Prudential on the go

VoIP and enterprise mobility initiatives expected to benefit traders on the floor

When Prudential Financial of Newark, N.J., strategizes about enterprise mobility, nobody gets left out -- whether that person is a call-center agent or a trader on the floor. 

Just about any of its 40,000 employees across the globe, the company reasons, should be able to work from home or on the road just as if they were sitting in an office chair. After all, they need "to be able to respond to customers, access information, get to critical data and communicate with people, and not necessarily from the fixed position they've always been sitting at," says Jim White, a Prudential vice president and IT project leader.

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When Prudential Financial of Newark, N.J., strategizes about enterprise mobility, nobody gets left out -- whether that person is a call-center agent or a trader on the floor. 

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Just about any of its 40,000 employees across the globe, the company reasons, should be able to work from home or on the road just as if they were sitting in an office chair. After all, they need "to be able to respond to customers, access information, get to critical data and communicate with people, and not necessarily from the fixed position they've always been sitting at," says Jim White, a Prudential vice president and IT project leader.

To meet the company's "anytime, anywhere, anyway" goals, IT over the past year upgraded IP PBX systems and deployed new IP phones, Power-over-Ethernet switches, wireless gear and software. Doing so necessitated only a slight increase to the $4 million budgeted for a voice and data technology refresh to replace end-of-life products. The company wins a 2007 Enterprise All-Star Award for pushing the boundaries on convergence and mobilization for all employees.

The business units have been highly receptive, says Chuck Pagano, vice president of network design and engineering. "We're starting to integrate most of our businesses into the pilots." And, "from a recruiting and retention perspective, mobility has become a big plus in going after employees dispersed throughout the country," he says.