The Campus Phone System Gets a Refresh

Published: 11/3/17
Joe Roth

Telecommunications recently completed a project to replace the aging, 33 year old Nortel analog/digital PBX system, with a new Voice over IP based Shoretel system. Over this three-year journey, 2,796 handsets and an additional 1,576 analog phone lines were replaced throughout 70 buildings across the University campuses, and 118 Shoretel appliances were deployed. The total cost of the project was over a million dollars, with nearly all of the work being done by in-house Telecommunications staff at no cost to campus departments.

By using this new system, ITS and Telecommunications are able to ensure that future investments are being made in a more current and flexible technology. The software based, programmable aspect of the Shoretel system also provides Telecommunications the ability to offer additional services within the voice space, via it’s converged communications platform. Telephone adds, changes, and moves are also more straight-forward, and the Shoretel system provides a more manageable architecture. Telecommunications is now also able to design and install a common cabling system that can be used for both telephones and data network, ensuring that investments are being made in multi use infrastructure.