Alliance, Inc. Supports Outpatient, Rehabilitation and Community Integration Services with Comcast Business

BALTIMORE, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Business today announced that Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides community-based services to people living with mental illness and developmental disabilities, is using Ethernet and voice services from Comcast Business to connect six locations across the Baltimore metropolitan area. This comprehensive voice and data solution will not only streamline the organization's own internal operations and staff communications, but will also help improve online access to training, housing and vocational resources for its clients.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Baltimore, Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides outpatient health services, vocational programs and job placement resources to thousands of people living with mental illness and developmental disabilities, as well as housing for returning veterans. An affiliate of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Alliance currently employs more than 600 people, with that number continuing to grow as the company increasingly offers more services to its clients.

As a result, the organization looked to Comcast Business to help streamline its Internet access, data networking and voice solutions. In addition to consolidating its legacy T1 lines across various locations to obtain more bandwidth for its recent adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), Alliance also wanted to replace its aging phone system with an IP-based solution that could easily scale as new locations were added to ensure greater reliability.

"We wanted a communications partner that not only owned and operated its own network, but also offered direct access to a dedicated support team who could help answer any questions we may have along the way – two important factors that were not possible with our previous provider," said Marc Fratus, director of technology for Alliance, Inc. "Comcast Business manages the network right up to our buildings and our primary point of contact is close by, so there's always a local team to support us. Combine this with the convenience of being able to scale up our bandwidth with a simple phone call and we were sold."

Alliance is currently using two PRI Trunks from Comcast Business, which provide reliable voice services alongside features – like internal conference bridges and four-digit dialing across all locations – that were not previously available to the organization due to legacy hardware. The nonprofit is also connecting six sites with an Ethernet Network Service from Comcast Business with speeds that range from 20 to 100 Megabits-per-second (Mbps), as well as a 50 Mbps Ethernet Dedicated Internet line at its headquarters.

This combination provides the bandwidth to help Alliance deliver a comprehensive client training curriculum that includes online tutorials and refresher courses using a mix of video, audio, PowerPoint, and business software training modules, as well as vocational resources such as resume training and online job search assistance. Data back-up time has also been reduced across all six sites, which is critical due to compliance requirements for client information.

"While bandwidth may not be the first thing a nonprofit like Alliance might think about as a business essential, having a reliable communications infrastructure is vital to helping an organization ensure that it can provide quality services to its clients," said Peter Marsh, regional vice president for Comcast Business. "Comcast's diverse network gives these organizations the ability to connect to each other, scale their bandwidth as their needs change, and use their existing technology to its fullest potential – all with the support of a local team whose sole purpose is to make the transition as smooth as possible."

About Comcast Corporation:

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

About Comcast Cable:

Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses.  Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings.  Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company.  Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

SOURCE Comcast Cable

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