Why we are making this change

This is another foundational piece in the vision the University has for Microsoft Office that will offer more agility University-wide, increase productivity, and provide a sustainable and scalable solution.

Teams offers most of the collaboration and communication functionalities a modern telework force, such as the University, requires. Cutting phone lines, where not needed, will generate cost-savings that are needed to be fiscally responsible given the economic forecast. We will be implementing a Bell-enabled solution, our industry partner in the Unified Communications project.

The impact of going online only is significant. There are approximately 3,000 phones that are in scope. The other ~1,000 phones will remain for elevators, emergency phones, podium classrooms, etc.

Why we are doing this now

The timing is right for several reasons. Technology now offers much more flexibility than it did 20 years ago. 

Our existing phone system is running on outdated or end-of-life software and hardware. In addition, our way of working, whether on campus or remotely, is changing the way we communicate and how we want to communicate with each other and the community. And we know our need to share and communicate sensitive information will only increase, demanding more flexibility, but so security and compliance.

Integrating into our existing technology framework, Microsoft Teams is the platform of choice, one in which the University community has a good level of familiarity.

With many employees doing telework, Unified Communications offers a consistent way of dealing with calls whether working on campus or at home or anywhere else!

Our approach

We are using an incremental phased approach. To offer each sector the attention they need, we are tackling faculties and services in waves. As much as we can accommodate departments within the timeline of our vendor contract, we will build a deployment schedule based on a convenient timeline.

Some members of the uOttawa community will barely feel the change if they have been leveraging Teams for the past years. Many have already been thriving in the telework environment, using Teams meetings to communicate and collaborate with partners and clients.

Others may need more support to help them with the transition. Superusers of Teams within the faculties and services will bridge some of their needs for sure. But more than that, we’ll be offering information sessions, tips, educational resources, and training resources to help make them feel more comfortable with these changes. Along the way, we’ll be monitoring their comfort level with all that’s going on through feedback questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, and engaging the faculty/service project liaison to ensure we’re doing everything to make it easier for them.

Project Steering Committee 

The steering committee meets monthly to make major decisions and provide general direction for the project. The membership consists of: 

• Jean-Ray Arseneau (chair): Senior Director, Infrastructure and Operations, Information Technology

• Sandra Huertas: Project Manager, Information Technology 

• Rafid Mahmood: Professor, Telfer School of Management 

• Michelle Beauchamp: Director Admissions, Office of the Registrar 

• Hi Nguyen: Director, Protection Services 

• Paul Belanger: Chief Administrative Officer, Faculty of Health Sciences  

• Khalil Chamoun: IT Manager, Network, Information Technology 

• Jacqueline Oliver: Manager Strategic Initiatives, Information Technology