AT&T to Provide H&R Block with Network Integration Services at New Corporate Headquarters

AT&T to Provide H&R Block with Network Integration Services at New Corporate Headquarters

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today that AT&T has won contracts to provide network integration services and equipment for H&R Block’s corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. Recently, H&R Block consolidated six area locations into a new headquarters in the city’s revitalized downtown, providing an environment to foster the company’s culture of collaboration and innovation and to attract talented employees. The company is a leading provider of tax, financial, accounting and business consulting services and products.

Under the terms of the agreements, AT&T is integrating H&R Block’s disparate communications networks onto a single Internet Protocol (IP)-based network, carrying voice, video and data. AT&T also designed and implemented — and now manages — H&R Block’s state-of-the-art Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, which includes an IP-PBX that has 2,200 IP stations. H&R Block chose AT&T because it offers the ability not only to implement the solution but also to train employees and to provide five years of on-site maintenance.

As the prime consultant and integrator, AT&T assessed and segmented the voice requirements of H&R Block’s five unique employee user groups. For example, an on-the-go executive with a personal digital assistant device and cell phone requires a solution that offers seamless mobility. In contrast, a solution for seasonal workers must be transferable in order to reduce the time and expense required to set up new users.

“This network integration solution and AT&T’s management and maintenance of our VoIP system is a more cost effective networking solution for our business,” said Denise Stout, Lead Infrastructure Engineer of H&R Block. “Additionally, AT&T’s integrated networking solution gives us the scalability and flexibility we need in order to manage the intense demands on our systems that occur during tax time.”

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