£1.6million, three year contract for managed mobility, VoIP, proactive network monitoring and print and document solutions 

PZ Cussons, the leading global FMCG group, whose brands include Imperial Leather and Carex, has selected Azzurri Communications to deliver, manage and support a unified communications solution for their new UK head office and manufacturing plant.

Due to rapid growth, PZ Cussons recently moved to a new office and took the opportunity to create an innovative ‘future world of work’.

To ensure staff and visitors received a compelling experience they wanted their entire communications estate, including telephony, videoconferencing and infrastructure, to be ‘unified’ over IP. 

After winning the competitive tender for the £1.6m, three year contract, Azzurri will provide a managed service that brings together ten communications suppliers into a single contract and service level agreement.

Azzurri will proactively and remotely manage PZ Cussons’ Local Area Network (LAN) and wireless network via their Network Operating Centre (NOC), and manage PZ Cussons’ Voice over IP telephony, calls and lines provision and print and document solutions.

The contract also includes smartphone and mobility management for 350 devices. PZ Cussons have selected a variety of devices to suit their differing needs across the business, including iPads and iPhones, smartphones running Windows Mobile and more functional Nokia phones. 

Ged Bithell, Group Head of Infrastructure, PZ Cussons said: “Azzurri were very competitive and came through well on each element of the tender. This allowed us to go single source with our communications supplier which helps hugely with service management, and provides economies of scale.”

Chris Colesell, UK Head of IT, PZ Cussons, highlights the major benefits they gain from using a single supplier for their communications estate, and why the Azzurri managed service model will now be used as PZ Cussons’ global communications template:

1.      Allows our IT team to add value: “Azzurri look after day to day user issues – whether that is network or hardware related. This helps us concentrate on our core business elements so our people can be focused on productive and value adding activities, allowing IT to give something back to the business.”
2.      A single point of contact and single SLA: “This is a significant benefit: large enterprises like us can spend a lot of time managing suppliers, but working with Azzurri ensures we avoid any supplier blame game and makes it clear to us where responsibilities lie – i.e. with them!”
3.      Contractual flexibility: “The service means that if we want to add a telephone exchange somewhere in the group we can quickly add that to the managed service. The flexible contract gives us the scale we need without having to worry about whether it will fit on to existing technology.”
4.      A trusted partnership: “The fact that Azzurri have delivered on everything they promised they would do positions them as our trusted partner of choice for communications.”

Mark Quartermaine, CEO, Azzurri Communications, said: “Our customers recognise that effectively integrating their corporate networks with business and communications applications will drive significant business benefit. But the deluge of vendor hype on ‘Unified Communications’ can make decision making difficult for them.” 

Quartermaine continues: “We believe Azzurri’s key strength is helping large enterprises, like PZ Cussons, understand which aspects of telecommunications are most important to their business, and then effectively managing numerous suppliers to integrate and deliver transformational projects.”

About Azzurri Communications www.azzurricommunications.com
Azzurri is the leading UK independent managed communications services provider, delivering flexible voice, data and mobile communications at every level. Services range from audit, analysis and solution design through to implementation, support, ongoing management and cost saving. Azzurri Communications was formed in June 2000 and is headquartered in the UK, offering global access to sales, service and support to customers in 130 countries. Azzurri customers include Severn Trent Water, PZ Cussons, DSGi, Bupa, STA Travel and Reed Specialist Recruitment.