Yesterday I got to go see an amazing company called Aviat Networks.

Aviat are a multi national organisation that specialise in wireless network solutions. Predominantly a US firm, they have offices all over the world, and just happen to have a site in Wingate. The big question is, why in Wingate? The answer, the Wingate office -formally another business taken over by their parent, has been found to have that great kiwi “can do” attitude, a reputation that has kept them based in NZ.

The CEO of Aviat recently decided to install state of the art video conferencing facilities. Being an environmentalist, I am hoping it was to cut down on CO2 emission from air travel… but I think their descision came from the fact they spent $13 million a year in air travel and wasted a lot of time travelling.

The system they installed is state of the art and cost over a million dollars, but the payback took less then 4 months. That right! they have reduced their air travel by almost 40%. But more importantly, they are now able to meet  with multiple offices simultaneously on a daily basis. It has them working more as a team rather then in individual silos.

The system they have installed is of a quality that we have only before seen in science fiction movies. You can now see whether you are boring someone to tears by their facial expressions. The sound quality is crystal clear and doesn’t seem to have the same de-sync problem that most video conferencing systems suffer from.

There were, however, some hurdles in getting the system up and running. One of their biggest problems was the system needed a lot of broadband, well above what Telecom could offer. Luckily one of Aviat’s bright sparks realised that they specialise in wireless signals and Avalon tower is not that far away. A lease agreement and a couple of small antennas and the highspeed broadband problem is solved. A great example of that kiwi “can do” attitude”. 

http://www.aviatnetworks.com/