Iberdrola is a Spanish energy global leader in renewable energies that has existed for over 180 years and focuses its efforts on providing renewable power to populations in numerous countries, spanning Europe as well as North and South America, Australia, Asia. The company employs over 40,000 people, with a push underway to hire 10,000 more. and employs more than 400,000 people indirectly
An organization this large and ambitious needs a reliable communication network to connect its many teams around the world. In the past, this meant using on-premises technology platforms paired with Cisco devices. Following a recent migration, however, Iberdrola has entered the cloud via Webex Meetings.
A massive global network transitioning to the cloud
Two and a half years ago, the Iberdrola team decided to migrate its global communication network to the cloud. This was a big decision, due to the 800 existing meeting rooms, each of which would need high-quality communications technology to go with its installed hardware.
Rather than automatically selecting Webex systems to go along with the Cisco devices it already used, the company studied the whole market. In the end, however, Webex won out. Iberdrola saw the value of having a real partnership with both Cisco and Webex, one that could maintain the consistency of devices and platforms across the company’s global network.
“It is very important for us that when there is an incident, we can resolve it knowing that it is the same device, whether in Avangrid, the United States, Neoenergía, Brazil, or from here, San Agustín del Guadalix Madrid, Spain,” said Manuel Muñoz, Iberdrola’s global head of AV communications and VIP support. “This allows us to more easily assess any possible incidents that may arise. All users have the same experience. That is fundamental.”
The resulting solution has helped the organization stay connected, while also assisting with its efforts to achieve green operations and display corporate responsibility—vital qualities for a business in the clean energy space.
“I am a firm supporter of human contact, it is crucial, but where human contact does not reach, technology has to make up for it and the technology that we offer in meeting rooms right now can make up for the lack of that human contact,” said Muñoz. “They also make us more resilient with the environment, we reduce travel, we reduce the carbon footprint and that is very important for a company like Iberdrola.”
A need for quality and simplicity
The stability and reliability of communications are seen as absolute musts for Iberdrola, across both everyday users and especially the VIP tier of users. VIP, according to Muñoz, means “Those users whose communications should at no point be seen damaged or reduced in quality.”
Alongside the need for stable, high-quality connections exists an equal need for a simple user experience. During the beginning of his tenure with Iberdrola, Muñoz was disappointed by the many cables in the meeting rooms, as well as the fact that employees were sometimes unsure of how they would connect to the video conferencing system. This could drastically slow down meetings and increase employee stress.
Using cutting-edge Cisco Devices such as the Room Bar, Room Bar Pro and Desk Pro, connected by the Webex platform, the Iberdrola system has managed to remove 12 kilometers of cables. Each room now has a self-explanatory interface with a single point to hook up devices. To underline the simplicity of the new system, all meeting room screens now display connection instructions, with no need for extra documentation.
“If in doubt, just look at the screen and follow four simple steps to connect, wired or wireless,” said Muñoz. “We don’t need paper, we don’t need anything. It is already in all the rooms in the world.”
Microsoft Teams is the key communications platform for numerous Iberdrola employees. This means the ease of integration between Teams, Cisco Devices, and Webex systems is a major benefit. Rather than being forced to only communicate through the Webex platform, users can set up Teams on their devices seamlessly,
The streamlined new system allows the company to offer a three-tiered support system:
- Level one is a two-person team using Webex Control Hub to handle first incidents affecting any of the 800 conference rooms.
- Level two is a group that remotely monitors issues and offers corrections.
- Level three is the engineering team assigned to deal with deeper matters in detail.
The Webex environment provides the observational capacity for these small groups to look after all the company’s technology needs.
Advanced features serve as pieces of the whole
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), Iberdrola is taking a measured approach to which features it implements, driven by security and compliance requirements. The team has already been working AI features into its various communications platforms, always viewing the technology as a component, rather than a reason unto itself.
“The implementation of artificial intelligence solutions will improve productivity as they are already doing, because we have not been applying artificial intelligence for six months. We have been applying it for much longer,” offered Muñoz. “The end is the solution that is offered to the user. That’s what’s important. Artificial intelligence is one part. It’s a wrench, it’s a bolt, it’s not the whole thing.”
Muñoz adds that AI has a variety of uses that might not be obvious at first. For example, RoomOS uses advanced AI to intelligently adjust cameras and keep speakers in view as they move, creating a more dynamic and engaging meeting experience.
Beyond AI, Iberdrola is taking advantage of the new Webex platform to run regulated simultaneous translation services for its global conferences. Bringing in translators as needed via video call reduces the need for travel, cutting the company’s carbon footprint and increasing the resilience of its communications network.
Tangible benefits and an ongoing partnership
The new deployment has been a success, both in terms of usage level and the amount of utility and satisfaction users have gotten from it. The baseline metrics are impressive: Comparing previous and current spending reveals that the costs of running video conferences have fallen by 20%. The company has also reduced its energy use and pollutant output.
Iberdrola’s internal research initially indicated there would be less need for video conferencing following the end of COVID-19 work-from-home mandates, but the number of calls has risen by 9%. The team sees this as a vote of confidence in the new communications system, indicating that users feel comfortable and secure conferencing through their devices and installed technology in meeting rooms.
The tech support team has observed the impacts of the system due to a change in the tone of the tickets they receive. While before the transition to Webex cloud systems, most of the support requests came from users asking for help, the team now receives frequent messages of thanks and praise.
“Anyone can open a ticket and say ‘I don’t like the solution, I disagree,’” explained Muñoz. “Currently we receive more positive messages than negative ones. And this is a trend change. They tell us thank you for making our lives easier. This is the success we have achieved.”
The partnership Iberdrola’s team envisioned during the search for a new partner has been realized through its Webex and Cisco deployments.
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