Researchers share lab findings faster

Researchers at one of Australia’s leading health research facilities are sharing important findings with colleagues around the world faster, following the installation of a new Cisco IP telephony system by Comscentre.

The telecommunications specialist has installed the new system at Burnet Institute in Melbourne, replacing its outdated analog PABX system as part of an office expansion.

Burnet Institute is the leading group focused on infectious diseases, immunology and cancer in Australia and the region. Major areas of research include infectious diseases of global significance such as HIV, hepatitis, measles, malaria, tuberculosis and avian influenza, and cancers such as breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

Comscentre replaced 197 handsets with Cisco IP telephony equipment, which has a host of features and functionality unavailable in other entry-level and traditional non-IP-based phone systems.

The conference feature on the new phones provides an easy and convenient way to conference between boardrooms or groups of people, simplifying and speeding up the conference process.

Researchers at Burnet Institute have been able to utilise this advanced telephony feature to communicate their findings on potentially groundbreaking research with colleagues around Australia and the world faster.

Burnet Institute Chief Technology Officer Paul Stephens said fast and efficient communication was critical for the institute.

“We have a lot of joint projects with other universities around Australia and the world and it is critical they are able to conference call each other with ease and efficiency to communicate the findings they’ve just had in the lab,” he said.

“We also have a lot of postgraduate students and it is essential they can communicate back and forth with ease and efficiency with their superiors.

“Our new phones have advanced telephony features such as directory hook-up, and the ability to organise meetings over the phone, add people to calls and create conference calls very quickly without having to organise it first with Telstra.”

Stephens said the installation of the new system saved the institute both money and time.

“With the old system, we would have had to redirect lines and reconfigure the system as part of the move to the new building; but with this IP telephony solution, it’s a matter of picking up the phones, walking over to the building and plugging them in,” he said.

Burnet Institute eventually plans to introduce the GSM interface to its IP telephony system, which will integrate the advantages of its mobile fleet plan with its office phone system. It will also enable a new feature which will allow staff to work from home by redirecting desktop phones and make phone calls via their home computer.