existing expansion units and handsets were retained.  The original IP Office 406 v2 is now available to be deployed at another of the group's locations and will in addition to all of the conventional call handling facilities provide the capability of inter-office call routing via Voice Over IP across the internet.

For the head office users the system continues very much as before, they have access to the rich features offered by Avaya IP Office including voicemail, PC integration and unified communications.  For the retail outlet staff, they will also benefit from the ease of use of the system including it's extensive features for mobile workers.  An IP based cordless handset system has been deployed enabling staff to roam with IP handsets throughout the building and remain in contact at all times irrespective of their location.  This will replace the radio based walkie-talkie system helping reduce costs and increasing usability of the system.

  Core IT facilities relocation

With Guernsey as the core of the Blue Diamond group's operations, all group wide IT facilities such as email are provided from the island. A secure Wide Area Network joins the various locations together and trading data from the stores is sent to Guernsey on a daily basis.  Consequently the shift of location was a key activity as downtime had to be minimised so as to avoid un-necessary disruption across all of the retail outlets.

 The new server room and communications infrastructure was readied and tested and once the green light was given we shifted the existing equipment from La Villiaze and brought it back on line without a hitch at Le Friquet with only a handful of hours of downtime. 

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For more information:
Tel: +44 (0) 1481 721031
Email: enquiry@fusion-systems.com