Jetstar is upgrading its unified communications (UC) environment as part of a new whole-of-company approach towards technology and mobility.
See CIO Australia's in-depth interview with Jetstar CIO, Stephen Tame.
Speaking in Sydney this week, Jetstar CIO, Stephen Tame, said the upgrade will affect Jetstar’s head offices and executives from December this year.
Tame said Jetstar’s motivation for the deployment of Lync, Microsoft's unified communications and collaboration platform, was prompted by the airline's move to a new head office.
“One of the choices we had was around our corporate system. [Do you use] the traditional systems from Cisco and other traditional types of manufacturers, or do you push yourself into the software world where everything is based in the Cloud or as a managed service? That’s one of the things that we looked to when we put Lync into the business,” he said.
Tame said he had set up corporate Skype and Google accounts in the past, but the communications offerings didn’t provide Jetstar with enough flexibility or functionality.
“[There is] a lot of the functionality that comes with [Microsoft Lync] around call queuing and call waiting and IVRs [interactive voice response],” he said. “A lot for that functionality that comes with that platform allows you to deliver call menus and we need that as part of the business.”
While the initial rollout will initially only affect 500 Jetstar employees, Tame is looking to deploy it across the Jetstar network in Australia and overseas.
“With a view that we’ve proven this thing, we can now start to deploy it across our networks,” he said. “It’s proven itself as running a corporate telephony and has moved into the corporate areas.”
With the deployment, Jetstar's workforce will be significantly more mobile, Tame predicts.
“One of the positive things I have had back from my office is moving the telephony system into software and actually significantly changing the way people work,” he said. “My executives can answer their desk phone while their at home or plug in their PC at an airport in Singapore and answer their phone in Melbourne.
“It’s setting up the mobile business for the future. It’s something I’ve been trying to do, I’ve been trying very much to centralise the system and make everything virtual.”
What you need to know on Microsoft Lync.
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