UNIVERSITY OF TILBURG, NL

Customer Profile

The University of Tilburg (UvT) is a compact institution of higher education, specialising in human and social sciences and located in the southern part of the Netherlands.

The University is well known for its high standards in education and scientific research end its excellent support facilities. In terms of yearly ranking, the UvT has, for many years, commanded a top position, nationwide. The layout of the campus is such that it offers ample opportunity for faculty and students to meet. Out of a student population of over 10,000, some five per cent are international students.

Situation

Because it wanted to offer new, advanced IP telephony services, the UvT envisaged the replacement of its existing (TDM based) SOPHO iS3000. Furthermore, a new building project necessitated an investment in new data and telephony equipment to support 700 additional users. The existing data network had to be upgraded to support IP telephony.

The University of Tilburg wanted to migrate gradually to IP, which meant it needed integrated management to support the existing SOPHO iS3000, and its new SOPHO SV7000 platform and software. Seeing it as a long-term project, the university was looking for a partnership approach, based on creativity, responsiveness towards customer environments and adaptive capabilities on requirements and functionality.

Requirements

The University was looking for functionalities that would improve employee efficiency by creating a flexible working environment that is based on hot-desking, teleworking, improved conference capabilities and enhancements of operator functionality.

Other requirements included integration with the main LDAP database for integrated management, user inter-compatibility, and user functionality improvements like name dialling, and calling name display. The support of analogue lines such as telephones in elevators, those used in the fire warning system, and traditional faxes and other devices, was also necessary.

The UvT also had a strong need for maintenance and management reporting facilities, including SNMP signalling to the ICT department. Cost registration and billing and accounting were seen as important cost control tools that would help the university reduce costs in the long-term, particularly as it was all based on a single, integrated platform.

Solution

Following a technical assessment and an extensive pre-project analysis of all functional, organisational and financial aspects, UvT opted for a solution provided by NEC Philips Unified Solutions. The solution that met the client’s requirements is IP-based because it combines a new SOPHO SV7000 with the UvT’s existing SOPHO iS3070. This has allowed the UvT to create a platform that meets several challenges, such as providing the required level of operator functionality and web-based management and functionality.

The system is connected to the PSTN using the existing trunk lines on the SOPHO iS3070, avoiding calls being unnecessarily routed over the IP network. Because the supervisor terminals must stay with the trunk lines, the SV60E will also be connected to the iS3070.

Benefits

Strong functionality improvements were attained with the integration of Unified Messaging, call centre technology and LDAP databases. The solution now allows UvT to reap more advantages from its existing installation, thus protecting its investment. NEC Philips was the only supplier able to provide this level of integration and backwards compatibility, which created a strong TCO for UvT. An additional wish that the UvT had was to retrain its existing paging system, which is used throughout the campus. This was made possible by combining the ACD functionality of the CC250 and the ESPA interface, making it possible for the UvT to use the Alphadesk.

Features and Benefits

The flexibility of the NEC Philips solution makes it possible for the UvT to implement its strategy of phased migration to IP telephony. Thanks to the SOPHO SV7000, the UvT can invest in new applications that will improve its services and retain its existing applications and tools too. The NEC Philips solution comprises:

• Complete redundant solution for failure situations
• Strong integration between the SOPHO iS3000 and the SOPHO SV7000 functionality for the SV60e as a one operator solution
• Centralised voicemail, which is integrated with the SOPHO iS3000
• Integrated ESPA interface with the CC250 to retain the UvT’s paging functionality
• Strong IVR and ACD functionalities to improve incoming call handling
• Integrated service contract for the SOPHO SV7000 and SOPHO iS3000