implementation tips & strategies for voip in your org

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Presented by Charles BurtonCalcasieu Parish School System

Initial Facts about CPSBCalcasieu Parish (pronounced cal-ca-shoo) is

located in Southwest Louisiana and has a population of 183,577

1,000 square miles33,000 students5,100 employees61 schools11 administrative sites300+ million budget

District technology facts• 17,000 computers on the network• 1000 managed network switches• All district sites connected via 100 Mbps

fiber optic circuits to a central Data Center• 100 Mbps uplink to Internet

VoIP pieces aligned in 2005

• CPSB Administration was searching for a way out of a costly & inflexible 400 station Centrex & aging isolated PBX systems

• Hurricanes Rita & Katrina effected Erate funding levels

• USAC authorized funding for VoIP systems

• Experienced Technology staff were available, willing and capable of supporting telephony

Defining the goals & funding the projectSite visits to other regional VoIP installations

and discussions with a handful of VoIP technologists.

Define what were the VoIP features sets and goals of the project

Create RFP according to needs and scope that CPSB stakeholders agreed upon and post

Receive presentations from all VoIP vendors and choose vendor based on Erate guidelines

USAC fully funded the proposed solution

CPSB Year 9 Erate RFP’s

Isolated systems challenges

Karl Brucchaus - CFO Sheryl Abshire - CIO

Key planning decisions

Create baseline documentation of current voice infrastructure CPSB to master doc

Decision made to renumber with new DID’s & Station #’s

Decided upon a summer 6 week installation timeline after working with vendor PM and review of SOW

Conduct employee meetings to discuss transitionKick-off meeting to familiarize various installation

staff on responsibilities and SOW

Karl Bruchhaus - CFOCharlene Chaisson - PIO

Sheryl Abshire - CIO

The industry average total system cost broken down per station is between $800 & $450CPSB was nearly $700 per station upon initial installation, today the cost is $330

Most VoIP industry systems are licensed per station or user annuallyCPSB chose a system with no annual station or user costs = perpetual licensing

Industry average cost of business class IP phones is $300CPSB is purchasing business class IP phones for $150 as well as deploying softphones which are free.

The industry average total system cost broken down per station is between $800 & $450CPSB was nearly $700 per station upon initial installation, today the cost is $330

Most VoIP industry systems are licensed per station or user annuallyCPSB chose a system with no annual station or user costs = perpetual licensing

Industry average cost of business class IP phones is $300CPSB is purchasing business class IP phones for $150 as well as deploying softphones which are free.

Get soft on ROIKey cost savers may not materialize: MAC’s,

toll-bypass, support personnel reduction

So what are the benefits?Add VoIP to classrooms without adding cabling or

phones to classroomsFlexible connectivity for staffImplement key features to influence productivityGet smart with your AA’s (Automated Attendants)TEM (Telecom expense management) becomes

possible & predictable

My recommendationsStandards Standards Standards = SIP (Session

Initiated Protocol)Ask about all features even if you won’t implement

them like: SIP trunking, VoIP encryption, DOS prevention system & CDR (Call detail reporting)

Identify cost of handsets even if you don’t plan on buying any

Don’t forget about emergency services support like fire alarms, access control, building alarms, elevators,…

PoE (Power over Ethernet) has it’s advantagesSet customer expectations appropriately

Good Luck on your VoIP Projects!

Charles Burtoncharles.burton@cpsb.orgIP Phone

Analog Gateway PRI Gateway

Call Processor

IP Messaging

Visio drawing of VoIP Infrastructure

“Remember, It’s about connecting people not phone numbers” and “ROI is not just financial it’s technical, it’s social and it’s people”

Key Lessons LearnedKeep stakeholders informedRoll out in phasesDo not initiate changes during

implementationIn person visits and demonstrations pay

dividendsKeep in house staff engaged in the projectMaintain backup POTS lines for emergency