What’s included in the Centrally-Funded Converged Bundle?
- Stanford phone number
- Local and long distance dialing
- Voice messaging
- Standard desk phone models
- Softphone capability
- In-building wired network connectivity
- 24x7 phone and network support
- Installation and routine maintenance
- Fax lines
- Video conferencing applications (currently Zoom and WebEx)
- Unified messaging tools (currently Slack and Jabber)
Why are we making this change?
Converged Communications is recognized as fundamentally necessary to support the university’s mission and these services are used broadly across Stanford. By centrally funding these services, we will eliminate unit by unit record-keeping and billing, thereby reducing both your and University IT’s administrative burden.
How will this transition impact my monthly billing?
Starting in FY19 UIT will stop billing University clients directly for the Converged Fee and standard phone hardware. You will continue to receive these services just as you do today. The university plans to transition to central funding of Converged Communications Services and phone sets through base General Funds reductions equal to the expected FY19 spending for each unit (current spending plus 2.5% inflation). UIT and the University Budget Office are partnering to ensure the reduced funding allocation is no more than what units would have otherwise paid UIT.
How will the ordering and provisioning process change for phone numbers, physical phones, and ports?
The ordering and provisioning process for new phone numbers, devices, and ports will the stay the same until the transition to the Stanford Services (ServiceNow) ordering portal, currently planned for FY19.
Will I have to pay when I order new phone numbers, standard desk phones, or network ports?
There will be no fee associated with new orders for phone lines, ports, or standard desk phones (currently Cisco 8851 and Aastra 9116). The expectation is that user behavior remains unchanged under the new funding model and that growth aligns with historical patterns. If this is not the case, UIT may charge for excessive or unreasonable usage.
Are all new orders for any type of desk phone free starting in September 2018?
As stated above, new orders for phone models Cisco 8851 and Aastra 9116 will not incur charges provided they fulfill a business need. Camera enabled phones such as Cisco 8865 and Cisco DX series or conference phones such as Cisco 8831 will be billed with one-time charges for the device starting FY19. Other specialty phones will also incur a one-time charge.
During a move should I order a new desk phone for my new location?
The expectation is that you will be responsible for taking your existing desk phone with you unless there is a specific business need to keep the older device at the original location.
Are rush and after hours orders included in Converged Services?
Rush and after hours order requests have never been included in the Converged Communications Service and will continue to be charged an additional fee. Regular moves, adds and changes will continue to be included in the service.
Are specialty voice service requests included in Converged Services?
Specialty voice requests such as ring down, short term event or media telephone numbers, specialized voicemail boxes, toll-free numbers, and off campus services will continue to incur additional charges.
Are building wiring and construction charges included in Converged Services?
Building wiring and construction costs are not part of Converged Communications and will continue to be billed separately.
How will Converged-related infrastructure costs for new buildings be funded?
These costs will be included in project budgets going forward.
What units are moving to the Centrally-Funded Converged model?
Units currently planned to move to the centrally-funded model on September 1, 2018 include:
- Business Affairs
- Financial Aid
- Graduate School of Education
- Office of Development
- Office of the General Counsel
- President and Provost Offices
- SU Libraries
- School of Earth, Energy, and Environment
- School of Engineering
- School of Humanities and Sciences
- School of Law
- Stanford Alumni Association
- University Communications
- University Human Resources
- Undergrad Admissions
- Vice President of the Arts
- Vice President for Public Affairs
- Vice Provost and Dean of Research
- Vice Provost for Graduate Education
- Vice Provost for Student Affairs
- Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
- Vice Provost for Undergrad Education
More questions?
If you have other questions about the details of the transition or the impact on your budget, please submit a Help request.
