January 2021
The major upgrade to our campus voice solution, also known as the Avaya Private Branch Exchange (PBX), is complete. Computing and Communications Services (CCSV) has begun migrating users so that they may take advantage of the new features offered by the phone system.
Our strategy will first migrate Skype for Business users, followed by the departments who will be moving into the new Physical Sciences Building. Next, we will begin migrating users whose offices are located on the north side of the creek, followed by the South side. During the migration, CCSV will coordinate with each department to understand its specific telephony needs, and make any changes necessary to best meet those needs. Current phone devices will be phased out over the course of the migration. While most users are working remotely, technicians will coordinate with users and departments, including the removal or replacement of campus phone devices.
While the complete migration of all campus users will take many months, we will be working to complete this task in as timely a manner as possible. If you or your department are in immediate need of migration to the new platform, please submit a request to ITSS and we will prioritize your request appropriately. This upgrade comes at no additional cost to departments as the expense for this major equipment refresh is built into the CCSV cost model.
The timing of this deployment will help many remote workers have a more seamless communications experience with their device on campus. This deployment is significant not only under the circumstances we find ourselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as a critical needs tool that will ensure business continuity for the University.
For more information regarding Avaya IX Workplace, our soft phone solution, please visit CCSV’s Media Page(opens in new window) for video tutorials and walkthroughs, and our Knowledge Base Article(opens in new window) for help and information.
May 2020
Computing and Communications Services (CCSV) will be implementing a major upgrade to our campus voice solution, also known as the Avaya Private Branch Exchange (PBX), in the latter part of June 2020. This will be the first major upgrade of our system since its installation in 2005, and brings our campus into the newest generation of telephone service.
With this upgrade comes added flexibility for users, including the opportunity to transition to Software-based telephony, also known as a soft phone. A soft phone allows a user to answer their office extension from their desktop or laptop, regardless of location. In addition, the soft phone offers unified communication and ease of access across frequently used campus applications such as instant messaging, Microsoft Teams, Office 365, and Gmail.
To ensure compatibility and quality user experience with this platform, current phone devices will be phased out over the course of the upgrade. A migration strategy is being developed—one which may change as needs arise, and one which will be heavily informed by the University’s plan to return faculty, staff, and students to campus. CCSV will coordinate with each department to understand its specific telephony needs, and build a solution to best meet those needs. This upgrade comes at no additional cost to departments as the expense for this major equipment refresh is built into the CCSV cost model.
The timing of this deployment should help many remote workers have a more seamless communications experience with their device on campus. This project has been the focus of our attention for years, and the decision was finalized in early 2020 with the aim of bringing unified and flexible communications into wide use across campus. This deployment is significant not only under the circumstances we find ourselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as a critical needs tool that will ensure business continuity for the University.
For more information regarding the phone upgrade, including our migration schedule, please revisit this page soon.