CU104410REVA2012

Comprehensive Solution

IntegrationHaving outgrown their old

corporate headquarters, PCM, Inc. decided to move into a new building, and they called upon their own Services Team to plan and deploy a sweeping suite of high-tech systems that would both boost productivity and position PCM as a leader in advanced technology solutions.

PCM, Inc.Customer ChallengeFounded in 1987, PCM, Inc. is a value-added provider of high-tech products and services to consumers, businesses, enterprises, and government. Having outgrown their corporate headquarters in Torrance, CA, they decided to relocate to a new 80,000 square-foot campus in El Segundo, CA.

Rather than build a sprawling complex of cubicles, PCM wanted their new headquarters to reflect the company's cutting-edge ethos, positioning them as a leader in advanced technology solutions. They decided to integrate the solutions they sell into their building, creating an advanced ecosystem to drive internal efficiencies and show off the fact that PCM uses what they sell.

Due to the breadth of technology required, the complexity of the project, and the tight deadline, PCM knew that only one company could deliver on the desired goals: PCM's own Services Team.

Our SolutionsOur elite Services Team got right to work. First, they defined the scope of the project, includ-ing the cost of materials, service offerings, pricing, and project management. Once the blueprint was created, they presented the plan to the company's key stakeholders, explain-ing the various opportunities and benefits of the proposed implementations. Ultimately, PCM decided to move forward with six major technology deployments.

CollaborationBecause PCM has offices across the globe, they wanted to improve their collaboration capabilities in order to cut back on travel expenses without hampering the free flow of communication. They decided that Cisco's collaboration solutions provided the robust infrastructure needed to facilitate virtual face-to-face interactions.

At the heart of the Cisco collaboration solution are the C90, C60, and C40 Codecs, which enable HD videoconferencing for quality discussions over the Cisco WebEx meeting platform. They also invested in a portable telepresence device with an integrated screen, allowing ad hoc meetings to occur anywhere in the office.

For executives who work from home, PCM equipped them with personal Cisco TelePres-ence, allowing them to join meetings right from their home offices. Plus, all headquarters employees were outfitted with the latest Cisco IP phones enabled with Presence.

Interactive Conference RoomsWhile any room with a long table and chairs could be considered a conference room, PCM wanted to create truly innovative and interactive spaces. Working with Crestron, a leading provider of control and automation systems, our Services Team designed next-generation meeting rooms. Every aspect of the rooms — lighting, cameras, displays, projector screens, and more — are controlled through iPad tablets outfitted with software that controls the rooms' integrated systems.

For crystal-clear videoconferences and confer-ence calls, each room is wired with Electret Condenser Boundary Layer microphones. Plus, the large screens, brilliant projectors, and array of video interface connections make it easy to run stunning presentations and effective training sessions.

Data CenterPCM's old headquarters housed more than just its core marketing, sales, and executive teams. It was also a key hub for the company's data center, running servers that fed mission-critical data to all of its branches. So our Services Team had to pay special attention to how it handled the move, ensuring that the migration would not disrupt day-to-day business operations. 800-700-1000

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The first step in the process was moving select servers out of the old headquarters building and bringing them online at the company's corporate data center in Georgia. From there, our Services Team coordinated with the construction firm to plan the layout of the state-of-the-art data center for the new headquarters, making sure the space would be large enough, have proper environmental controls, and meet power demands. As the construction was completed and the impending move deadline approached, our Services Team began migrating the servers, switches, and storage arrays into the new building, working in the evenings and over the weekends to minimize the impact on normal business activities. The entire process worked out just as planned, and all systems were up and running well before the deadline.

Wireless NetworkingMany of the employees at PCM's headquarters use notebooks, smartphones, and tablets — not to mention visiting employees and partners. As a result, it was critical that the new headquarters have a bulletproof wireless network with high availability and strong defenses. Our Services Team put together a plan of deploying Cisco wireless products to make it happen. With wireless controllers and 20 access points, the new building has incred-ible Wi-Fi density and enterprise-quality security. The network's system automatically detects and corrects for radio frequency inter-ference through Cisco's CleanAir technology, and the Cisco Prime Network Control System gives the administrators total visibility and control over the network.

Surveillance and Access ControlOur Services Team gave significant attention to the physical security of the new headquarters as the focal point for upgrading the entire organization's security system. Rather than implement a stand-alone security solution for the new building, they decided the best course of action was to unify the video surveillance and access control of all of PCM's locations under a single system with centralized oversight and centralized management.

In order to accomplish this technological feat, our Services Team turned to a suite of Cisco solutions. For the video surveillance, they deployed IP cameras to all of the branch offices and the headquarters. The cameras were positioned at key locations throughout each facility, watching over important access points. Each door is equipped with IP badge scanners that verify the employees' creden-

tials and permit entrance during authorized hours. Sensitive areas, including data centers, have limited access to block unauthorized personnel. Data from the video surveillance and access controls streams directly into a centralized security station, which uses Cisco Physical Security Operations Manager to provide unified management.

Digital SignageAlthough many of the new solutions deployed at PCM's headquarters are largely invisible, the digital signage is impossible to miss. Our Services Team installed large screen, commercial-grade displays both individually and in tiled video walls throughout the building. Because each display is connected to a

shared network, authorized users can update the content to any monitor instantaneously. Beyond welcoming visitors, announcing product focus days, and provid-ing educational messaging, the displays also show RSS news feeds and display key company statistics pulled from multiple internal databases.

Business ResultsThanks to the dedication of our PCM Services Team, this herculean project was completed on time and on budget, and the entire organization is reaping the rewards of the investment. The Cisco telepresence infrastructure will cut travel expenses by 10%, saving the company $30,000 every month without sacrific-ing meeting quality. The Cisco collaboration tools allow greater interaction between employees, and Presence lets subject matter experts react to questions and concerns swiftly, enhancing the customer service experience.

Cisco's wireless solutions have been linked to a 5% – 10% productivity increase, and the signal density dramatically improved the experiences of mobile users. The interactive conference rooms facilitate more engaging meetings, trainings, and demonstrations, and the centralized security management has resulted better command and control with far fewer staff.

Taken as a whole, PCM's new headquar-ters is more than just a cutting-edge office — it's a living, breathing example of the transformative power of today's exciting business technology.

The conference rooms were designed to be fully interactive, from the videoconferencing capabilities to the touch-panel ambiance controls.

All of the digital signage throughout the new headquarters is linked together on the same network, allowing instant updates at any time.