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UNB becomes first Canadian university to offer phone services through Microsoft Teams

Author: UNB Newsroom

Posted on Sep 23, 2020

Category: UNB Fredericton , UNB Saint John

Faculty and staff at the University of New Brunswick now have full access to their office phone services when working remotely or on campus following the successful migration of UNB’s phone system to Microsoft Teams on Aug. 27.

UNB is the first Canadian university to move to a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone system run entirely through Teams, a Microsoft app known best for its video meeting, chat and file sharing features.

From anywhere in the world and from any computer or mobile device, UNB faculty and staff can use Teams to place and receive calls with their existing UNB phone number, attend virtual meetings, collaborate on documents and stay connected with each other.

“All faculty and staff can now communicate seamlessly in a unified environment, regardless of their location,” says Terry Nikkel, associate vice-president of Information Technology Services at UNB. “Barriers of distance have been eliminated, enabling closer collaboration and enhanced sense of community.”

This new Microsoft Teams phone system replaces UNB’s previous VoIP services, first implemented on the Fredericton campus in 2011 and on the Saint John campus in 2014. As part of this summer’s migration, UNB Moncton Nursing was also upgraded from traditional phone lines to the new Teams phone system, bringing all UNB locations into the same phone environment.

According to Nikkel, moving UNB’s phone system to Teams required little capital investment and eliminates long-distance charges for calls within New Brunswick, further reducing telephony costs for the university.

“By implementing phone services through Microsoft Teams, UNB is able to take advantage of ever-evolving technology to remain connected and offer our same high quality of service, all while decreasing spending,” says Karen Cunningham, UNB’s vice-president of administration and finance. “It’s a bold initiative which supports UNB’s mission of ensuring our community has access to the right tools, in the right place, at the right time.”

Media contact: Kelsey Pye