Microsoft Office SystemCustomer Solution Case Study

Ethical Review Board Saves 67 Percent, Boosts Flexibility, with Unified Communications

OverviewCountry or Region: United StatesIndustry: Healthcare

Customer ProfileSchulman Associates IRB, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, reviews research protocols and consent documents to evaluate compliance with regulations and ethical guidelines related to clinical trials.

Business SituationSchulman had outgrown its legacy PBX system, and a proposed voice-over-IP solution didn’t interoperate well with the company’s presence and instant messaging (IM) solution.

SolutionThe company expanded the use of that presence and IM solution—Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007—making it the basis for a comprehensive, unified communications solution.

Benefits Reduces upfront cost by 67

percent Provides ongoing savings Cuts time to provision employees

from hours to minutes Provides more conferencing

“We chose Microsoft Unified Communications because we needed a new phone system. As a bonus, we’ve lowered our operating costs.”

Sergey Boytsov, Vice President of Information Technologies, Schulman Associates IRB

Schulman Associates IRB had outgrown its PBX phone system, and a voice-over-IP (VoIP) system did not meet the company’s business needs as promised. With the help of solution provider PCMS IT Advisor Group, Schulman adopted a unified communications solution based on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and related technologies. Within one system, the company now has fully scalable voice capability; presence and instant messaging; unified messaging; and audio, video, and web conferencing. The solution cost two-thirds less than a proposed solution from the VoIP provider, generates ongoing operational savings, and supports the company’s continued growth. IT staff spend less time managing the solution, and users can fully participate in meetings from anywhere with an Internet connection.

SituationAs an independent review board (IRB) for clinical trials, Schulman Associates IRB is an organization committed to quality, timely ethical oversight. So it expects the same quality and efficiency from its technology.

Schulman is dedicated to promoting clinical research by helping to safeguard the rights and welfare of clinical research subjects. To this end, the company reviews research protocols and study-related documents to evaluate compliance with relevant regulations and ethical guidelines. Its clients are generally pharmaceutical companies involved in clinical testing. Schulman holds tri-weekly board meetings of up to a dozen board members who review research documentation.

In 2008, Schulman found it had outgrown its PBX phone system, which couldn’t accommodate more than 100 users. Furthermore, each telephone handset had to be hardwired and configured individually, which was a time-consuming process. Expanding the existing system was estimated to cost U.S.$50,000. Migrating to another system that promised greater functionality was estimated to cost $200,000.

Neither option was ideal, but Schulman chose to pursue the expansion of the existing analog system through migration to a voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) system. After several months of integration work, the system didn’t work as promised with the company’s instant messaging (IM) solution, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. In addition, Schulman found the system to be limited in its paging functionality, which the company relied on to quickly locate personnel and to communicate with the company at large.

Schulman had other communication needs as well. Traditionally, board members would phone in when they couldn’t be at the company’s Cincinnati, Ohio, head-quarters for meetings. Schulman wanted to service the Canadian market, but it couldn’t do so from Cincinnati with its existing communication infrastructure, as Canadian regulations require that board members meet in a face-to-face setting. A third-party videoconferencing service was of limited value because it required specialized, expensive equipment at remote sites.

SolutionSchulman had already begun to address its telephone and remote facility needs when it adopted Microsoft Office Communica-tions Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 for presence and IM.

“We were already using Microsoft Office 2007, so Office Communications Server and Office Communicator were the obvious choices for presence and IM,” says Sergey Boytsov, Vice President of Information Technologies, Schulman Associates IRB. “The products interoperate so well that our

employees get maximum benefit, and they don’t need training to use the new software.” Boytsov also says the presence features are superior to the company’s existing overhead paging alternative or to walking over to see if a staff member was at his or her desk.

Needing a Compatible Phone SystemUnable to resolve the limitations of the VoIP system, Schulman needed an alternative for an expanded phone system. It turned to PCMS IT Advisor Group, the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that had deployed Office Communications Server and Office Communicator.

“Our small IT staff is significantly occupied with system maintenance, so we can’t unfold major strategic technology solutions in-house,” says Kevin Re, Network Administrator at Schulman Associates IRB. “PCMS deploys such technology every day. We value their knowledge about new technology trends.”

For the expanded voice system, PCMS again recommended Office Communications Server. Although Schulman had been using it only for presence and instant messaging, the software provides VoIP capability and is completely scalable. Because presence, instant messaging, and VoIP are all part of the product, there would be no challenge to integrate VoIP with the existing services. Additional capabilities such as audio, video, and web conferencing (based on Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007) are included as well, allowing Office Communications Server to form the basis of a comprehensive, unified communications solution.

Deploying the Solution in PhasesTo validate its choice, Schulman chose a phased rollout. The first phase covered about 20 individual users. With positive results from this deployment, Schulman and PCMS went on to deploy the solution to several teams and added team-based features, such as response groups that automatically route incoming calls to the next available member of the team. Phase three of the deployment extended the solution to the entire company, and included audio, video, and web conferencing capabilities. The system was also configured for connectivity to external users. Most of the companywide rollout was completed over a single weekend.

Employees received Polycom CX200 desktop phones, which have plug-and-play compatibility with Windows-based PCs, and Polycom CX700 IP phones, which can be used without attachment to PCs. Both run Office Communications Server 2007 Phone Edition.

The Office Communications Server deployment extends to users outside the company’s main facility. Employees in remote offices connected to the Schulman wide-area network also received the Polycom phones, which can be plugged into the network without needing any on-site configuration. People in locations not connected to the network have two communications choices: They can use Office Communicator Mobile on their Windows Phones, or they can use Office Communicator Web Access from any Internet-connected computer.

To implement the conferencing capabilities of Office Live Meeting and Office Communications Server, Schulman

“PCMS deploys such technology every day. We value their knowledge about new technology trends.”

Kevin Re, Network Administrator, Schulman Associates IRB

provided laptop PCs with built-in cameras to off-site users and webcams to users on the network. It also bought a Polycom CX5000 device, based on Microsoft RoundTable technology, for the Cincinnati office. Unlike the company’s prior conferencing service, the CX5000 devices combine 360-degree panoramic views of people in a conference room with close-ups of whoever is speaking from moment to moment.

Gaining Unified MessagingSchulman and PCMS also integrated the new communications technology with an existing installation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The result gave Schulman a unified messaging system through which employees receive all their email and voice-mail messages in a single inbox. Users can check their messages through the Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 software on their desktop PC, through Office Outlook Web Access from any computer with a web browser, or through their Windows Phones using Office Outlook Mobile.

BenefitsSchulman cut its upfront cost as well as its continuing operating costs by choosing a Microsoft Unified Communications solution. The IT department spends less time managing the system than it did before, employees are more productive, and the company has gained the agility to support continued growth.

Reduces Upfront Cost by 67 Percent, Provides Ongoing SavingsBy choosing a unified communications solution based on Office Communications Server and related technologies, Schulman reduced the size of its potential investment in a new solution by two-thirds, says Boytsov.

Continuing savings come from a variety of sources. By using Microsoft Unified Communications for conferencing, Schulman was able to discontinue the third-party conferencing service on which it had relied. It also avoided having to buy a separate in-house conferencing solution. Even the cost of hardware for the conferencing capability was less. The company estimates it spent $75 per user on hardware to equip remote users for conferencing with Microsoft Unified Communications, compared to the $1,000 per user that it would have spent with the alternative third-party solution.

Schulman is seeing other savings as well. Boytsov estimates that the company saves $1,000 for each board meeting conducted through the communications technology, because it doesn’t pay for travel time, expenses, and meeting-room rental. With 50 such meetings per year, that’s an annual savings of $50,000.

“We chose Microsoft Unified Communications because we needed a new phone system,” says Boytsov. “As a bonus, we’ve lowered our operating costs.”Cuts Time to Provision Employees from Hours to MinutesYet another area of savings is the time that the IT staff spends on the communications system. To provision new employees, Network Administrator Kevin Re used to set up new accounts in the PBX and voice-mail systems as well as in Active Directory Domain Services, a feature of the

Windows Server operating system. Now, he can provision new users completely through Active Directory.

“I have fewer places to go to provision employees,” says Kevin Re. “I just right-click and enable the new user for communications. What used to take half a day now takes 15 minutes.”

Related savings come from maintaining a single user database. Kevin Re uses the Remote Desktop Sharing functionality of Office Communications Server to understand and resolve user problems remotely. That resolves those problems faster, saving time both for the network administrator and for the user.

He also uses the One Number Reach capability of Office Communications Server. With this feature, callers can immediately reach Kevin Re on his Windows Phone when he isn’t at his desk, and he can respond to users faster than if they left voice-mail messages.

Provides Conferencing Capabilities that Support GrowthPerhaps the biggest benefit of the move to Microsoft Unified Communications is the greater flexibility and agility it gives to Schulman, supporting the company’s continued growth. Boytsov cites a range of ways in which the solution supports employees, making them more effective and making Schulman more successful and competitive.First, video conferencing enables remote users to participate fully in meetings without incurring travel time and expense. Equally significant, the 360-degree video-conferencing capability met the Canadian legal requirement for face-to-face meetings. “We could not have made the move into Canada without Microsoft Unified Communications—and the RoundTable capability, in particular,” says Boytsov. “No other video conferencing solution would have made it possible for remote users to see everyone in the conference room, thus allowing us to meet the spirit of the law.”

RoundTable also supports Schulman board meetings by operating without mechanical movement or audible operation. ”RoundTable doesn’t call attention to itself or otherwise distract our board members,” says Boytsov. “That’s very important in discussing matters of human subject protection.”

Second, the solution’s other conferencing capabilities make it possible for colleagues to work together regardless of their locations; for example, they can collaborate on documents through Remote Desktop Sharing. The solution also serves as the foundation for a business continuity plan that provides a way for employees to work together even if the main facility becomes unavailable or they’re unable to reach it.

Third, the generation of unique passcodes for each conference makes those conferences more secure than when an unchanging passcode was continually used; that added security boosts client confidence in Schulman. Conference call leaders can see the presence information for all participants, making it easier to track who’s on a call.

Delivers Faster, More Effective Communications

“I have fewer places to go to provision employees. I just right-click and enable the new user for communications.”

Kevin Re, Network Administrator, Schulman Associates IRB

“We could not have made the move into Canada without Microsoft Unified Communications—and the RoundTable capability, in particular.”

Sergey Boytsov, Vice President of Information

Technologies, Schulman Associates IRB

“We can route phone calls more effectively and efficiently, so instead of going into voice mail, clients get a live person at the other end of the line.”

Sergey Boytsov, Vice President of Information Technologies, Schulman

Associates IRB

Schulman gained the original benefit that it sought with its initial use of Office Communications Server and Office Communicator: faster and more effective communication among employees.

“Everyone uses presence and instant messaging to quickly communicate internally,” says Boytsov. “Additionally, we can route phone calls more effectively and efficiently, so instead of going into voice mail, clients get a live person at the other end of the line. The solution has improved the way we serve both our internal and external customers.”Microsoft Office SystemThe Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to: www.microsoft.com/office

For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about PCMS IT Advisor Group services, call (513) 587-3123 or visit the website at: www.itadvisorgroup.com

For more information about Schulman Associates IRB services, call (513) 761-1460 or visit the website at:www.sairb.com

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published June 2010

Software and Services Microsoft Office

− Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

− Microsoft Office Communicator 2007

− Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile

− Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access

− Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007

− Microsoft Office Outlook 2007− Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Server 2003 Enterprise

Edition

− Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise Edition

Technologies− Active Directory Domain Services− Microsoft RoundTable

Hardware Polycom CX200 Polycom CX700 Polycom CX5000

Partner PCMS IT Advisor Group