Campus phone migration nears the halfway mark

October 01, 2025

Author: Anne Krapfl

The campus phone service migration from Cisco Webex to Microsoft Teams Voice is about 45% complete, with a target of transitioning all employees by the end of April 2026. For most, the change includes a switch from using a physical desk phone to the Teams Voice software on their computer or mobile device, a mode known as softphone. Employees keep their phone numbers.

Project manager Kori Spengler, collaboration services team, Information Technology Services (ITS), estimated that, so far, about 10% of employees have opted into using a desk phone, which requires a hardware change to a Teams Voice-compatible phone. The softphone option is the default.

Independent of the campus migration schedule, she said, beginning this month, all requests for new numbers, including for new employees, will be set up in Teams Voice with a softphone, unless another option is requested.

Microsoft Teams replaces Webex

The change in phone service is part of the university's ongoing adoption of communication and collaboration options in Microsoft Teams. An ITS review of campus usage shows Teams is the platform most people use now for collaboration and their virtual meetings. Iowa State's contract for Webex video conferencing, webinars and voice will end in June. Spengler said units that use Webex for meetings are being asked to stop their Webex use and transition to Teams meetings by May, prior to the start of summer session.

What to expect at migration time

When it's their turn, phone users receive an email message from ITS that includes information about the project, timeline and an invitation to a 30-minute online session, which Spengler's team hosts live. Following a short summary, Q&A typically makes up two-thirds of the session, she said. Interested employees also may choose to watch a 30-minute practical course in Workday Learning, Introduction to Microsoft Teams Phone.

"The migration has been going well," Spengler said. "It's a different concept, but as we move to Microsoft Teams Voice, every phone number has to have a unique Net ID (employee-specific), a role (shared purpose/function) account or a resource (location/room) account."

Prior to a unit's migration, Spengler's team inquires to confirm these lists. Prompt attention is appreciated, she said.

How does Teams Voice work?

Teams Voice users "dial" a phone number on a keypad to make a call. The software has services like voice messaging and call back. Other benefits:

Make calls to phone numbers on or off campus
The five-digit abbreviation (4-1111) still works for campus extensions.
No need to dial "8" prior to dialing an off-campus number
No need to dial "1" for long distance calls; the system normalizes these calls
Place and receive phone calls from anywhere you're using Microsoft Teams, such as a campus desktop, laptop at home, or in the Teams app on your smartphone
In the case of a 911 call, ITS has integrated campus physical locations to the Teams Voice software
Voices messages can be viewed in text mode
Voice messages also go to the user's email address
It's a simple process to find a phone number in your call history and block phone numbers as spam.
For Teams Voice users in softphone-only mode, the cost to your department/unit is lower ($10/month vs $17/month to include a physical phone)

Before leaving Webex

Leading up to their unit's migration window, Spengler said employees could consider a few tasks.

First, clear out voicemails in their Cisco Webex software (whether physical phone or softphone). There is no capacity to carry over voicemails to Teams Voice, so any messages that need to be saved should be moved to another location. A knowledge base article (KBA) can help with this: How to save your Cisco voicemails.

Second, for those who will use a softphone for the first time and who use the phone frequently for their work, investigate and purchase a good headset with a quality microphone. Spengler said daily time spent on phone calls, department budget and personal preferences -- one ear or two, in-ear vs. over the ear -- and other variables influence this choice. Even employees in a private office may want to investigate a headset, she said, noting call quality is better with a headset than a computer speaker. A KBA includes information about Microsoft-certified headsets: What headset is recommended for video conferencing and calling?

Some brands of ear buds could serve the same purpose as a headset. Employees are encouraged to assess variables such as comfort, battery life and microphone quality (for good audio quality) if they plan to use ear buds with their softphone.