Drinks firm toasts IP telephony

The company behind drinks brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Bailey's and Guinness has chosen Cisco to help it deploy 2,000 IP-based telephones at its global headquarters.

Diageo said it chose an IP system because it allows it to add special features including extension mobility, where a user can configure any phone as their own, and XML user services such as phone directory integration.

Extension mobility means the company can offer a hot-desking option to its employees. Martin Bennett, group network architect at Diageo said: "Internal mobility and rapid deployment of new services are just not possible with traditional networks."

Neither Cisco nor Diageo would disclose the financial terms of the deal.