Network and mobility solutions empower JG King Homes employees

Challenge

Reliable remote access for better customer service

JG King Homes experts – who guide customers through every step of the planning and building process – faced significant connectivity challenges.  

Their network coverage was unreliable and downtime was common, which hampered productivity and customer service. Teams on the ground relied on saved files on their phones for crucial information, like building plans and project statuses. This issue was underpinned by legacy network equipment that powered their Wide Area Network (WAN). 

To boost customer service and foster innovation, JG King Homes wanted to improve network and application access. 

A robust mobility strategy was needed to bring connectivity to their remote teams. They were dealing with multiple vendors and technology partners, with a range of cost centres that led to numerous inefficiencies.   

“We were looking for a partner that could provide multi-domain expertise, as we needed to bring a lot of converged technologies together for a single point of interaction,” says Matthew Thornton, CIO of JG King Homes. “Quite often with complex environments, if you have an issue or things go wrong, no-one takes accountability, resulting in a blame game, leaving us stuck in the middle to deal with and resolve the problem/s. We avoid such a scenario throughout our business and operations.” 

As an existing partner, JG King Homes turned to Telstra to build a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to address these connectivity issues.

Solution

Bringing expert perspectives to the table 

Telstra collaborated with JG King Homes to fully understand their pain points and technology needs. While the initial focus was MDM, the teams soon saw an opportunity to transform the whole network.  

BluBiz – a trusted Telstra partner that specialises in complex, multi-vendor environments – provided end-to-end support. They did a full audit of JG King Homes mobility fleet, including MDM and billing, and developed a solution that drove cost savings and operational efficiencies.

Approach

A comprehensive solution that exceeds all requirements 

Working with JG King Homes, BluBiz and Telstra developed and executed an IT strategy and digital transformation, covering mobile devices, network coverage, and voice and cloud solutions.  

It began with a bespoke MDM solution to resolve mobility issues, including the procurement, setup and deployment of over 250 Apple mobile and tablet devices. These were integrated into a single MDM platform, providing visibility throughout their geographic footprint.  

BluBiz developed an SD-WAN solution, underpinned by Telstra’s leading Next IP Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network and core infrastructure from Fortinet. Using Telstra SD-WAN overlay, the network efficiently connects JG King Homes’ sites, providing strong service levels, scale and a single point of contact for billing and support.  

They also delivered Microsoft Teams capabilities with Telstra Calling for Office 365, ensuring robust communications across all teams and sites using a unified platform.  This is supported by strong security and multi-factor authentication from Okta.   

JG King Homes’ data network, voice and cloud infrastructure were successfully migrated on time and without disrupting business activities, despite the COVID lockdown. Major cutovers were performed after hours, ensuring services were available the next day. There was no duplication of costs due to the timely delivery of new platforms and services.  

The solution is delivered as a fully managed service, providing 24x7 support from BluBiz experts, including end-user support for all IT services. This service incorporates JG King Homes’ existing assets, such as their AWS environment and mobile devices, ensuring comprehensive support. 

“Managed services support is important for our business. Having a partner that takes ownership of issues and provides an overarching strategic lens is paramount. BluBiz and Telstra essentially feel like a part of our team, as we know we can call them at any time when we have issues.” 
CIO Matthew Thornton, CIO, JG King Homes

The next priority is bolstering cyber security.  This started with a robust Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) program to create a security baseline. A comprehensive roadmap has been developed to bolster security tools and practices, including establishing a 24x7 managed Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform, supported by BluBiz’s Security Operations Centre.  

This capability will provide proactive security threat monitoring and continuous improvement of existing controls. 

Impact

A win for customers and costs

The new mobility and network capabilities have transformed JG King Homes, reducing spending on communication services by 30% through vendor and service provider consolidation.   

The customer experience of viewing display homes has drastically improved, as staff now have access to key information from anywhere in Victoria, without needing to return to central offices.

“The MDM solution has enabled us to turn disparate manual processes into an automated workflow,” Matthew explains. “When the construction team are onsite, they can now access building plans, the status of the build project, and other information to ensure we’re actively looking after the customer. Customers visiting display homes whom we can’t give them the information they need, will likely leave and go elsewhere.” 

The SD-WAN network eliminates downtime and ensures consistent coverage. This provides a strong platform for ongoing innovation and expert support through the managed service capability.