Jamie Soule, the IT Operations Manager, stands next to the recently installed VoIP equipment, conducting diagnostics using his cellphone.

Unified Communications Program PBX to VoIP

To the uninitiated, information technology can seem a little bit like alphabet soup. In this case, the Unified Communications Program, a seven-year program, replaced the current copper-based phone system (PBX) with the new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The core of the project was the introduction of the MX1 phone system to replace the copper switching stations (LIM); implementation of a new phone billing system to replace the end-of-life system; replaced 2,800 traditional phones with the new Session Interface Protocol (SIP) phones; and upgraded the voicemail system and, in doing so, brought UMass Boston into the 21st century. What that means to the average telephone user is: business as usual, but with enhanced functionality.

What that meant for the IT professionals executing the conversion was a grueling multi-year effort and collaborations with all campus departments to achieve the changeover as seamlessly as possible.

At the risk of oversimplifying, this multi-year program moved the old PBX outdated technology to the new voice-over-internet protocols (VoIP) phone system.

“We moved away from copper telephone lines to the internet, which replaced the core functionality of how we do telecommunications,” says Terry Phalen, director of IT Project Management.

To give an idea of the complexity of the old system, 24 boxes ( four-foot x six-foot x eight-foot) jam-packed with wires, switches, and all things “old,” were replaced with what’s called MX1, which is composed of three computer servers that could sit comfortably on a desktop. In an institution where space is at a premium, that alone was a boon.

What all this means is that the Telecommunications Department finished the superhuman conversion of the university’s legacy digital phone system (PBX) to technology-based SIP (Session Interface Protocol) phones. More powerful than the old technology, SIP phones are like little computers. Among other things, your SIP phone allows you to Skype and video-conference.

The next step in the program is recalibrating call center technology, a critical upgrade when it comes to disaster recovery. “With copper phone lines, for example,” says Phalen, “if we lost power the most we could do is close down. However, Xythos Migration to OneDrive voice-engaged SIP technology-based phones are transportable. Staff members can take their phone, plug in where there’s power, retain their phone number, and carry on business as usual.

Summing up the overall operation, Jaime Soule, manager of IT Operations in IT Communications and Infrastructure Services, says, “This modernization benefits UMass Boston with lower maintenance costs, less hardware, added functionality, and future portability. The majority of the work occurred in the early morning—before business hours. Terry Phalen managed the project, and the conversion was seamless.