Wednesday, March 19, 2008

New Phone System

During the fall focus group sessions, many of you mentioned the need to update technology on campus and specifically phones. Well, good news! We are in the process of replacing the College’s current phone system with VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol. VOIP is a method of taking analog audio signals (like what we currently hear when we talk on the phone) and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the internet. What this means for us is that we will receive new phones with features that most of us have on our home phones like voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting. Yes, the brown phones are history! There are a number of additional features that can be utilized with this system and information will be provided when installation is complete and everyone is comfortable with the initial set-up.

Phones were installed in ST-Building on February 26, and B-Building is scheduled for installation this Friday, March 21. Our plans are to install phones in one or two buildings per week, depending on size, with installation complete by the end of May. During each building installation, representatives from Comporium will be on campus to provide assistance with set up and to offer training on how to use various services. As Telephone Services Coordinator, Debbie Bailey will also serve as system administrator for the VOIP system.

2 comments:

Sra. Sánchez-Suárez said...

This sounds good! Just wondering about what happens to the old phones? Can they be recycled?

Sra. Sánchez-Suárez said...

PS: it was nice to hear that the old phones ARE being recycled.