CE On-Demand Customer Solution Case Study Cloud Case Study

Hungarian Water Rescue Service Strengthens Emergency Response with Hosted Communications Services Solution

Overview
Country: Hungary Industry: Emergency Response Agencies Customer Profile Headquartered in the resort town of Znka by Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Water Rescue Service (Vzimentk Magyarorszgi Szakszolglata) is a public sector organization providing firstresponse lifesaving and rescue operations across Hungary with a staff of 350 swimmers, lifeguards and rescue technicians the majority working as volunteers.

Within only six months of implementing our hosted Microsoft Outlook with Communication Services solution, we managed to integrate our staff communications, save tens of thousands of euros in travel costs, and free up over 1,500 man-days in staff resources to do what we do best saving lives on our countrys lakes and rivers.
Sandor Bagyo, President, Hungarian Water Rescue Service

When a natural disaster hits and lives are at stake, every second counts. Looking to improve its emergency response, the Hungarian Water Rescue Service (HWRS) integrated communications between its more than 350 full-time employees and volunteers, while streamlining administrative processes and staff training. HWRS trusted award-winning Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Central Europe On-Demand to implement a hosted solution around Microsoft Outlook with Communication Services that does so securely, cost-effectively and in line with local government regulations. Within six months, the solution significantly reduced travel costs and freed up over 1,500 man-days in staff resources. It also saved the organization hundreds of thousands of euros compared to investing in on-premise software and services. The solution also enhanced HWRS relief efforts to a nationwide flood disaster in June 2010.

Business Need
The HWRS was founded in 1999 as a non-profit organization by 30 volunteers under the name Water Rescue Service of Lake Balaton. Situated on this Hungarian lake, Central Europes largest body of water (77 kilometers in length), the organization provides emergency response and accident prevention on the shores and at sea, In 2006, the Service already operated six lifeboat stations around the lake and expanded activities to a national level, changing its name to Hungarian Water Rescue Service, and backed by a growing list of volunteers and sponsors in the industrial and public sectors, the organization

continued to flourish. By 2009, the Service was already over 300 members strong and had rescued over a thousand people from water emergencies. Its an intense, around-the-clock operation, says Sandor Bagyo, President of the Hungarian Water Rescue Service. Our lifeguards are on duty 24/7, providing emergency response at 42 locations around Lake Balaton and all across the country. We perform ten lifeguard courses a year and reach more than a hundred schools with our preventive lectures, with most of our staff working on a volunteer basis. But this kind of organic growth and the extensive network of volunteers and sponsors posed

great challenges to the communications and back-office infrastructure at HWRS command center in Znka. We had no integrated solution to manage our staff database, no shared calendar to schedule lifeguard shifts or training, no unified communications scheme. Everything was done manually across different platforms. It wasnt very efficient, Bagyo explains. The HWRS needed a unified communications platform for its first-responder staff, including lifeguards, medical, emergency and diving units. A platform that was easy to operate, even by a volunteer staff that features high personnel turnover. Another requirement: Secure access

from multiple devices, mobile and desktop. Also, the HWRS wanted to synchronize the Services contacts and calendars while giving shared access to mission-critical documents. Low cost of ownership was a priority, as was compliance with national laws governing public sector service providers.

Solution
With a reputation for providing secure and lawcompliant solutions to enterprises, small- and medium-sized businesses as well as telecommunicati on companies, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Central Europe On-Demand (CE On-Demand) emerged as the best possible service provider. Performing a needs-oriented analysis, CE On-

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Demand decided that a cloudbased softwareplus-services platform would be able to bring HWRS communications full circle, without breaking the bank. Anything but a hosted solution would have exceeded the budget. By using the full potential of the cloud with Microsoft Communication Services, we can provide the necessary infrastructure to connect all HWRS communications with a familiar user interface across multiple screens, including the lifesaving teams mobile devices, explains Viktor Kovacs, Managing Director of Central Europe On-Demand. CE On-Demand rolled out a suite of tightly integrated services around

Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office Outlook with Communication Services, Live Meeting and Sharepoint that could also accommodate pre-existing IT infrastructure and solutions. Central Europe on Demand is pleased and proud to be a partner of this elite agency and supporting them in what they do best, saving lives in Hungary, Viktor Kovacs says. Knowing the precise location and availability of our life-saving specialists is absolutely key in emergency situations and thanks to CE OnDemands system, we are now closely connected at all times,Bagyo adds. Dispatchers and first-responder staff can now access e-mail,

shared calendars, contact lists and schedules from virtually any device with Exchange. At HWRS headquarters, Windows SharePoint services completely automate record keeping, rescue call records and staff rotations, replete with automated daily reports. In June 2010, the platform mastered its first real-life disaster situation during the HWRSs response to the flooding in northeastern Hungary which caused more than 32 million in damages and destroyed more than 310 homes. CE On-Demand was able to effectively provision and deliver complete communications services to 20 rescue volunteers who joined the Water Rescue Service

for three days to support crisis response, Bagyo says.

Benefits
The hosted software-plusservices solution has enabled HWRS to strengthen its emergency response, keeping all of its highly mobile rescue specialists closely connected. Telephone costs are significantly lower due to implementation of Microsoft Office LiveMeeting and Hosted Office Communications Server (OCS). Virtual training sessions save fuel costs, while automated SharePoint reports minimize the HWRSs paper trail and carbon footprint. Another major benefit for HWRS lies in the fact that resources previously tied up in back office administration

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are now free to realize the Services founding mission: Within only six months of implementing our hosted Microsoft Outlook with Communication Services solution, we managed to cut tens of thousands of euros in travel costs, integrate staff communications and free up over 1,500 man-days in staff resources to do what we do best saving lives on our countrys lakes and rivers, says Bagyo. Unified communicati ons with familiar user interface. The solution could be implemented at a short turnaround with a 100 percent adoption rate. The technology built around Microsoft Outlook is easy to use and very intuitive. Any of the new

volunteers can use it with a minimum amount of training, Bagyo says. Heightened firstresponse. Bagyo says: We can respond to emergencies immediately in initial moments, when literally every second counts. Our dispatchers know exactly who is on duty at the moment and all units have real-time access to updates on the current weather situation. First class hosted solution at transparent cost of ownership. We enjoy great quality of service without having to worry about maintaining our own servers, Bagyo says, adding: CE On-Demand has always been very transparent about service costs, so we have a clear

idea of staying within our budget. Public Sector Cloud Services delivered by an awardwinning, trusted partner. Engaging with partners like Central Europe On-Demand in delivering cloud services to the public sector is a cornerstone of our Cloud Strategy. It allows organizations to leverage the global scale and innovation of Microsoft with a robust, secure and incountry service delivery that adheres to all relevant government laws and regulations, says Pavlos Kyriacou, Strategic Alliance Manager, Microsoft Central & Eastern Europe. In June 2010, CE On-Demand was named Microsoft Country Partner of the Year in Hungary, as well as Microsoft

Central and Eastern Europe Partner of the Year in the category Hosting Solutions. Leading market research Frost & Sullivan gave CE On-Demand the 2009 European Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award in the cloud-based unified communications services market.

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For more information about Hungarian Water Rescue Service (Vzimentk Magyarorszgi Szakszolglata), visit the Web site at: www.vizimentok.hu

Software and Services

Technologies Microsoft Office Windows SharePoint Services Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Partners Microsoft Office Live Meeting Central Europe On-Demand 2007 Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published July 2010

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