Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 (O365) is an online platform that offers a range of integrated applications. The University subscribes to O365 to deliver some student and alumni services, and this pilot has introduced some O365 services to a test group of staff.
By releasing these services, this user group has provided some initial answers to a number of key questions around how we could best use the services, what limits we might place on them and whether they duplicate existing tools or applications already in use here. Answering these questions will allow us to determine the best way to release these services to the wider University.
The pilot ran from 14 November 2018 to 15 February 2019, including access to five services (Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, Forms, Flow and StaffHub) for a pilot group of 388 staff including the whole of IT Services and a number of staff from both External Relations and EPS. The pilot received positive feedback, identifying a number of potential and actual use cases for the services, some of which you’ll find here – https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/it/services/Office-365-for-staff/365-use-cases.aspx. Look out for additional use cases coming soon from External Relations, a college IT team, and IT Service Management.
One of the pilot’s work streams is focusing on identifying and reviewing governance, answering key questions required by the Information Security Management Group, and addressing any concerns.
The pilot group continues using the Office 365 functionality whilst we make decisions on the next steps and timescales. We recognise the desire in a number of University areas to accelerate rollout and widen the pilot, but current demands on IT capacity mean we anticipate rollout timescales will remain for late 2019 / early 2020.
We’ll provide further updates on the key project milestones via the newsletter. If you have any questions in advance of the next update then please email projectdocs@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Unified Communications
This project will replace approximately 8,000 telephones across campus with IP telephony handsets. The associated telephony upgrade will deliver integrated communications services including improved call distribution and handling through new call centre functionality. This programme is formed of two workstreams:
- Technical implementation – replacing all the handsets.
- Contact Centre Implementation – the four largest centres being clearing, admissions, IT Service Desk, and Student Hub.
We will replace core telephony with a resilient system which provides long term system stability. The initial project board for this phase takes place on 4 March. Project Board membership is being widened to ensure all key stakeholders are included and engaged within this programme, and a Communications Plan developed.
The initial elements of this project will implement the core central technology and understand current contact centre requirements.
We’ll continue to provide updates on the key project milestones via the newsletter. If you have any questions in advance of the next update then please email projectdocs@contacts.bham.ac.uk.