CAMPUS VOICE MAIL SYSTEM AT UH TO BE REPLACED
Cutover to New Modular Messaging Program Tentatively Set for Feb.
21
HOUSTON, Feb. 10, 2004 – The University of Houston IT Division
is in the process of replacing the campus voice mail system. The
current system, having sustained damage by Tropical Storm Allison,
has become increasingly unstable.
The cutover to the new system, UH Modular Messaging, is tentatively
scheduled to occur on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Implementation of the new system will have no effect on existing
phones or phone numbers. Only the voice mail system will change.
While any transition inevitably requires some degree of disruption,
the IT Division has taken numerous steps to make the transition
to the new system as painless as possible.
“While we have targeted February 21 as the cutover date,
we will make sure the system and the campus is ready before moving
forward,” said Charles Chambers, the IT Division’s project
manager. “If a smooth transition to the new system is not
feasible at that time, or if there are any campus conflicts with
the timing of the cutover, the migration to the new system will
be rescheduled.”
According to Chambers, the need to replace the current voice mail
system arose due to damage sustained during Tropical Storm Allison
in 2001. All of the system’s eight nodes, which process and
store data for campus voice mail services, had their life shortened
by water damage during the storm.
“It’s important we provide a stable voice mail system
for the campus,” said Chambers.
The current voice mail system has been in service since 1990 when
the ROLM telephone system was installed on campus. After a thorough
evaluation, Avaya, an international leader in voice systems, was
selected to provide the campus with the most current voice mail
technology.
A week before the system is up and running, user documentation
and self-paced training materials will be available on the Web at
www.uh.edu/voicemail. The new voice mailboxes will also be available
so they can be personalized prior to their initial use. The web-published
User Guide will provide step-by-step instructions on how to switch
from the old system to the new one.
The instructions in the User Guide will be sufficient for most
UH voice mail users; however, if desired, faculty and staff also
have the option of enrolling in one of the short instructor-led
training classes that will be offered daily.
After the new system is operational, the UH community will be able
to access old voice mail boxes for a grace period of 14 days. This
will allow everyone the opportunity to clean out or retrieve old
messages.
“We think our customers will be impressed with the new system,”
Dennis Fouty, Associate Vice President of Computing and Telecommunication
Services, said. “While we are forced to replace the system
due to damage from Allison, the new system in the future will enable
us to deploy additional services, like integrating e-mail, voicemail
and fax messaging.”
The functionality of the new system is being implemented in phases
to ensure the deployment is as transparent and seamless as possible
for basic voice mail users.
“At the same time, it’s a very challenging project,”
said Chambers. “We’re integrating backwards with our
current telephone system, which has a very proprietary architecture,
as well as integrating forwards with newer phone systems and other
leading edge technology to ensure we’ve positioned the University
for the future.”
For more information on the project, visit the project Web site
at www.uh.edu/voicemail.
In addition, inquiries for more information may be directed to voicemail@uh.edu
or 713-743-0006.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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