FAQ

As common questions arise, the questions and answers will be posted here.

What is unified communications? 

Over the past 15-20 years, communications tools have become more network-centric.  Telephones, video conferencing endpoints, messaging tools and collaboration tools all communicate the UO data network and internet.  This allows these technologies to integrate with each other to provide added value to the people using them.  The voicemail system can send you a notice and voicemails via email, videoconferencing sessions can be scheduled through a calendaring system, an instant messaging discussion might lead to an ad-hoc screen sharing session.

The University of Oregon has had a campuswide phone system for many years now.  Email on campus is being consolidated on the new UOmail system.  Other tools such as videoconferencing, instant messaging, and collaboration tools have historically often been selected on a unit-by-unit basis, which makes it difficult for users to have a seamless experience when interacting with different units or with their peers in other institutions or organizations.  Selecting communications tools to be used on a campuswide basis allows us to focus resources on products which would best meet UO needs and provide the most value to the UO community.  We also have the opportunity to integrate different tools in instances where it makes sense to do so. 

Why is UO Information Services pursuing this effort now? 

The UO phone system was originally installed in 1989 and has been upgraded regularly since then but we’ve reached a point where further upgrades would be comparable in cost to a completely new system.  Information Services has decided to take this opportunity to evaluate what communications tools would make the most sense to commit resources to implementing and supporting based on the current needs of campus units.  We fully expect that telephone services will continue to be an important service that we continue to offer, but there are other communication tools which are not currently receiving the attention and resources campus wide which they deserve. 

Why is this effort being run as a program and not a project? 

We expect that replacing the campus telephone system and implementing other communication and collaboration tools will take several years and involve multiple different projects and project teams. Within the Information Services project management framework, an umbrella program is used for larger efforts that span a multi-year period and involve multiple technologies. Within the program, different projects can be initiated concurrently or in sequence to address specific program objectives. For instance, the telephone system replacement is expected to become its own project within the CCT program. 

Is funding for the CCT program approved? 

Information Services provides telephone services to the campus community as a service center which means we bill departments monthly to cover the cost of the services.  A portion of the service center revenue is reserved for system replacement and upgrades.  We expect this reserve fund to cover the implementation of new voice services.   

Other CCT tools are already in use to some degree on campus.  Our hope is that a more coherent strategy for campuswide CCT deployment wouldn’t cost much more than campus units are paying for the disparate non-voice services that are being used today.  It is also possible that economies of scale can be used to lower the per-user costs. 

How the telecom service center gets restructured upon the completion of the various CCT projects has yet to be determined. 

Will users in my department need to have a new desk phone once the old system is replaced? 

Our intention is to provide members of the campus community with tools appropriate for their needs.  Some staff and faculty members have needs that require a phone on their desks.  Other users might do well with a “softphone,” or software-based phone, that they can use on their computer or mobile device.

Will the Microsoft Exchange email system be replaced? 

No. Microsoft Exchange and UOmail aren’t part of this program. Information Services has no plans to replace UOmail for email and calendaring.

What is the timeline for the CCT program? 

Between February and May 2019, Information Services worked with a consulting group to perform a needs analysis.  That began with a series of interviews with different units on campus to discuss what communications tools they use today and what they would like to have available in the future. The consulting group made recommendations in a final report based on this feedback and their experiences with different products suitable for use by large higher-ed institutions. Information Services took those recommendations back to the CCT Advisory Group and IT community for input, then shared a suite of tool recommendations with campus at a town hall meeting in November 2019. UO staff then began contract negotiations for several of the new tools.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit during those contract negotiations. Starting in March 2020, the CCT Program dramatically accelerated several planned service launches to facilitate the UO’s quick pivot to remote teaching, learning, and working. We extended Zoom — one of our tool selections for online learning and videoconferencing — from limited use for online courses to campuswide availability to support all UO courses being conducted remotely for spring term 2020. We similarly launched Dropbox — one of our selected content collaboration tools — to all faculty and staff in March 2021, extending availability to all students by mid-September. The other tools that support the two above functions, Microsoft Teams and OneDrive, were both already available to the entire UO community.

The rollout of a basic feature set in Amazon Connect was also accelerated to enable remote call centers. A few key UO teams began using this tool in spring 2020. By the end of the summer, most UO groups that provide high-volume, telephone-based customer service were using Amazon Connect.

As of January 2021, projects are underway that will expand the features available in Amazon Connect and design the replacement voice system.