Cutting Costs and Unifying Departments: Boyle County’s Move to the Cloud

Background

Boyle County Fiscal Court oversees critical county services including the courthouse, detention center, emergency management, and various public-facing departments. Reliable communication across these diverse entities is essential to support both day-to-day operations and emergency response for the community.

For decades, the County relied on an aging Lucent Merlin Legend phone system, which had become both expensive and limiting. Cloud9 Technology Consulting was engaged to modernize Boyle County’s communications and help them achieve a future-proof, cost-effective solution.

Challenges

Boyle County faced significant limitations with their outdated system:

• 20+ year-old Lucent Merlin Legend 

• Expensive legacy Centrex phone service

• Disparate departmental systems with limited ability to communicate seamlessly

• No integrated video or audio conferencing for virtual meetings or trainings

• Minimal flexibility for mobile or remote workers

• Reliance on outside technicians for system administration

The County needed a modern Unified Communications platform that could unify all departments, simplify administration, and deliver advanced capabilities.

Cloud9’s Approach

Cloud9 conducted a comprehensive review of Boyle County’s telecom and network environment, including business, operational, technical, and budget requirements. From there, Cloud9:

• Sourced three viable UCaaS solutions tailored to Boyle County’s needs

• Facilitated multiple vendor demos and guided the County through the evaluation process

• Ensured partners understood Boyle County’s unique specifications and compliance requirements

• Negotiated contracts and pricing on behalf of the County

• Provided end-to-end project management from design through implementation

• Established a vendor partnership structure for long-term support and billing accuracy

Results & Outcomes

By migrating to a modern cloud-based Unified Communications solution, Boyle County realized:

• Significant cost savings by eliminating legacy Centrex lines

• Seamless communication across all departments on one integrated platform

• Advanced call handling features with analytics and Caller ID/Call Journey tracking

• Video conferencing capabilities for meetings, trainings, and interdepartmental collaboration

• Mobile and remote access—employees can now carry their County phone system on their mobile devices

• Self-administration by IT leadership without reliance on outside phone technicians

• Built-in safety features such as flexible after-hours call routing and emergency alert options

This modern UCaaS platform has positioned Boyle County for the next 20 years of technology growth, with benefits including:

• Guaranteed Service Level Agreements for reliability and voice quality

• Business continuity & disaster recovery features

• Scalability as the County grows

• Integration with Microsoft Outlook and Google Workspace

Conclusion

Boyle County Fiscal Court now operates on a future-ready Unified Communications platform that not only reduces costs but also enhances service delivery for county residents. With Cloud9’s support, Boyle County achieved a flexible, scalable, and dependable solution that will serve its people for decades to come.