The current Cisco voice-over-IP campus phone system was implemented more than a decade ago and is now at the end of its life cycle. Further, technology has dramatically improved since 2009, and the current campus system is also functionally obsolete.
On August 13, 2020, the UNCG Information Technology Executive Steering Committee made the strategic decision to replace UNCG’s legacy Cisco voice-over-IP campus phone system with the Microsoft Teams cloud voice solution for individual faculty and staff desk phones. (This does not include emergency phones and call centers.) Information Technology Services (ITS) has launched a project to begin implementation.
Project Outcomes:
- UNCG faculty and staff will be able to make and receive calls on their desktop, laptop, or mobile phone, using their UNCG-assigned phone number. Phone handsets will become optional and departments will be able to purchase compatible devices if needed.
- Because UNCG will realize significant cost savings by transitioning to a cloud-based service and utilizing a product we already own as part of our campus Microsoft enterprise license, departments will no longer be billed for any voice services other than optional phone handsets and international long distance (does not include auxiliaries).
- UNCG cloud-based phone services will be fully mobile and accessible from a user’s preferred device in any location with an internet connection.
- Zoom video conferencing will be conveniently accessible within the Teams application.
- Users will gain robust self-service capabilities to manage features such as voicemail that will now be included as part of their service at no additional cost.
Microsoft Teams phone service for faculty and staff is expected to launch in 2021. ITS understands that this is a hectic time of significant change for all faculty and staff. To ensure a smooth and successful transition to Microsoft Teams phone service, ITS will reach out to departments individually to schedule phone service migrations and provide user training on the new application.
For more information or questions about this new service, please call 6-TECH at (336) 256-TECH (8324), or email 6-TECH@uncg.edu.
