Storms ravaged island in 2005, but communications never failed
Key West City, Florida and Ottawa, Canada - Mitel, the trusted provider of voice-centric IP communications solutions and applications, played a crucial role in keeping Key West City police, firemen and city emergency crews connected when the Florida community was being battered by last year's record-breaking hurricane season. Mitel's robust IP platforms and solutions kept communications open as winds toppled power lines and caused widespread flooding.
With the 2006 hurricane season drawing closer, Key West City information technology manager Patti McLauchlin recalled how in midst of the destruction and chaos brought on by Hurricane Wilma, a late storm that crashed ashore October 24, the City's network of highly resilient Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platforms (ICP) distributed across key locations never faltered.
"City emergency crews responded to the calls of more than100 residents who reached out to a dedicated emergency phone line for help," said McLauchlin. "Although the system had been installed only a few months earlier, it came through with flying colors."
"Mitel takes pride in ensuring that our customers' communications systems are reliable, even under the harshest of circumstances, and our 3300 ICP withstood the worst nature could throw and never wavered," said Mitel CEO Don Smith. "Because IP is all we do, it's what we and our partners and customers have come to expect."
Mitel channel partner Integrated Technology Services of Miami was instrumental in helping Key West City choose the right system. Armando Camejo, president of ITS, pointed to a number of reasons for that decision. "The ability to tie the Mitel system in the City of Key West Police Department and the City of Key West allowed us to setup redundant paths for both entities. The Mitel IP solution was an easy choice to provide them with different avenues of communication during the worst of times."
Mitel's Emergency Response Advisor is a complete, fully integrated and modular platform equipped with the vital services and data necessary to accurately dispatch emergency services to the exact location where an E-911 call originates. Mitel's IP communications platforms combined with the company's Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness solutions deliver a powerful end-to-end emergency call handling solution.
Now, as the 2006 hurricane season nears, Key West City can have confidence that the lines of communication will remain open even under the worst of scenarios.
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About Mitel
Mitel is a leading provider of integrated communications solutions and services for business customers. Mitel's voice-centric IP-based communications solutions consist of a combination of telephony hardware and software that integrate voice, video and data communications with business applications and processes. These solutions enable our customers to realize significant cost benefits and to conduct their business more efficiently and effectively by enabling enhanced communications, information sharing and collaboration within a business and with customers, partners and suppliers. Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners and resellers worldwide. For more information, visit www.mitel.com.
About Integrated Technology Services
Since 1995, ITS has provided customers with voice and data solutions by offering proven solutions and excellent customer service. ITS is a Mitel Platinum level partner and is one of the largest Mitel providers in Florida. For more information, please visit www.itsaboutservice.com.
© Press Release 2006
