# Presentation: 198584

## Replacement Telephone System  for the SSMC CampusProject Plan Discussion

- Cliff Schoenberger
- NOAA OCIO
- January 23, 2007

## Outline

- Purpose:  Informational Briefing
- Issues:  Helpdesk; Reliability; Technology
- Background & Discussion
- Alternatives
- Coordination and Views
- Status
- Next Steps

## Issue

- A resolution is needed for the approach that will be taken to upgrade the existing IT and network help desks that serve the campus.
- Various sizes and complexity
- Different customer bases, backup capability requirements, and specialized technical support
- Increased system capabilities may increase costs for offices with simpler requirements.

## Background and Discussion

- The Deloitte Consulting study (April 2006) recommended that NOAA consolidate its help desk functions.
- Cited the need to upgrade the campus telephone system.
- STRIPES contract partially addresses help desk consolidation
- Hence, coordination is needed between acquisition and implementation of a modern telephone system and any consolidation of the current NOAA help desks

## Alternatives

- Coordinated installation of telephone system and Help Desk consolidation
- Increases complexity of system design
- Requires parallel planning of both projects
- More complicated to execute
- Installation of telephone system with separate implementations of Call Center modules
- May incur non-recoverable costs for temporary operations
- Simplifies design, planning and implementation

## Next Issue

- Reliability of voice telecommunications must be as good or better than current systems
- Redundancy of system components improves system reliability but increases overall cost
- Diverse access to the central office eliminates a single-point-of-failure but also increases costs
- Tightening budgets necessitate economical implementation and out-year maintenance

## Background and Discussion

- Current stand-alone Merlin Legend systems have a limited impact (~100 users) in case of failure.
- Technician support is currently limited to normal working hours.  Night and weekend outages are handled during the next business day.
- A failure of a campus-wide telephone solution could affect approximately 4000 users for an unspecified duration of time.
- NOAA is susceptible to voice service disruptions caused by cable cuts, and has experienced partial outages in the past.

##  Alternatives

- Implement non-redundant solution
- Increased risk of campus-wide service outage
- Lowers initial acquisition & maintenance costs
- Implement fully-redundant solution
- Higher initial and out year maintenance costs
- Hardens system against catastrophic failure
- Upgrade SSMC campus to full diverse access
- Increased protection of service
- Raises service initiation and recurring costs

## Last Issue

- Should the acquisition and implementation of a modern telephone system include Computer-telephone integration (with or without VoIP)?
- Computer-telephone integrated environments can be purchased as part of a separate help desk upgrade or as part of telephone upgrade
- Help desk integrators may offer CTI software as part of a service.
- Telephone system vendors may offer CTI capabilities as part of a PBX acquisition.

##  Background and Discussion

- Security Issues
- Vulnerability of IP based devices to hacking
- Lack of well supported security standards in IP systems
- Need for business process coordination with LDAP directories for authentication
- Increased support (patching) costs – several FTE
- Reliability Issues
- IP networks are currently less reliable than telephone

##  Alternatives

- Obtain CTI as part of the telephone upgrade
- Supports enhanced messaging functions
- May be less expensive to acquire than separately purchased CTI
- May impose technical limitations in future help desk integration
- Introduces Security and Reliability issues
- Support minimal CTI with telephone upgrade
- Allow help desk integrator to supply advanced functions like call dispatch

## Coordination and Views

- Campus Telephone Replacement Team includes representatives from each Line office.
- Issues and concerns are being briefed to CIO Council for discussion and direction.
- Planning and implementation of telephone system will be coordinated with designated parties in each Line/Staff office.

## Status

- SSMC Campus Telephone Replacement Team established and meeting on bi-weekly schedule.
- Market research of general system designs and costs has been conducted on a limited basis to establish a rough idea of capabilities and financial comparisons.
- Formal project planning documentation delivered to PPO for review
- Funding availability delays execution along any of the three decision paths ( Helpdesk, Reliability, CTI )

## Next Steps

- CIO Council decision briefing supported by
- Cost estimates
- Requirements
- Performance options
- Security considerations
- Risk analysis

## Timeline	

- CIO Council Decision Brief:  February 2007
- Requirements ratification
- Approach guidelines
- Project synchronized w / helpdesk?  Y/ N
- Redundancy?  Y / N
- Technology level?   VOiP / Conventional
- RFQ Release:  May 2007
- CIO Council Decision Brief (*Selection*):  June 2007
- Funding Checkpoint:  June 2007
- Contract Award:  June 2007
- System Component Installation:  October 2007
- Workstation Installation:  April 2008