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Avaya Unified Communications at Textile Company Maharam Delivers Big Savings, Low Total Cost of Ownership


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Maharam saves nearly $100,000 in just over a year and confirms Nemertes Research findings that Avaya delivers lowest VOIP deployment TCO


BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – One of the first quantifiable benefits that global, commercial textile company, Maharam, noticed after implementing a new Avaya unified communications solution was the 50 percent drop in maintenance costs. The company also cut costs by eliminating or reducing trunking and PSTN costs. In addition, the new Avaya system was so simple to maintain that it freed IT staff for other tasks - including a previously de-prioritized effort that, year-to-date, has returned $40,000 to Maharam’s technology budget.

All totaled, Maharam has saved nearly $100,000 in just over a year since Platinum-certified Avaya Channel Partner Juma Technology Corp (OTC:BB JUMT) completed the installation of the new, Avaya unified communications solution.

Maharam’s experience exemplifies findings detailed in the recent Nemertes Research report, “The True Cost of Voice over IP.” The report tracked how much companies had actually spent on IP-telephony deployments within the LAN and VOIP across the WAN over a period of time. Based on one-on-one interviews with 200 IT practitioners, and cost and deployment data gathered from another 1,393 via an electronic survey, the report concluded that Avaya had a proven lower 3-year total cost of ownership (TCO) – up to 36 percent less costly to own than other leading unified communications vendors measured by the survey.

Maharam completed installation of the system in June, 2009 and appears to be on track to potentially produce better results than the Nemertes findings. As of November, 2009, the company estimates that to date it has saved:


* $30,000 in maintenance costs; An approximate 50 percent reduction compared to its previous vendor
* Approximately $3,000 to $4,000 per month in network/trunking-related costs
* An estimated $40,000 in overcharges and billing mistakes from service providers, mistakes that were identified by Maharam’s telecom analyst because the simplicity of maintaining the Avaya system generated additional time for billing analysis


“The results Maharam saw with its deployment mirror those we saw with several other Avaya customers during our 2009 research study,” says Robin Gareiss, Nemertes executive vice president and senior founding partner. “Increasingly, companies are moving toward a centralized architecture, which, combined with reduced maintenance costs, provide solid cost savings for companies. As employees use the UC capabilities more, Maharam should see additional productivity benefits.”

Maharam’s new centralized system enables the company to support multiple locations from one main hub powered by two servers which extend applications and features consistently across the company locations. Gone are the various PBXs and key systems that served independent locations and required separate maintenance and administration. Instead, the new Avaya system provides better call handling and routing throughout the company with simplified management. In addition, the reduction in hardware not only delivers upfront cost savings, the ongoing decrease in power consumption and cooling requirements are bonus dividends and an important benefit for maintaining Maharam’s ISO 14001 certification.

According to the Nemertes report, “by centralizing servers at the data center, organizations report savings in the number of servers they need to buy, along with reduced tools and resources to manage applications such as unified messaging, conferencing, and even the IP PBX itself. By using fewer servers than would be used in a distributed model, companies can save on power and cooling costs, as well.”

Maharam’s employees are experiencing additional benefits that help them be more productive. For example, they find it easier to collaborate across locations – even if they are on the road - with 4-digit dialing, a single, company-wide voice mail system and new mobility capabilities. Soon, they’ll also be able to call remote colleagues simply by clicking on their name in their instant messaging client.

“I’d actually always been a die-hard fan of one of Avaya’s main competitors,” said Sal DeAugustino. “This said, Avaya’s software, ACD functionality, services and price point overshadow all others. From an IT management perspective, Avaya has made our lives a lot easier. Issues are now fixed remotely via a call from the NOC or, in many cases, by our local tech support staffer that can handle a fix themselves with Avaya’s simplified management.”

The new, Avaya Unified Communications solution at Maharam includes: Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager, Avaya Modular Messaging, Avaya one-X® Communicator and Extension to Cellular and a range of management, monitoring and reporting applications. Juma Technology conducted the IP network assessment, provided point of sale support and implementation service nationwide.

About Avaya

Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

About Maharam

Maharam, a fourth generation family-run business, celebrated its centennial in 2002. First renowned as a supplier of theatrical textiles, in the 1960s Maharam pioneered the contract textile concept, developing engineered textiles for commercial application. Maharam continues to create innovative textiles through the exploration of pattern, material and technique. It offers a comprehensive collection of textiles for seating, walls, window covering, systems and healthcare applications. In North America, Maharam textiles are available to the trade and through a select group of authorized Maharam retailers. For more information visit www.maharam.com.

About Juma (www.jumacorp.com)

Juma Technology Corp. provides advanced IP Convergence solutions that integrate voice, data and video applications. Juma’s IP Convergence solutions enable companies to increase productivity, enhance mobility and create significant cost savings, particularly for multi-location businesses. Juma has been recognized as an industry leader in providing integrated business communications and services, helping customers leverage network convergence to achieve their business goals. Nectar Services Corp., an IP communications and management services provider, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Juma and represents the company’s services division. The Nectar suite of services delivers real business solutions to help companies mitigate risk, centralize systems management and dramatically reduce telecom expenses. Follow Juma on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jumatech



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