2013

11 December 2013	Lexel's education leadership networking event hooks a big one!	As part of Lexel's strategy to network its clients, key education customers were given the opportunity to network while enjoying an evening of fishing just off Waiheke Island.  The catch of the day would have to be the 1.5m Mako shark reeled in by Andre Basel.  The networking event was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
4 December 2013	Lexel Lync Online adds real value to Propertex	"The solution has been great, it has massive functionality and is really easy to buy, deploy and use."    That's the glowing testament from Jo Clark, the Propertex manager, who believes Lexel Lync Online is the perfect solution for SMBs in New Zealand.    A cloud based unified communications and telephony solution, Lexel Lync Online is ideal for SMB users requiring the next generation cloud based PABX replacement or to complement Office 365 which does not include calling traditional PSTN phone networks.    In other words, think of Lexel Lync Online as your Skype for business and with many added features. "Expansion was easy, as we simply needed to order a new phone and it arrived ready to go," Clark says. "We like the approach where we didn't have to buy our own onsite system and could rent one out of the cloud freeing up our capital for our core business."    A cloud based PABX Replacement, Lexel Lync Online comes in at a lower to equivalent cost to run as buying a PABX – with the solution offering a subscription or 'pay as you go' service, and not an up front capital purchase. Clark says Propertex pays a single monthly fee for the phone system, before billing monthly for the calls made. "The call rates are some of the best rates we've seen," Clark adds. "The features available to us are what we would expect to find in a large company system, yet at the price point for a small one."    "These additional features help us to portray a professional image for our business and also provide additional features which improve our efficiency." According to Clark, Lync is more than just a phone however.    It's a fully mobile voice and unified communications solution where your calls and communication functionality connects you anywhere anytime. Providing stronger levels of communication and improved user efficiency, at a level defined and controlled by the user. Based on Microsoft technology, Lexel Lync Online integrates well with MS Office (on premise or cloud) and Skype. The solution is "fast to deploy and easy to use", essentially making it your Skype on steroids for business. "Although our original requirements list was a simple 'phone on a desk', once we started to understand some of the broader things that the system could do we progressively embraced these new features and now consider them the new normal."    Some of these include:    • Personal auto attendant so each user can manage their own call flow  • Voice mail via email    • Presence so businesses can tell who is in or has arrived back at work (including remote users)    • Ability to connect from anywhere including hotel rooms abroad and with the same functionality as if at work    • Conferencing where businesses can have people internally or externally dial in and share the audio or video call with shared documents    "Again we originally only wanted a basic PABX system and it's surprised us all how quickly we have upgraded our requirements list and expectations once exposed to this new functionality," Clark adds.    For more information about the Lexel Lync Online solution click here.    Article courtesy of Techday.com
27 November 2013	Lexel wins Ministry of Defence Award of Excellence	Lexel Systems Ltd, the country's largest privately owned ICT Integrator, officially announced the release of 'Lexel Lync Online' public cloud based telephony and unified communication solution based on Microsoft Lync.  Noel Simpson, CEO of Lexel Systems, commented that the company has now officially released its Lexel Lync Online public cloud solution. Lexel Lync Online is powered by Microsoft Lync and includes full PSTN calling, in contrast to Office365 Lync which does not allow a user to call traditional PSTN telephone numbers. Lexel Lync Online is targeted at two main customer segments being SMB customers that require a simple phone on a desk and higher end customers that require the broader unified communications features that this system offers. Both options are pure cloud and bring the typical cloud benefits.  Lexel Lync Online has been in a development phase for the last 12 months, with beta customers running for four months. The development program has been through four distinct platforms over this period. Lexel's Lync Online offers the full Lync functionality that an on-premise Lync installation would provide. Microsoft do have an official Multitenant pack, however it's restricted and doesn't offer this level of functionality.  "Lexel is the only New Zealand service provider to offer Lync 2013 in the public cloud, and we're very proud of this fact. The solution also has tight integration with Office365 which is a key benefit for many customers. In terms of cost, our cost calculators show that Lexel Lync Online is actually lower cost to run than buying an on-premise PABX/VoIP for a typical SMB customer and on par for a medium sized customer yet has more functionality." says Simpson.  Lexel's go-to-market strategy is multi-pronged. Lexel has its own direct customers who take Lexel's broader offerings and also have a partnership model for other integrators where it makes sense. There is also a whitebox model where Lexel provide a back office managed service for other services providers such as Telcos or ISPs who want to include Lync in their solution set.  Lexel is considered the strongest Microsoft Lync provider in NZ for both On-Premise and Cloud solutions. This capability also includes add-ons such as Call Centre solutions and Room Conferencing solutions.
3 October 2013	Lexel Lync Online goes live	Lexel Systems Ltd, the country's largest privately owned ICT Integrator, officially announced the release of 'Lexel Lync Online' public cloud based telephony and unified communication solution based on Microsoft Lync.  Noel Simpson, CEO of Lexel Systems, commented that the company has now officially released its Lexel Lync Online public cloud solution. Lexel Lync Online is powered by Microsoft Lync and includes full PSTN calling, in contrast to Office365 Lync which does not allow a user to call traditional PSTN telephone numbers. Lexel Lync Online is targeted at two main customer segments being SMB customers that require a simple phone on a desk and higher end customers that require the broader unified communications features that this system offers. Both options are pure cloud and bring the typical cloud benefits.  Lexel Lync Online has been in a development phase for the last 12 months, with beta customers running for four months. The development program has been through four distinct platforms over this period. Lexel's Lync Online offers the full Lync functionality that an on-premise Lync installation would provide. Microsoft do have an official Multitenant pack, however it's restricted and doesn't offer this level of functionality.  "Lexel is the only New Zealand service provider to offer Lync 2013 in the public cloud, and we're very proud of this fact. The solution also has tight integration with Office365 which is a key benefit for many customers. In terms of cost, our cost calculators show that Lexel Lync Online is actually lower cost to run than buying an on-premise PABX/VoIP for a typical SMB customer and on par for a medium sized customer yet has more functionality." says Simpson.  Lexel's go-to-market strategy is multi-pronged. Lexel has its own direct customers who take Lexel's broader offerings and also have a partnership model for other integrators where it makes sense. There is also a whitebox model where Lexel provide a back office managed service for other services providers such as Telcos or ISPs who want to include Lync in their solution set. Lexel is considered the strongest Microsoft Lync provider in NZ for both On-Premise and Cloud solutions. This capability also includes add-ons such as Call Centre solutions and Room Conferencing solutions.
30 September 2013	Businesses enjoy faster networks and better service with Lexel	It all starts with the name. Based upon the word excellence, Lexel represents the company's dedicated focus and promise to the market.  Made up of 'best of breed' capability pillars that customers take individually or together as a complete solution, Lexel is the largest privately owned ICT Integrator in New Zealand.  With expertise on tap, the country's market-leading poultry producer Tegel has been able to leverage such experience for the benefit of their business. Previously enduring an aging CISCO LAN and Cisco telephone system, Tegel manager Neil Illsley not only wanted to refresh the company's LAN and WLAN network, but also install a modern unified communications solution that enabled full mobility and video conferencing.  Fast forward to Lexel's involvement and Tegel now enjoys a new Lync Unified Communications solution, offering a faster network as well as cheaper savings. HP's networking technology provided a compelling alternative to Cisco and when combined with Lexel's direct/Tier1 HP relationship and Lexel's comprehensive network consulting capability, it made the decision easy. Illsley says the HP Networking plus MS Lync Unified Communications solution provided a stronger ROI compared to the alternative Cisco network and Cisco Unified Communications solution.  Chosen to deliver the solution after presenting the proposal in a clear and precise manner, Illsley believes the benefits of Lexel sit deeper than simply solutions. "Tegel has been using Lexel for a number of years and it is their unwavering commitment to our business which stands out most," Illsley says.  "Compared to multinational IT suppliers, we find with Lexel we constantly receive A team service which is a huge factor in our decision making."  Lexel has a dedicated staff of over 150, has 24 years' experience and turnover in excess of $45 million. The company is big enough to provide the depth and certainty our customers require, yet we're not too big to offer dedicated one on one personal service that sets us apart and above the competition.  "It's not too big or too small and because of this we're a valued customer to them so we get that commitment,” Illsley adds.  "Comparing apples with apples, Lexel offers a reasonable price.  "But that isn't even the main driver. For us it is about partnership delivery and making sure we get the ownership throughout - it's not just about standing up and walking away.  "We enjoy being seen regularly and being kept up to date with what is going on, and for Tegel, that is Lexel's unique selling point."
26 September 2013	Lexel to consider different go-to-market strategies for solution sets	The ICT integrator says its focus on unified communications, video surveillance and wireless has paid off, and it will look to address two new growth areas in the coming year..  NZ-based ICT integrator Lexel has solutions up its sleeve that it is trying to determine long-term, viable commercial models for. According to Noel Simpson, CEO of the company, the team is looking into whether the products should be sold directly by Lexel, whether it would be better sold by channel partners or if the company would benefit by white-labelling it..  "Our project services team is a very focused one. They know their business analytics (BA) and they deliver well on those services. They have developed a set of tools and built a platform that enables project managers to time-share as well as do quality assurance. We have used this platform within customer environments that we are working in, to enable these customers to rate our staff members based on metrics that are entered into the system..  "Many of our customers have come back to us asking for use of the solution to rate and measure their own staff's performance. This was not our focus, we developed it in the background, but with the increasing customer interest, we can't but wonder if we should commercialise the solution," says Simpson..  The company is also looking into how it can further expand its footprint with a Lync-based solution that provides full enterprise voice support on the cloud. "Anyone who wants Lync with full PSDN support can just choose our subscription model, and we can move them literally overnight. We had a soft launch of this about two weeks back and we are looking into working with SMB and mid-market integrators to provision the solution further in the market," says Simpson..  The solutions are part of the company's 'morphing' over the last couple of years to focus on critical areas of growth, instead of trying to be an everything-for-everyone..  "I think it has to do with the organisation itself maturing in the market. Our strategic focus areas for this year included unified communications and specifically Microsoft’s Lync solution. We saw that as a bit of a game changer in the market. It is a very powerful application and can enable a whole lot of organisations. We wanted to be the number one or two integrator in that space. With that goal in mind we have built a specialised team that focuses just on the solution. We have got a reasonable amount of traction and certainly have a pipeline of activity around it" says Simpson..  The Lync team within Lexel accounts for four people, but Simpson sees avenues for growth in the team as the pipeline increases. The company also saw significant growth in the wireless space in the last 18 months. "Another big market for us, and which we have strategically invested in the last year and a half, is the video surveillance market. We have done
15 September 2013	Becoming an Apple reseller key part of mobility focus	Lexel Systems Ltd has become an Apple Authorised Reseller and is building its Apple team as part of its strategic focus on mobile solutions.  Lexel Systems Ltd, the country's largest privately owned ICT Integrator, announced today it has been appointed as an Apple Authorised Reseller.  Lexel Systems' National Sales Manager, Peter Young, says the company has been working through the authorisation process to become an Authorised Apple Reseller, and building up its internal team for the last few months.  "Mobility is one of our core strategic focuses, and Apple is a key vendor in that space, so we’re very excited to be able to offer Apple products as part of the solution set we offer to our customers," Young says.  Young says Lexel's mobile focus is on providing complete solutions to its customers – including everything from mobile devices, to wireless networking, security, managed services, communications and applications. "We aim to provide everything our customers need to deliver an efficient and effective mobile experience to their workforce. That means helping them support a wide range of mobile devices and solutions and allowing their workers to leverage the power of mobile to work and collaborate with their colleagues seamlessly anywhere, any time, on any device. Ensuring we can offer Apple products as part of that is obviously strategically very important for us," Young says.  Kelly Eyerman, General Manager ANZ, Apple Division for Ingram Micro, is enthusiastic about Lexel Systems joining the Apple ecosystem.  "Lexel is a great company with a fantastic reputation and extremely loyal customers. We've worked closely with them over many years and alongside them recently as they've been working through the certification process to become an Apple Authorised Reseller. They're very dedicated to continuing to grow their mobile solutions business, and making Apple a key part of that, and we're really looking forward to working closely with them to help them achieve that," Eyerman says.  Young says the team at Lexel Systems has been undergoing extensive Apple training and certification in both the sales and technical side of the business and now the company is an Apple Authorised Reseller it intends to complete the certification needed to become part of the Apple Consultants Network in due course.  "Being part of the Apple Consultants Network will allow us to leverage our expertise in integration, managed services and infrastructure to help our Apple customers to better integrate Apple into their overall business infrastructure," Young says.
15 August 2013	Lexel's Mid-Winter Christmas Party	Lexel's new Mid-Winter Xmas party provided some early Christmas cheer for their customers and suppliers. The event held at the Bluestone Room in Auckland's CBD was attended by over 200 guests.  The festivities were enhanced by many creative hats, in competition for the 'best Christmas hat' spot prizes, which included an iPad and iPad mini.  The event was unanimously enjoyed by all.
19 June 2013	Lexel wins the Milestone 'Best Performing Partner of the Year' Award	Lexel Systems, New Zealand's largest privately owned ICT infrastructure solutions company, won the 'Best Performing Partner of the Year' award at the Milestone Asia Pacific partner conference recently hosted in the Hunter Valley, Australia.  Milestone Systems, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a world leading provider of open platform IP video management software (VMS). The award recognises not only Lexel's success in sales of IP surveillance technology, but their innovation in the delivery and support of customised solutions using the Milestone platform which Lexel rolled out nationwide to large retail customers including 2Degrees Mobile and Restaurant Brands (KFC, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Carl's Jr).  Noel Simpson, Lexel's CEO, comments: "We are delighted with our success in the video surveillance market since our decision 30 months ago to invest in both the infrastructure and analytics aspects of this technology. We are working hard at adding value to both our customers directly or partnering with their legacy security integrators. Lexel's strength in core IT networking, infrastructure and storage helps customers deploy large, complex solutions that traditional security providers would struggle with."  This is Lexel's second security and surveillance related award recently, with Lexel winning the Axis Communications 'Partner of the Year' only six months ago.  Axis is the world's leader in manufacturing IP Video Surveillance cameras.
6 May 2013	Lexel sponsors a World Class Team	Saint Kentigern 1st XV Rugby Team have been crowned world champions after a convincing 40-8 win against the tournament favourite, Hartpury College from England in the final.   Lexel are proud to be a sponsor of the Saint Kentigern 1st XV and share in their success. Well done boys!
3 May 2013	Lexel Systems appoints inaugural independent advisory board	Lexel Systems has appointed an independent Advisory Board in order to support and ensure continuing development and growth.  Noel Simpson, CEO and Director says, “We are very proud of the business and culture that we have developed over the past 25 years, but we are equally committed to the future growth of the business ensuring that we make it even bigger, better and stronger.  Last year Lexel Systems reached $45 million with 140 FTE staff - the Advisory Board has been appointed to help us achieve our next goal of $100 million”.  The creation of the Advisory Board charter and recruitment process was performed by specialist ex PWC consultant Kevin McCaffrey from consulting company Effective Governance. Lexel received a very favourable response to the advertised roles with over 80 applicants. Noel Simpson says, “We were very careful in the selection process as we wanted to recruit a group of people that not only work well together, but offered diversity in their key skills and backgrounds, and together formed a well-rounded team.”  The advisory board was officially formed in April 2013, and is made up of the following people:  • Mike Smith, Advisory Board Chairman   Mike spent the last 10 years as the CEO at Oxygen, one of Australasia’s most successful SAP resellers. Mike grew Oxygen from a division of Carter Holt, took it though a trade sale to UXC Pty Limited, and ultimately on to becoming a NZ$100 million dollar business based across NZ and Australia.   Prior to Oxygen Mike worked for Jade and IBM.   • Murray Ward Murray spent the last 30 years at Datacom as a Director. His roles included a variety of leadership roles including Datacom Australia, and running various divisions in both Auckland and Wellington.   • Lars Fellman  Lars, who works as an independent advisor, retired in 2006 as Senior Vice President of the Carlsberg group with responsibility for the European Division. Lars has a solid background in change management and M&A.
18 April 2013	Lexel hosts key client CxO's for a networking event at the exclusive The Grove Restaurant	Lexel hosted key clients at the exclusive The Grove Restaurant in Auckland, continuing on their 'C Level Networking' theme. Clients were asked to move three times during the evening to encourage networking.  The CxO dinner was attended by 27 guests including Lexel’s new Advisory Board members, who were treated to a 9-course degustation menu with matching wines. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
12 March 2013	Lexel's Emergency generator in action	On the afternoon of the 8th March, the street power transformer supplying Lexel's head office in Albany caught fire and then failed, leaving the entire street without power for the next 14 hours. Fortunately, due to Lexel's ‘resilient service strategy' and investments made, this outage did not affect Lexel.  During 2012 Lexel installed an emergency generator to its Auckland head office powering both the office environment and its datacentre. During this extended 14 hour mains power outage, Lexel was not affected and continued to operate its datacentre, full administrative and technical support office without interruption. Even the office air conditioning, dish washers and coffee machines continued uninterrupted.  Noel Simpson Lexel CEO said “We installed the emergency power generator during 2012 to service our entire head office building as we're committed to delivering an excellent and robust service to our clients. Installing the generator to the server room was a ‘no brainer' and we replaced an older generator that did this previously. However, with the new generator we chose to also power the entire building to ensure that key services such as helpdesk and managed services continued without interruption to our customers. This is a key differentiation between Lexel and may of its competitors, as only those committed to excellence make this type of investment”.  The 200KVA generator has the most advanced electronic controllers available and has an enterprise level transfer switch (ATS) to ensure rapid and smooth fall over and fall back in the event of a power outage. This is in addition to other resilient assets which Lexel has invested in, including resilient networks with three disparate fibre providers, redundant datacentre air-conditioning and dual A/B UPS power.

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