Voice over IP Phone System Transition Saving Departments $$

With 58% of Miami departments and offices moved to the new Voice over IP (VoIP) system, departments are already seeing unexpected savings in their telephone budgets. Departments are choosing to eliminate an average of 37% of their phones, saving the monthly fee associated with each line. Many are also finding that the advanced functionality of the basic desktop phone allows them to replace some of the more expensive Dterm phones with the basic model, saving $20 per month.

New features are being rolled out to allow more customization of the phone service. Users may now choose from a selection of Miami logos and images for the display screen on their phone, and a committee is working on selecting music performed by Miami faculty and students to serve as the Music on Hold in the system.

Unified fax service, integrated voice/video/web conferencing capabilities, and enhanced emergency notification services are on the immediate horizon for the project team. 

The VoIP system had its first test under emergency conditions when the Oxford campus experienced a power outage March 26. The project team is pleased to report that core VoIP services functioned as expected. There were several building-specific issues with back-up power supplies. Those have been identified and remediation is in process.

For more information about the VoIP system and its deployment at Miami, go to the project web site at www.muohio.edu/voip.