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Converged Communications at the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

Peter Tseronis, PMP Director, Converged Communications Peter.Tseronis@ed.gov, phone 202-245-6699. Converged Communications at the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Agenda. Who We Are… How We Started Out… How We Fixed It… What We Did… How We Made the Case… Where We Are…

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Converged Communications at the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

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  1. Peter Tseronis, PMP Director, Converged Communications Peter.Tseronis@ed.gov, phone 202-245-6699 Converged Communications at the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

  2. Agenda • Who We Are… • How We Started Out… • How We Fixed It… • What We Did… • How We Made the Case… • Where We Are… • How ED Employees Benefit • Lessons Learned • A Roadmap for Success • What We’ve Been Doing… • Where We’re Going…

  3. Who We Are… • ED is the smallest Cabinet-level Agency (approx. 6,500 employees; 5-10% with disability making Section 508 accessibility a key factor) • Employees use the Education Network (EDNet) consisting of centralized operations & maintenance for IT, Network & Telecommunications at: • DC-area Headquarters: FB6, PCP*, UCP*, ROB3*, L’Enfant, Old Post Office, Capital Place, Landover Warehouse* • 10 Regional Offices (> 100 employees/site): Boston*, NYC*, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas*, Kansas City*, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle • 5 Field Offices (< 100 employees/site): Cleveland, OH; Pembroke Pines, FL; Sacramento, CA; Long Beach, CA; Hato Rey, PR * = Current sites using IP phones/unified messaging

  4. How We Started Out… • All ED locations were served by Centrex-based analog and ISDN services. • A sub-agency (Principal Office) within ED procured a VoIP solution from Cisco Systems • Some mistakes were made along the way: • Attempted stand-alone deployment of Cisco CallManager (IP PBX), Unity Messaging, and IPTV • Did not follow the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) • Lacked qualified in-house and contractor technical support staff • Did not engage the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) • Insufficient disaster recovery capabilities

  5. How We Fixed It… OCIO initiated a design for IP communications across the enterprise: • Obtained senior management buy-in • Developed Cost-Benefit Analysis & ROI Calculations • Hired experienced, certified AVVID professionals • Engaged Cisco as an implementation partner • Built an engineering lab to design and test applications • Re-provisioned and optimized ED Network (EDNet) WAN • Communicated to employees (training, documentation and follow-up)

  6. How We Made the Case… • Presented a converged voice, video and data solution that increases organizational flexibility and reduces administrative burden • Leverages existing IT investments • Reduces total cost of ownership • IMAC – Installs, Moves, Adds, & Changes • Toll bypass and long distance charges • Creates a modular offering for future deployments • Provides prioritization (QoS), high availability, and performance • Enhances business communications and productivity • Addresses the “voice of the customer” • Ensures reliability, survivability, and redundancy for all locations

  7. How ED Employees Benefit • Feature rich capabilities • Enhanced conferencing • Unified messaging for voice and E-mail • Customizable environment via IP Phone or Web interface • Accessibility / Section 508 compliant; increases accessibility and productivity for disabled employees Images courtesy of Cisco Systems, Inc.

  8. Lessons Learned • Communication with vendors in telecom and networking groups • Sustained support from senior management • Solid strategic and financial justification with projected ROI • In-house managed services with a solid support team • Communicate frequently with the end-user community • Discovered additional back-office benefits (e.g., reduced complexity to review and audit telecommunications billing)

  9. A Roadmap for Success • Build business case • Sell vision to the highest levels • Build a single communications team • Set end-user expectations accurately • Facilitate transition and acceptance through training • Implement security best practices • Ensure a high degree of availability • Realize cost savings

  10. What We’ve Been Doing… Image courtesy of IP blue Software Solutions

  11. Where We’re Going… • IP Telephony (voice) – expand deployment to main HQ building and regional offices based on moves and network upgrades • Desktop IP Video Telephony – expand pilot program and make available for full enterprise deployment • IP-Based Teleworking – IP phones with support full multi-service data/voice/video/fax integration • Continuity of Operations (COOP) – deploy visible and audible emergency alert system to the IP phone and desktop PC • Emergency Responder – enhanced E-911 services • IP SoftPhones – expand communications on desktop PC • Online Collaboration – interactive multimedia with combined voice, video and data conferencing solution • IPv6 Transition – migrate IP network backbone (June 2008) Image courtesy of Tandberg

  12. Department of Education Mission To ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation

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