Digital Phone Pilot Underway Now

Jennifer C. Brown

New digital phones are being piloted now as part of the Unified Collaboration project.

The Unified Collaboration project is changing the way we communicate at the University of Arkansas by introducing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone solution to replace the current analog phone system. A production pilot is currently underway in the new north end zone building at the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and IT Services in the Administrative Services Building and Uptown East.

"The transition to VoIP has been surprisingly smooth so far. I thank IT Services for their hard work on the back end. Without their commitment, we would not have been able to roll this out," said Scott Eby, IT specialist with Razorback Athletics. "The technology has so many new features that just aren't possible with a traditional landline, we look forward to utilizing these to make collaboration quick, easy and efficient."

Microsoft is the vendor solution for the pilot currently underway. Their VoIP digital communication solution, Skype for Business, provides a number of new features including:

• Voicemail that automatically arrives in email inboxes
• Ability to place calls from any device including smartphones, tablets and computers
• Built-in audio and video conferencing

The project is expected to formally begin throughout campus during the spring of 2019. To learn more, visit the Unified Collaboration project site.