Zoom Phone

In an effort to modernize the university’s phone system, Georgetown and Zoom signed an agreement in December 2022 to implement Zoom Phone for Georgetown faculty and staff.

Zoom Phone is a cloud-based phone system (available, when enabled, from the Zoom desktop client) that can be used any time, anywhere. With Zoom Phone, you can make and receive calls on your desktop or laptop computer, or on your iOS or Android mobile device.

The goal of this project is to modernize voice communications for faculty and staff by replacing the current Avaya and Cisco phone systems with Zoom Phone.

Beta Phase

The Zoom Phone migration project is currently in Beta. During this phase of the project, a group of volunteers (comprised of Georgetown faculty and staff from across the university) will evaluate Zoom Phone, record their experiences and any issues they encounter, and provide feedback based on their observations. UIS will use this feedback to build a support infrastructure in advance of migrating the remaining faculty and staff to Zoom Phone.

Background

The existing Avaya and Cisco phone systems have been in existence for many years and are aging. They have also become costly to maintain. Additionally, Georgetown employees are now in one of several work modes—telework only, in-person only, and hybrid—and the traditional “desk phone” model is not user-friendly or cost-effective for all employees. Therefore, the most viable option is to replace and modernize the voice communications system for Georgetown employees.

Project Schedule

Beta (January 2023 – June 2023)

Testing and feedback by selected group of GU faculty and staff volunteers (includes all of UIS).

Full Production (June 2023 – December 2023)

Migrate all remaining GU faculty and staff with existing phone numbers. The migration will include classrooms, meeting rooms, offices, etc.

Zoom Phone FAQ