Emory Adjusts Phone Offering; Yields Potential Departmental Savings
December 7, 2009
Last May, University Technology Services (UTS) introduced new and enhanced services designed to allow IT groups to save energy and cut costs on servers and storage. Now UTS is announcing two important changes that have the potential for departments and divisions at Emory to cut costs further.
The first change adjusts the billing practice for departmental desk phones. In the past, departments paid a monthly lease for each phone. Effective September 1, 2010 UTS will give all existing phones to the departments and will no longer charge the monthly phone lease. This transfer will allow departments to take direct control over how frequently phones are upgraded or replaced, based on the needs of each particular unit.
On average, if a department can extend the lifespan of its phones for more than four years, it will see savings. Currently leases run between $0.85 and $7.65 per month depending on the type of phone. The potential savings are significant, especially when multiplied monthly over Emory's 28,000 phones.
In a second phone service change, UTS is announcing a tiered phone service model to match the different needs and budgets at Emory. The costs range from $30.50 per month for the most fully featured UTS service, down to $7.95 per month for the most basic service provided by a third party.
The elimination of the phone leasing and transitioning the financial management to the business demonstrates solid partnership and leadership by UTS. Jimmy Hatcher, Chief Financial Officer, Emory Healthcare.
Based on the frequency of phone use and features needed for Emory faculty, staff or students, the new options will allow for customized phone plans that avoid "one size fits all". If a customer uses an iPhone or Blackberry primarily or exclusively, or works near a desk phone the savings could be considerable.
For a full comparison of the new phone alternatives please see: http://it.emory.edu/phone-update
Contact the UTS Service Desk at 7-7777 if you have any questions or would like to move to one of the new services.
- Brett Coryell
Deputy CIO, UTS
