NWN Helps America's Second-Largest Town Deliver Digital Innovation

CARY, N.C., Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NWN, a leader in delivering secure innovation adoption at scale, is helping America's second-largest incorporated town -- Cary, North Carolina -- deliver digital innovation throughout its community and beyond.

With a population of 162,000 spread across nearly 60 square miles, Cary is creating a connected, "smart city" approach to its delivery of public services. With the help and support of longtime partner NWN, the town is experiencing the benefits of new technologies integrated smoothly into a growing community with rising demand for modern digital experiences in everyday life.

Nicole Raimundo, CIO of the Town of Cary since 2015, is leading a rapid evolution that has seen the town transition from dozens of disparate legacy systems and no wireless services to a streamlined, cloud-focused approach to innovation adoption. "We really think about how we use technology and data to connect with our community and enhance the lives of our citizens, from smart parking to traffic, from public utilities to finance," she said. 

"This means we have to change the skill sets of the organization while also balancing day-to-day operations," Raimundo continued. "That's why we look for the best partners who can help us on our trajectory and get there much faster. One of the great things about NWN is it's really a partnership. They come in and we work through it together."

NWN has partnered with the Town of Cary for 14 years, building deep institutional knowledge of Cary's networks, architecture, and the many services it provides. Raimundo said, "I think for everyone, the technology's changing so fast. For us, it's being able to leverage outside expertise because we don't have the luxury to hire for every specialized skillset. We've built a lab using our campus to make sure we understand it before we deliver it out into the enterprise. We really think about how can we make those small impact changes every day, relying on technology that is seamless and you don't see it at all."

NWN's Device-as-a-Service been instrumental in upgrading devices, and its Unified Communications-as-a-Service helped move Cary from traditional centrex phone lines to voice over IP on the telecommunications side and converged networks that integrate data, voice and video. NWN's Security solutions have helped Cary modernize its physical and digital security systems, integrating video, smart sensors and trackers throughout the town and enabling Cary's emergency response services to become a model that is now serving other communities.

Jim Sullivan, NWN Chief Executive Officer, said, "Nicole and her team in Cary are setting examples that many municipalities across the country could emulate. Keeping up with constantly changing technology is a challenge for everyone but it's vital in order to deliver service levels that consumers have come to expect in today's world. We could not be prouder of the NWN team and the partnership they have built with the Town of Cary. Cary's success is the ultimate validation for NWN that we are fulfilling our mission and helping our customers thrive."

Best Practices Open New Collaboration Opportunities

When a municipality like Cary raises its technology game, it also creates opportunities for collaboration with surrounding communities that broaden the availability of improved services and lead to even greater efficiency. The neighboring towns of Apex and Morrisville now rely on Cary's 911 services in a win-win arrangement that NWN helps make possible.

Terry Yates, Town of Cary's Smart Cities & IT Project Manager, said, "NWN has helped us become a regional center of excellence, a partner and service provider to other communities. This is happening with wastewater services as well as our radio system. By increasing the speed of services and efficiency, borders become nebulous. Traffic doesn't care about town borders. Citizens get services faster with regional partnerships." 

Cary CIO Raimundo concludes, "When we call on NWN, it's an extension of our team, and I think that's critical to our success. We're very fortunate in Cary to have that. With NWN we're ready for the future." 

View a video of Nicole and Terry here highlighting their digital transformation journey: https://vimeo.com/354675776/f74a3e4862 

About NWN 
NWN Corporation, headquartered outside Boston, is an established leader in technology-enabled services, transforming the customer experience for commercial, enterprise and public sector organizations through its solution-as-a-service platform. With 1,300 customers throughout the U.S., NWN provides a unified customer experience with integrated offerings for unified communications, security, contact center, DaaS (device-as-a-service), connectivity and advanced technology solutions. To learn more about NWN's solutions and offerings, visit www.nwnit.com.

Media Contact: 
Carissa Ryan, CTP for NWN 
[email protected]

SOURCE NWN

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