Cisco to Microsoft Teams Voice Telephony Transition

Project Status

October 2026: Northwestern IT is modernizing the University's telephone services by transitioning from Cisco to Microsoft Teams Voice. This change will better reflect how individuals and teams use phones across campus and provide a more integrated communications experience by bringing calls, voicemail, meetings, and messaging together in Microsoft Teams. Northwestern IT is partnering with technology teams across the University to plan a collaborative rollout of these changes between January 2027 and June 2028.

Background

As part of this transition, Northwestern IT is replacing the University-wide Cisco telephony platform and devices with Microsoft Teams Voice. Microsoft Teams Voice provides equivalent calling services and introduces a modern communications platform designed to support how people work today. The new service will offer calling options on computers, mobile devices, and Teams-certified phones. While core calling capabilities will remain available, some features and workflows will function differently than they do today.

Benefits to the Northwestern Community

Microsoft Teams Voice will modernize Northwestern's telephone service by integrating University calling into Microsoft Teams. This transition will maintain essential calling capabilities while delivering a more unified communications experience for calls, voicemail, meetings, and messaging. It will also simplify the telephony environment by reducing dependence on aging Cisco infrastructure and underutilized desk phones.

• Connected experience: Manage calls, voicemail, meetings, and messaging in Microsoft Teams.
• Flexible calling: Use a University number from a computer, mobile device, or approved Teams phone.
• Modern service: Retire aging infrastructure and reduce the number of underused physical devices.

Goals and Objectives

The Teams Voice transition is designed to preserve essential telephone services while enabling schools, departments, and administrative units to adopt a modern, flexible communications platform that supports how people work today.

• Preserve assigned University phone numbers and core calling capabilities.
• Enable eligible users to make and receive calls through Teams desktop and mobile applications.
• Migrate shared lines, call groups, and other existing services accurately.
• Prepare affected users with guidance and support before and after migration.
• Deliver a consistent calling experience across computers, mobile devices, and approved Teams-certified phones.
• Provide Teams-certified phones where approved business requirements exist.
• Minimize disruption to University operations throughout the transition.
• Reduce complexity and ongoing costs by retiring aging telephony infrastructure and removing unused or underutilized desk phones.

Approach

The project will be implemented over 18 months in coordinated phases by school, unit, or department.

Project Timeline