2Ring, in cooperation with Kennedy Communications, deployed the IPPS (IP Phone Services) application for the city of Lake City, Florida.This deployment was a significant breakthrough for 2Ring into local municipalities in the North American marketplace. IPPS gives the city the opportunity to address its need for emergency notification, increase productivity, and realize a return on its initial investment within the first year.

Lake City, the “Gateway to Florida,” is a rapidly growing city that utilizes Cisco IP Telephony built on Cisco Unified Communications Manager version 6.x. To meet the growing demands on the quality of telecommunication services, the city management was seeking to increase the efficiency of its existing investment in information technology in every way. As part of this initiative, it was also looking into IP Telephony applications that would allow it to improve productivity and enhance communication.

2Ring’s IPPS solution was an application that the city looked into because it offers a crucial service that the city needed – the ability to voice page or text message a group of telephones. The city also recognized the fact that IPPS is a modular package of services, from which the employees of Lake City will have easy access to corporate and personal directories directly from Cisco IP phones. Commenting on the deployment, Rick Purnell, 2Ring North American Manager said, “In addition to the messaging functionality, we gave the city the ability to synchronize its database of contacts to its Cisco telephones, added a quick IntelliSearch feature and the ability to screen-pop contact information on an incoming call.” According to Zack Mears, IT Director for the city of Lake City: “We originally decided on IPPS because we get more features for a lower cost.” One of the important factors that helped to keep the total cost of ownership low was the ability of IPPS to run on a virtual machine. Mears continues, “Even better, after the deployment, we realized that the IPPS application provides more functionality then we originally thought that it would.” To sum up, IPPS proved itself as a valuable Cisco IPT add-on package once again.

2Ring is actively building strong partnerships with dealers in both the United States and Canada by offering robust applications for IP telephony and contact centers, marketing tools and customer support.

2Ring is a premier developer and provider of services for contact centers and IP telephony in Europe and is now rapidly expanding in North America. 2Ring has been active in the field of services for contact centers and IP telephony since 2001. Through merger, acquisition and organic growth, 2Ring now has hundreds of reputable partners and certified professionals in the world. 2Ring’s suite of products includes IPPS, IP phone services that enable companies to integrate contacts and database information with desk sets and wireless handsetsand a state-of-the-art Agent Desktop that enables Cisco Unified Contact Center deployments to be easily integrated with information systems and extends the after-call wrap-up collection time to cover the call’s entire duration. Moreover, the suite of 2Ring products also includes MACC (Multitenant Admission Control Center), NetFAX, a web-base business fax solution, and TAS, a fully integrated call accounting solution.

Kennedy communications is one of the few companies in North Florida that has vast experience in both telecommunications as well as computer networking. Founded in 1991, it provides end-to-end technology solutions to businesses of all sizes, plus state and local government agencies. Whether its customers are looking for a state-of-the-art VoIP phone system or a simple, small business telephone system, it has solutions from industry leaders Cisco and Avaya to fit any need. Kennedy Communications also has a full suite of Healthcare IT solutions including Electronic Health Records, Practice Management, ePrescribing, and much more from Allscripts, a leading provider of software, services, information and connectivity solutions that empower physicians and other healthcare providers. The company serves clients primarily in North Florida and South Georgia, including Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Valdosta; in addition, its extended client base stretches across the southeastern US. For more information, please visit www.kennedycommunication.com

City of Lake City is a rapidly growing city which strives to maintain a warm and friendly hometown atmosphere while offering many of the same amenities associated with larger cities. The mission of the City Manager's Office is to build and maintain, through sound management principles and community participation, an effective City government organization; to ensure the effective delivery of services; to provide the management direction and support for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of all city programs; and to ensure coordination and consistency in implementing policies and programs approved by the City Council. For more information, please visit www.lcfla.com