Tait Communications, a proud Kiwi success story based in Christchurch, has long been recognised as a global leader in critical communications, serving sectors where reliable communication is crucial, such as public safety, transportation, and utilities. With any of these sectors, including law enforcement and emergency response, reliable communications are literally a matter of life and death.
Within its own headquarters, however, Tait’s teams were finding communications issues caused by legacy Wi-Fi infrastructure which hindered team working, especially in regards to productivity and collaboration.
Chris Gray, ICT Operations Manager at Tait, noted that these systems had been problematic, with frequent call drops and connectivity issues; which were negatively impacting upon Tait’s growth agenda. After a network audit was completed, and recognising the need for a comprehensive update, Tait selected Inde Technology, following a rigorous RFP process.
“Solving this wasn’t just about addressing the connectivity issues in our New Zealand office. Our eventual goal was to provide seamless roaming to all our communities across the globe. We operate on every continent with offices in seven countries, and we want the experience to be seamless no matter where our teams are in the world,” explains Chris.
In a case of perfect timing, Inde had just teamed up with a new partner in wireless technologies, whose products provided the ideal solution. Juniper Mist is known around the world for its leading-edge infrastructure, from routers to switches and wireless access points. When Mist Systems was acquired by Juniper Networks in 2019, it married the best of AI innovation with Juniper’s IT stack, turning standard networking equipment into smart devices.
“Mist co-founder, Bob Friday, developed wireless solutions using AI because he could see it was the future,” says Andy Hemming, Network Director at Inde.
“That’s why HPE Aruba has now bought Juniper Mist in its own right. It’s a real outlier in terms of networking technology – it provides a real difference without the price tag.”
Seeing Juniper Mist was leading the way, Inde was quick to recommend its technologies to solve the challenges Tait was facing on its Christchurch campus. Inde provided a demo, enabling Tait to see how it would work within their own infrastructure, which they quickly agreed was technically sound for what they were after.
Juniper Mist was selected not only for its technical superiority, but also for its innovative AI-driven features. Known for significantly easing the workload of IT support teams, the AI features help troubleshoot issues, making daily operations smoother and allowing IT teams to focus more on value-added activities.
Connecting the world
"We've seen immediate improvements in connectivity, which is critical for seamless communication with our global offices," explained Chris.
The deployment has covered three buildings on the Christchurch campus with delivery of the solution almost completed globally. This expansion aligns with Tait's vision for seamless global connectivity, with uniform wireless access across all locations without the need for separate passwords or codes. It’s also helped with making the environment more secure.
Employees have responded positively to the upgrades, noting significant improvements in connectivity and meeting experiences.
"Previously, we couldn’t make or receive a Teams call in some rooms. Now I can walk into any room with confidence that the call won’t drop," shared Ben Thompson, ICT Project Manager at Tait.
Operational efficiency has also improved with Juniper Mist's self-healing capabilities minimising the time spent on manual adjustments and troubleshooting.
"We've had very little if any issues related to the wireless platform since the new system was implemented," confirmed Ben, who was also involved in the deployment.
“The beauty of Juniper Mist is its access points know where to boost or draw back on a signal when there are more or less people using it. It can tell if it’s got a really busy load around an area and optimise performance. Instead of someone having to tweak that manually, it does it automatically,” Andy said.
The long-standing partnership between Tait and Inde has been key, with Tait praising their responsive and hands-on approach throughout the project.
“Inde's commitment to understanding Tait's environment and their proactive engagement were instrumental in the successful implementation of Juniper Mist. They were highly responsive and led the process well. This has provided a great foundation for the next steps in our digital strategy,” said Chris.
One of the next steps is trialling Marvis, Juniper Mist's Virtual Network Assistant (VNA) to enhance network operations further. The recently implemented AI chatbot supports Tait’s team by streamlining operations and simplifying troubleshooting. The first in the industry to use conversational AI for networking, Marvis transforms how IT teams manage enterprise networks. Powered by the Mist AI engine’s continuous learning, Marvis contributes to The Self-Driving Network™ by ensuring efficient performance and exceptional user experiences. Tait is excited to see how this supports their team’s day-to-day activities further.
Overall, the technological transformation at Tait highlights the successful collaboration between Tait Communications, Inde Technology, and Juniper Mist, paving the way for a more connected community and thus improved efficiencies across Tait’s global operations.
If you'd like to connect with Inde to find out more about how we can support you on your network journey, please reach out to Andy Hemming, Network Director.
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