UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Beginning this fall, Penn State is transitioning to Microsoft Teams Phone and Microsoft Teams-to-Teams Calling in an effort to improve operational efficiencies as well as streamline the functionality of enterprise IT services.

The Telephony Transformation project team will assist with transitioning staff and faculty from existing Cisco telephony systems to Teams Phone and Teams-to-Teams Calling. While Teams Phone enables users to make and receive external calls, this option requires the maintenance of a billable phone number. On the other hand, Teams-to-Teams Calling is internal to the University and built into the Teams app. 

Penn State Interim Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer Keith Brautigam said, "This transition is part of Penn State’s strategic efforts to optimize workflows as well as improve team communication and collaboration. Additionally, both Teams applications are already available in the University’s current contract with Microsoft, at no additional cost."

Microsoft Teams provides Penn State with a unified platform that will increase the flexibility in how calls are made as well as received. Some other operational benefits of Teams Phone and Teams-to-Teams Calling include:

• Using Teams Phone and Teams-to-Teams Calling on multiple devices.
• Calling and chatting with team members directly within the Teams app.
• Sharing messages during calls in an auto-generated chat with participants.
• Collaborating with others and editing files in real-time via Microsoft Suite.
• Improving call interactions with breakout rooms and participant views.
• Integrating with other Microsoft apps such as Outlook, OneNote and more.

“We’re excited to utilize a modern cloud-based telephony platform that will support real-time communications and the mobility of remote work that is fundamental to many of us in our daily work at Penn State," said Brautigam. "We will work closely with IT partners across the University, at each campus and in each college and unit, to assist in a smooth transition and to answer any questions throughout."

The switch to Microsoft Teams telephony may not fit everyone’s needs or specific use cases. While timelines are tentative, the Telephony Transformation project team will engage with units and proactively work with them to schedule transitions.

Faculty and staff members interested in transitioning to either Teams Phone or Teams-to-Teams Calling should contact their local IT team. 

Visit the Telephony Transformation Project website for training resources and project updates.