The University of Bordeaux chooses SPIE to manage the upgrade of all its telephony systems

Paris, June 26th, 2018 – SPIE ICS, the digital services subsidiary of the SPIE group, has just been chosen by the University of Bordeaux to optimise and connect all its telephony systems. The aim is to migrate 8,500 licences and terminals to IP across all the university’s campuses⁽¹⁾ in just 24 months – a vital operation following the merger of three universities (Bordeaux 1, 2 and 4) and various higher education institutes⁽²⁾ in 2014.

The deal aims to meet a critical need at the University of Bordeaux: to upgrade and standardise the telephony systems inherited from the now defunct institutions. SPIE ICS is meeting the challenge with a current contract for the maintenance and operation of communication infrastructures secured following a tender process conducted via the UGAP (Public Sector Buying Group).

Won on the strength of the technical suitability of the solution offered in partnership with MITEL, the contract provides an optimal service level to users of the three university sites by means of tools adapted to their needs, all thanks to more fluid communication circuits. The telephony infrastructure is required to meet the communication needs of 6,600 staff working for 56,000 students and is spread across 260 University of Bordeaux buildings located on several sites of varying size for a total surface area of 54,000 m².

“The University of Bordeaux inherited different communication infrastructures and a lot of equipment had to be upgraded”, notes Loïc Gengembre, contract manager at SPIE ICS. “Since the start of our operation, we have been carrying out high-precision work in a complex environment.”

A secure network for simplified management

Drawing on its expertise in deploying infrastructures with thousands of terminals, SPIE ICS developed a protocol and network architectures specifically adapted to the scale and level of security required at each of the University’s sites. In the first instance, the operations involve replacing the oldest equipment to ensure communication reliability. Two MiVOICE 5000 communication servers were upgraded and integrated into a cluster with a capacity of 8,000 users in order to design a redundant and secure network architecture. The new MITEL environment thus created will make it possible, among other things, to administer all users of the telephony network centrally through a dedicated interface.

Towards new collaborative uses

By 2019, University of Bordeaux staff will have access to new telephone services such as softphone (computer-based telephony) designed for collaborative or mobile uses. The new facilities offer the latest features in terms of unified communications: unique number, instant messaging, telephone availability management (presence), video, virtual video conference rooms, centralised administration and invoicing services, etc. In this vein, SPIE ICS is also devoting a specific part of the contract to user support by offering tailored services (videos, tutorials, training), an assistance service and regular internal communications.

“SPIE ICS was able to offer an action plan that perfectly integrated the constraints arising from the range of existing systems and our specific university context”, comments Frédéric Pomies, Director of Information Systems at the University of Bordeaux. “The emphasis placed on supporting users to enable them to take ownership of the new communication tools that have been deployed is one of the key success factors of this transition.”

Begun in late August 2017, the operations are to be carried out over a period of 24 months. The deployment of the new infrastructures will take account of the imperatives and life of the various university sites to ensure the continuity of key services.

(1) Talence, Gradignan, Pessac, Bordeaux, Mont-de-Marsan, Bayonne, Dax, Périgueux, Agen.
(2) IUT (University Institute of Technology), ESPE (School of Education), Institute of Vine and Wine Science