The Challenge
The city had been relying on an on-premises Skype for Business deployment for voice communications and Genesys for its contact centers. With both platforms nearing end-of-life or requiring increased support, the IT team began searching for a modern, unified solution.
The IT director, David Riha, had been gradually migrating city systems to the cloud and recognized that replacing Skype with another on-prem system would only add to the team’s already heavy support burden.
Key concerns included:
- Aging hardware requiring regular updates and replacements
- Limited flexibility for remote or hybrid work models
- Desire to integrate tightly with Microsoft Teams, which had become the city’s default collaboration platform
Why They Chose Maverick Networks and RingCentral
Oceanside received several responses to its RFP, including multiple submissions for RingCentral. What set Maverick Networks apart was the level of service offered.
While some vendors pitched minimal implementation support, Maverick promised full involvement from planning to go-live. That mattered. As the city’s IT Director put it:
“A few vendors said, ‘We’ll show you how to do two phones and then turn you loose.’ I’m not interested in that. Maverick said, ‘We’ll help you all the way through.’ That sounded fantastic.”
RingCentral stood out as a strong fit because:
- It allowed the city to consolidate both UCaaS and CCaaS into a single cloud platform
- It offered cloud-based reliability and eliminated the need for new on-premises hardware
- It integrated with Microsoft Teams, without any additional costs, easing the transition for staff
- It matched the city's strategy of reducing maintenance -heavy systems
Cutover and Implementation
With dozens of departments and geographically spread-out facilities, the City of Oceanside needed a deployment plan that would minimize disruption and keep city services running. The city’s IT team worked closely with Maverick Networks to develop a zone-based rollout strategy, designed to keep things flexible on the day of cutover.
Maverick and the City of Oceanside coordinated the rollout, with Maverick engineers providing hands-on support at every location. Together, they executed a full migration across all sites in a single day.
“We started on a Friday, planning to work through the weekend if needed,” said the IT Director. “But we wrapped up most of the work by Friday night. I thought we’d be here for days. Maverick’s support on the ground made a big difference,” stated Riha.
As expected with a project of this size, there were a few surprises early in the day. Maverick’s engineers helped quickly identify solutions, distributed instructions to the city’s internal team, and kept the transition moving without delays.
The Results
The move to RingCentral delivered noticeable improvements in both day-to-day operations and long-term manageability for the City of Oceanside. While cost savings have not yet been quantified, the benefits to the IT team and end users are already clear.
Reduced IT Burden
The new cloud-based platform eliminated the need for on-premises hardware and reduced the maintenance workload for the city’s phone team.
The system is easier to manage, and support tickets related to phone issues have decreased. This has allowed the IT team to focus on higher-priority projects.
Streamlined User Experience with Teams Integration
RingCentral’s tight integration with Microsoft Teams helped ease the transition for staff, many of whom were already using Teams as part of their daily workflow. By keeping the user experience consistent, the city avoided a steep learning curve and minimized resistance to change.
Improved Onboarding and Training
Live and recorded training sessions ensured that staff had the tools and guidance they needed to get up to speed quickly. The sessions focused on practical, everyday use, making it easy for employees to adopt the new system confidently.
The flexibility of having both live instruction and on-demand access allowed teams to learn at their own pace and revisit features as needed. This contributed to a smoother overall transition.
Responsive, Local Support
Having a Maverick engineer based just a few miles from the city office made a lasting impact. When additional help was needed, support was available in person, which the IT team greatly appreciated. Riha shared,
“Everyone I’ve spoken to at Maverick has been helpful and just wants to see us succeed.”
Looking Ahead
With fewer systems to maintain, the city’s IT team can now focus on other priorities. They are confident that their communications platform is secure, supported, and scalable.
Riha reflected on the value Maverick brought to the project:
“Everyone I’ve worked with at Maverick has been awesome—helpful, knowledgeable, and easy to collaborate with. As we were building out our solution, they brought in real-world experience from other organizations and helped us think through scenarios we might not have considered. That kind of insight was incredibly valuable in shaping our decisions.”
He also had advice for any organization still relying on aging infrastructure:
“If someone’s still on an on-prem system, I’d tell them, think about how much easier it is when you don’t have to worry about hardware, updates, or replacements. We can focus on more important things now.”
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