ARCHIVED: Completed project: IU UniCom (Unified Communications)

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

Primary UITS contact: Jennifer Van Horn

Completed: May 28, 2009

Description: This project involves the integration of the Nortel CS2100 PBX software and Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 software to provide a unified communications and collaboration platform to the desktop. This service is now available to all IU faculty, staff, and students.

Outcome: The project's goal is to improve productivity, creativity, and collaboration by implementing advanced communication tools in one platform on the desktop. It provides a platform to converge telephony, email, instant messaging, enhanced presence, audio and videoconferencing, and mobility.

Milestones and status:

The project began in May 2007. The project plan is as follows:

June 11, 2007: Procure hardware for OCS Server Completed
July 2007: Install servers and connect to network Completed
July 2007: Implement clustered SQL and SAN installation Completed
July 9, 2007: Configure server iLO boards Completed
July 2007: Upgrade SL100 PBX to the CS2100 hardware and software Completed
July 2007: Install HTTP Reverse Proxy Completed
August 2007: Install CS2100 upgrade for OCS Completed
September 2007: Install public release version of OCS 2007 Completed
October 4, 2007: CS2100 SE10 upgrade Completed
October 12, 2007: Begin integration of CS2100 and OCS 2007 95% completed
October 4 to November 29: SE10 OCS 2007 integration trial period
October 2007: Identify pre-pilot group Completed
October 2007: Identify pilot group Completed
October 2007: Install production OCS client for pre-pilot group users Completed
October 2007: Begin pre-pilot testing Ongoing
December 2007: Load OCS Service Release Completed
December 2007: Create communications and marketing plan Ongoing
December 2007: Create support model Draft plan in place
December 2007: Install the Communicator Web Access (CWA) server Completed
January 2008: Create client installation package through IUware Completed
January 16, 2008: LSP InfoShare UniCom Project Demonstration.
February 2008: Begin pilot group testing with partial group of UITS pilot users Completed
February 2008: Install external access servers Completed
March 2008: Add additional UITS and LSP users to the pilot group Completed
May 19, 2008: UniCom service moves to the production environment with limited campus availability
June 2008: Indiana University participates in a Microsoft Case Study as part of the Public Sector Partner Solution MarketPlace.
June 2008: University of Kentucky federates with IU
June 2008: Demos for Kelley School of Business Completed
July 2008: Texas Tech University federates with IU
July 16, 2008: IU presents the UniCom project at the ACUTA Annual Conference.
July 24, 2008: Demo for Council of CIOs
July 29, 2008: Demo for University Engineers
August 12, 2008: Reached a major milestone of having 1,000 OCS client accounts activated
August 2008: Demos for the School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and teaching and learning centers' Town Hall Meeting
August 2008: Prepare functional requirement for the integration of OCS with Oncourse
August 2008: Begin work to integrate OCS with the Tandberg videoconferencing units
September 2008: Participate in Gartner Group case study
September 10, 2008: Participate in Make IT Happen Day at IUB
September 11, 2008: Presentation at LSP Appreciation Event
September 12, 2008: Presentation at the IU Statewide IT Conference
September 23, 2008: Move service to full campus deployment
September 24, 2008: 1,421 OCS client accounts activated
September 25, 2008: Demo for School of Medicine LSPs
September 2008: Telecommunications coordinator InfoShares at IUB and IUPUI
October 2008: OCS client installed on all Student Technology Center computers
October 2008: Demos for School of Optometry and School of Journalism
October 20, 2008: Federated with Rose-Hulman
October 28, 2008: Participated in Make IT Happen Day at IUPUI
November 10, 2008: Gartner publishes "Case Study: Indiana University Deploys Unified Communications"
November 11, 2008: Participated in Make IT Happen Day at IU Southeast
December 2008: 1,934 OCS client accounts activated
December 2008: Postcard mailed to all deans, directors, and department heads at IUB and IUPUI to publicize UniCom service

Comment process: Send email to Jennifer Van Horn.

Benefits:

Simplicity: This project streamlines communications across a consistent client interface.
Unified access: Voice, video, IM, file sharing, email, calendar, and enhanced presence are available in one convenient desktop interface.
Ad hoc meetings: Save travel time and money with no need to schedule a conference room.

Primary client: Faculty, staff, and students

Client impact: Clients may continue using their existing phones or move to a fuller-featured voice-over-IP phone or OCS-optimized phone. They can also use OCS to integrate with Outlook for presence management and to initiate instant message chats, group chats, voice calls, or videoconferencing.

Project team:

Jennifer Van Horn, Project Manager
Matt Dixon, Infrastructure team leader
Rick Jackson, Infrastructure team member
Peter Uthuppuru, Infrastructure team member
Paul Clegg, Telephony team leader
Jerry Perkins, Telephony team member
Mark Spencer, Telephony team member
Michael Morgan, Telephony team member
Elizabeth Venstra, Communications team member
Chip Rondot, Communications team leader
Greg Moore, Communications team member
Chris England, LSP consultant
Jonny Sweeny, Security team member
Carol Rhodes, Training team leader
Dennis Gillespie, Support team leader
Barb Patrick, Support team member
Aimee Staggs, Support team member
Lori Pollock, Support team member
Drew Hostetler, Support team member
Chris Golden, Video consultant
Rick Watson, System Engineer, Nortel
Andy Cheezum, Account Manager, Nortel

Governance: Mike Lucas, Operations and Systems Director, Enterprise Infrastructure (Executive sponsor)