Global communications service provider Reliance Globalcom has secured a contract extension with global engineering consultancy firm Aurecon.As part of the contract extension, Reliance has begun rolling out a VoIP service for the engineering firm in Queensland, Australia, which will extend to Aurecon’s 10 New Zealand sites and all Asia Pacific sites. With a global workforce of 4000, some 3500 staff are based in Australia and New Zealand. Aurecon’s main office in Wellington has around 200 users. Based on a successful Cisco VoIP solution roll out for 800 users in Brisbane, Reliance is looking to deploy a VoIP solution in New Zealand over the coming months for Aurecon.Aurecon APAC information services manager Dean Menzel says the Queensland solution, which has now reached 1000 users, has only been live for one month, so it is too early to tell what cost savings the company has made. He does say that Aurecon expects some savings. With offices in 28 countries and clients and projects in 69, the VoIP solution will assist with Aurecon’s global competitiveness, says Menzel. So far, Aurecon has gone for a “simplified” VoIP solution, which includes voice and messaging, but Menzel says he expects the deployment of more extensive VoIP services in the near future. Reliance alreaday supplies a hybrid VNO model for Aurecon across APAC, which includes a WAN solution for ANZ. Reliance has also established a centralised data center project out of Sydney, which will assist with disaster recovery for the company and consolidation of data across the group. Menzel adds that they will be looking at creating satellite data centers. This may involve building a centralised centre out of a New Zealand office or a co-located facility in New Zealand. With offices around the world, Menzel says Reliance is a good fit with its extensive array of carrier and networking relationships across the globe.