IS&T Spotlight:
Ringing in VoIP: Phone and Voice Mail Services over MITnet
Lisa Gay
The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) project is an IS&T initiative that provides telephone and voice mail services over MIT’s data network, MITnet. The goals of this project are to
- Smoothly transition MIT to VoIP with minimal impact to end users
- Support existing telephone features while providing advanced functionality
- Increase productivity by running a single network infrastructure for both data and voice
A phased rollout to the MIT community will begin in January 2008.
Pilot Program Update
Since the VoIP pilot program began in March 2006, about 1,000 VoIP telephones have been installed at MIT. IS&T has worked closely with local IT staff to deploy and support VoIP services and devices. Drawing on feedback from end users and support providers and its own experience with the pilot version, IS&T has modified the VoIP system to make it more robust and secure. New features have also been added.
End-User Advantages
VoIP services are very similar to MIT’s current phone service; learning VoIP phone and voice mail functions should require minimal training. In addition, the VoIP system offers end users new optional features. Here’s a sample:
- Remote office functionality. You can set many user preferences from anywhere in the world via a web-based tool. Through the web interface, you can tell the VoIP system to treat any phone as if it were your MIT phone (referred to as “MIT presence”). When someone calls your MIT number, it will ring where you specify, and when you call someone, it looks to them as if they are receiving a call from your MIT office.
- Voice mail as email. VoIP can send your voice mail messages to you via email as audio file attachments.
- Call screening. VoIP offers you a high level of control over call flow options. You can set rules for handling calls, similar to directing email messages to different folders. This includes features such as configuring calls from certain numbers to ring on your desk and cell phones simultaneously; having calls ring at each of your phone devices in sequence; and setting time frames to silence ringing and automatically forward your calls to voice mail.
Phased Rollout Plan
IS&T will first migrate those Departments, Labs, and Centers (DLCs) that are already equipped to handle VoIP architecture. This includes DLCs that have some pilot participants already using the new system and buildings with existing network infrastructure that can ensure high-quality service. The detailed project plan for the phased rollout is currently under development. IS&T will keep the community informed as the project goes forward.
If you have any questions about the VoIP project, write to voip-pilots-support@mit.edu.
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