In 2019 ITS proposed a $4.1M capital project approved by Executive Officers to replace the end-of-life, analog telephone system that enables inbound/outbound calls for the campus community. As the current telephone system on the UM-Ann Arbor campus was installed in 1984, it is no longer supported by the vendor and at increasing risk of failure. Failure to our current telephone system could mean losing the platform that supports all campus business, call centers, and emergency calling.
With the advent of the pandemic and remote teaching, learning, and work, there have been significant shifts in requirements for U-M telephones. We now know that some staff may not shift back to working in the office full time and need more options past this pandemic. ITS is working to recognize the current situation and the situation as we move forward to enable the university community to use their U-M number wherever they are with the features they need.
In Fall 2020, ITS began a proof of concept and requests for proposal for a telephone service upgrade that provides a softphone application for the University of Michigan. Softphone applications can be installed on most internet-connected devices and operating systems and provide additional options and features, including the ability to make and receive calls using U-M phone numbers. We received positive feedback from the proof of concept and are currently working through vendor negotiations. Our goal is to upgrade the telephone service in FY 2021-2022.
ITS is looking to upgrade the telephone service to meet shifting campus requirements with a vendor that will:
- Provide softphone telephone service via laptops, cellular phones, or desk sets.
- Provide telephone and texting service.
- Ensure the availability of connections for emergency telephones.
- Avoid investment in on-premise (redundant) equipment.
- Transition from a hardware-based service to a software-based solution.
- Deliver high-quality conference calls.
- Provide a public-facing U-M business number, minimizing the need to share personal cell phone numbers.
Moving to a vendor-based system also allows U-M to minimize back-end infrastructure purchases, reduces the complexity of the current telephone environment, and allows the U-M telephone costs to change as the footprint and adoption change gradually over time.
Project Timeline
ITS is still in negotiations with the vendor. We are engaging with Unit Ambassadors to better understand each unit’s specific telephone needs and determine timelines with each unit based on those needs.