The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is in the process of upgrading its IP phone footprint; its existing system was about four years old, and in need of a basic upgrade. But the university took the opportunity to go further, adding advanced IP features to the mix. It’s a good example of how the need to upgrade equipment from time to time opens the door to better meeting overall business objectives.

According Greg Williams, director of IT networks and infrastructure at the university, the goal of the upgrades for UCCS is multipronged: By implementing new tools, IT hopes collaboration between people will increase, longer in-person meetings will decrease, and productivity will increase.

That goal hinges on advanced IP phones, like the TMC (News - Alert) Labs Innovation Award-winning line from Yealink, that offer a range of both included and enhanced features that can boost the role of communications within certain vertical environments. For instance, UCCS implemented an official campus instant messaging client, which will allow users to send quick messages to each other in real time instead of making a phone call or typing a lengthy email.

“We’ve never had an official IM service on campus before, though it’s a service we’ve received requests for in the past,” Wilson said. “IMing will save users time and isn’t as formal as an email.”

One of the main features that the school was interested in was presence, which integrates with users’ Exchange calendars and lets others know if the person they’re trying to reach is in a meeting or otherwise away from their desks.

Other features included in the upgrade include soft phone technology, which allows users to place and take calls through their computers when they’re away from their desk, and an upgrade to the current telepresence videoconferencing equipment that allows users to connect to telepresence sessions via their phone, tablet or computer.

Additionally, IT will be rolling out WebEx, which allows users to host and attend online meetings with anyone, and easily share presentations with one another.

“Between semesters is when IT generally tries to roll out new systems and updates, as it’s the least invasive to campus,” said Jerry Wilson, executive director at the UCCS Information Technology Department. “This summer, the campus’s voice-over-IP, or VoIP, telephones phones were the primary target.”

He added, “While we were at it, we were able to add some new features that we think will benefit the campus community.”