3COM - Goodwill Industries of Toronto

Vendor: 3COM (NYSE: COMS)

Channel Partner: On Target Telecommunications http://www.ontarget-canada.com
Customer: Goodwill Industries of Toronto (Canada)  http://www.goodwill.on.ca
Vertical Markets: Retail, Non-profit

Technology Used: 3Com NBX V5000 IP Telephony Solution, 3Com NBX V3000 IP Telephony Solution, 3Com IP Phones, 3Com Baseline Switch 2226-PWR Plus, 3Com OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9, 3Com OfficeConnect Cable/DSL Router, 3Com Network Supervisor

Solution: Founded in 1902, Goodwill Industries International is one of the world's largest providers of education, training, and career services for the disabled and disadvantaged.  As an integral part of this global family, Goodwill Toronto, a Canadian registered charity manages 32 stores and training centers in Greater Toronto, Central and Eastern Ontario.

Previously, Goodwill Toronto's technology infrastructure limited its ability to manage its daily business. Most stores did not have a network, making telephones the major communication link between them and the Toronto headquarters. The organization used an obsolete legacy phone system that its manufacturer no longer supported.

Goodwill Toronto sought an enterprise network that would converge telephony and data between its new headquarters and its stores.

The benefits were realized quickly. Goodwill Toronto now has the technology infrastructure it needs to run both its new phone system and the networked Point of Sale (POS) systems at its stores. The nonprofit is also generating telephony savings that will enable it to recoup its investment in 3Com systems in less than two years.

In contrast to the manual record keeping of the past, each store automatically executes a nightly batch run of all sales data back to headquarters where Goodwill Toronto generates sales reports and tracks revenue in a timelier manner. The in-store networks also power new, key-activated cash-register surveillance cameras at each store.

In addition, with Network Supervisor, the 3Com network management tool, Goodwill Toronto oversees its entire network infrastructure from a single location, eliminating the need for on-site IT personnel.

Further details: http://www.3com.com/solutions/en_US/casestudy.jsp?caseid=227774