Converged Communications Services at Northwestern

Northwestern University Information Technology is in the midst of a multi-year, phased program for the implementation of converged communications on the Chicago and Evanston campuses.

Converged communications brings together key communications services delivered over a single network. Converged communications is made possible through Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), an industry standard protocol which enables the delivery of services over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the NU Network. At Northwestern University, these services include:

• Voice services, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), including local and long-distance calling, and caller ID;
• Data and video services, such as videoconferencing; and
• Messaging services, such as voice mail, e-mail, and secure Instant Messaging (IM);
• Presence, where the user has the ability to indicate his or her availability status for calls, instant messages, and other types of communications; and
• Call management, where the user can route or decline calls automatically.

The Converged Communications Initiative began in FY2006 and is scheduled for completion in 2011.

SIP-enabled Advances in Telecommunications

At Northwestern, the telephone switching hardware operated by NUIT has reached the end of its useful life and the vendor has discontinued support of key components. At the same time, SIP-enabled technology and related industry standards have become widely available. These advances in technology will allow Northwestern faculty, staff, and students to access the NU-hosted telecommunications services from an Internet connection.