Brocade has announced that Terminix Service Inc. has selected the Brocade (News - Alert) Layer 3 switching solution to deploy across all 52 of its branch office locations with a ShoreTel Unified Communications (UC) solution. This option was chosen due to its design as a highly reliable communications platform that can serve the organization’s distributed offices seamlessly without adding cost or complexity to the network.

Terminix is banking on the Brocade IP networking infrastructure and ShoreTel’s (News - Alert) IP business phone solution to support unified communications and enable field agents to improve customer service to both residential and commercial customers. With ShoreTel’s support for Brocade’s Power over Ethernet (PoE), business continuity is guaranteed in the event of a power outage.

As data and traffic continued to grow, Terminix needed to upgrade its entire internal and external customer products network to meet communication scalability and efficiency demands. The company also needed reliable communications for a distributed organization to help deliver high-quality service and to provide advanced technology and consistent voice/data service level agreements to its branch offices.

With a diverse customer base, the company had to accommodate a wide range of requirements. Terminix sought to protect customer loyalty and existing business investments. The company also needed a reliable voice over IP (VoIP) system to help provide business continuity.

To meet these demands, Terminix installed Brocade FastIron Edge switches with Power over Ethernet to expand Payer 3 routing capacity and scalability in a compact platform. The company also installed the ShoreGear-40 voice switch, ShoreWare Operator Call Manager and ShoreWare Personal Call Manager to streamline both operator and personal communications.

“We selected Brocade because they delivered the greatest value without sacrificing advanced technology or reliability,” said John Dorn, director of information services for Terminix Service, in a statement. “Brocade’s infrastructure is able to provide the performance we were after with the ease of use and management we needed. The high level of support we’ve received from the beginning has been superb. They’ve been there for us every step of the way.”

As a result of these implementations, Terminix has realized reduced network costs, simplified management, improved productivity and the seamless exchange of information and communications across a distributed enterprise. With greater capacity, embedded security and low power consumption in a compact form factor, the FastIron Edge Series switches help Terminix to significantly increase its return on investment and decrease its total cost of ownership.

“Our existing phone system reached its end of life, and we needed a new solution that not only provided advanced features, but could grow with the business,” said Dorn. “With all of the benefits an IP-based solution could offer—from the flexibility to the cost savings and advanced voicemail features with integrated e-mail and call management—we determined it was the right direction for us.”

Brocade and Westcon Group have reportedly entered into an agreement under which Westcon Group (News - Alert) will distribute Brocade enterprise IP/Ethernet networking products to channel reseller partners. The company selected Westcon Group for its ability to efficiently deliver IP/Ethernet networking solutions to channel reseller partners on a global scale, as well as for its extensive knowledge, skills, and expertise in key industry verticals.