Background Information
Wiley College is a four-year, privately-supported, historically black college located in Marshall, Texas. It holds distinction as being the oldest of all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) west of the Mississippi River. It also holds distinction as being the first college to take advantage of Voice over Private Internet (VoPI) technology. While bearing high risk, the partnership with iCore demonstrated full delivery on all levels.
Ten years ago, Wiley College was running on an infant digital phone system of which only 8% of the faculty (VPs and Chairs only) had computer access via dial-up modems. They had eight Jenzabar users including the database manager along with two IT technicians for the database and network. Furthermore, Wiley College lacked a technology classroom and had minimal training.
The initiative was taken to upgrade their system that would strategically transform their operations to ensure a positive impact in their operations, staff and their bottom line.
The Solution
Through the initiative, iCore provided a hosted VoPI solution compatible with Wiley College’s original infrastructure, planned for future growth and deployed 300 Cisco IP phones in under sixty days. iCore increased their bandwidth while providing redundancy and reducing costs. They deployed a Network Monitoring System (NMS), allowing Wiley College staff to better provide analysis reporting to the Cabinet and President of the college.
iCore also provided advanced call distribution, allowing the University to better support its enrollment and donation process portal. Furthermore, it gave Wiley College the flexibility to make changes on-demand.
Benefits
A 3-way partnership that has influenced a “campus culture change”
The transfer to VoPI saved Wiley College a significant amount of money and time spent on managing their phone system. This new network allowed Wiley College to be supported by one Telecommunications Company, iCore Networks, with a single network/telephone hardware provider. iCore improved the bandwidth and added failover to their system. They also upgraded their infrastructure throughout the entire campus and tied in a satellite campus in Shreveport, LA. This made them finally feel a part of the main campus! For Wiley College, the ability to move to video and distance learning solutions in the near future is a very exciting initiative they are looking forward to.
Smooth Technology Installation
Response time and iCore customer support, both during and after the install became a great experience rather than a frustration as it was previously. Wiley’s IT team was formally recognized in front of the Wiley College Cabinet for a job well done! Their President has already recommended the solution to other colleges and is looking to expand the technology to the student body.
Disaster Recovery
During the install process, lightning struck the building and destroyed the NEC PBX infrastructure (their legacy system). This resulted in an inability to make inbound or outbound calling. This also forced additional strain on the IT staff, because their team needed to move a PBX from the dorms to maintain function of a few critical lines. iCore responded by working with Wiley College’s partners to have the data circuits dropped and extended 3 days early so the system could go live and alleviate the university from having this issue ever again.