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Investing in a Better Sussex 

Telephony Modernisation – streamlining our systems 

We are investing £200million in making the University of Sussex better –delivering on our strategic vision of being ‘a better University for a better world’. If our experiences of work and life over the past couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that we need technology more than ever; technology which enables us to be productive in our work and our interactions. Having the right systems in place can mean that wherever people work from, they work well. 

Many of us are increasingly familiar with MS Teams as a way of continuing to work closely with colleagues despite working from different locations. The Telephony Modernisation project will help to unify the way we communicate and collaborate by providing a digital solution for telephony within MS Teams.   

Our existing system of fixed desk telephones is outdated, increasingly unsupported and not appropriate for new flexible ways of working, and the aim is to decommission this by the end of 2023. 

In the future, we will be able to make and receive work related phone calls, using existing allocated phone numbers, through MS Teams.  

This user-friendly tool will: 

• make us better connected and enable collaborative working 
• facilitate a flexible workplace, giving you a seamless experience, whether you are on or off campus 
• make the University less vulnerable to operational issues by using robust and secure cloud-based technology 
• provide a more inclusive workplace with tools that can be adapted to suit the needs of every individual –students and staff alike. 

Senior staff from all Schools and Divisions have contributed to the development of the project, and a network of ‘change champions’ from across the university is working with the project team to ensure engagement and communication takes place at a local level.   

At a recent session with the champions, Gemma Harman, from the School of Maths and Physical Sciences, said: “it was exciting to hear about the developments in telephony. I'm looking forward to working with colleagues to ensure these developments suit the specific needs of my school and colleagues across the university.”  

Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing more information through your local change champions and we’ll be asking for your views on how best to make the most of this new way of working.