The University Computing Centre (HRZ) has been commissioned by the Executive Board to manage the project for a unified communication solution for TU Darmstadt. As part of the public tender for a unified communication solution, NTT was awarded the contract with a Cisco solution and Webex as the client. The project began in January 2025, is organisationally located within the HRZ, and is being carried out by the Division "Working Environments & Communication Applications" in cooperation with the "Infrastructure" Department.

Schriftzug AdminDay auf Platine
Picture: HRZ

AdminDay 30.04.2025

At AdminDay, as an IT admin, you will get an overview of the project plan and the technical background of telephony and the chat function.

Further information about registration can be found here.

Goals of the project

The goal of the project UC changeover (UC stands for Unified Communication) is to replace the outdated Alcatel telecommunications system at TU Darmstadt with a modern IP-based Unified Communication solution. A TU-ID is a mandatory requirement for the Webex client.

As part of the project, Webex is being rolled out as the new client, with the aim of:

  • Equipping as many workstations as possible with a softphone solution. Traditional desk phones are only intended for employee workstations in special cases.
  • The Webex client replaces Jabber:
    • For Jabber users, the graphical user interface (GUI) will change.
    • Cisco prioritises the Webex client for further development, while Jabber is only maintained.

Benefits of the Webex client:

  • Enables seamless chat communication via a cloud service.
  • Telephony remains within the TU’s own network.
  • The client is compatible with Linux.

Affected by the changeover are:

  • All employees of TU Darmstadt with a telephone connection or a Jabber client.
  • Student Affairs and external institutions that use the HRZ telephone service.
  • Users who only use the Jabber client must switch to the Webex client.

User groups

  • all services,
  • central administration,
  • university groups and student governing bodies of the TU Darmstadt,
  • as well as external institutions with a TU-ID and/or network connection can apply for the HRZ telephony service.

The project is planned to run for three years. It is structured into the following project phases:

Start phase (until the end of June 2025)

The following milestones are planned for the start phase and have already been realised in part:

January-March:

  • The institutions requiring authorisation (protection of data privacy and personnel board) are provided with the necessary information.
  • The UC-Cisco infrastructure will be set up.
  • A pilot operation for the Webex client will be established.

April-June:

  • The central technical infrastructure will be further adapted and expanded.
  • The features of the Webex client for chat and telephony will be defined.
  • The admin portal and the user portal will be reworked and modified.
  • The training platform for users will be set up and made available during the pilot phase of the project.

Pilot phase (July to September 2025)

The following milestones are planned for the pilot phase:

  • A pilot installation will be selected for a suitable institution in order to gain experience for the upcoming campus-wide changes. The institution in the pilot will be contacted in time.
  • The training platform and FAQs as well as instructions for users are continuously adapted to requirements.

Roll-out phase (October 2025 until probably the end of March 2027)

After the pilot phase, the roll-out will begin, institute by institute, or working group by working group. The focus will be on prioritising Alcatel locations. A weekly Q&A session or consultation hour with the project team is planned during the roll-out phase.

Changeover of unmanaged computers:

  • In order to introduce the new UC solution area-wide at TU Darmstadt, the project team and the Network Operations specialist group are working closely with the decentralised IT officers.
  • All decentralised IT officers are responsible for the onboarding of individual users in their respective areas.
  • The project team contacts heads and their IT officers when the changeover is due in their respective areas.
  • The users are contacted specifically by their IT officers and get an information pack.

Changeover of managed computers:

  • Customers whose workstations are in the HRZ workplace management system will be contacted by the project team and the Network Operations specialist group on a group basis and supported during the changeover.
  • Users will receive an information pack.
  • Please note:
    No manual installation is required on devices that are managed in HRZ Workplace Management. The Webex client will be installed via the software depot.

Final phase (from April 2027 to the end of December 2027)

  • At the end of the project, all Alcatel connections at TU Darmstadt and other customers will have been migrated to the new UC solution, and
  • existing Cisco Jabber users use the Webex client.
  • the Alcatel nodes will be physically removed, disposed of and the premises will be given over for another use.
The onboarding of the different customer groups (institutions) of TU Darmstadt is carried out according to the procedure defined in the project, based on Alcatel locations.

A distinction is made between:
  • Onboarding of unmanaged computers by IT representatives and
  • Onboarding of managed computers by HRZ workplace management.

The following table shows the topics and the timing at which the HRZ project team contacts managers, IT representatives, and users.
What
The HRZ project team… 		To whom When
  • writes you a personal message by e-mail.
  • holds a personal meeting with you if necessary.
  • identifies the IT officer together with you.
 Heads At least 8 weeks before your changeover
  • trains your IT officer on the Webex client and explains the technology used.
  • identifies your hardware requirements, which you must procure yourself.
 IT officer About 5-6 weeks before your changeover
  • contacts you to see whether the changeover timetable can be realised.
  • asks you whether the required hardware is available.
 Heads and IT officers About 2 weeks before your changeover
  • obtains your OK for the changeover on the following day.
 IT officer One day before your changeover
  • changes the technology on this day.
 Users Day of the changeover
  • obtains feedback.
 Heads About 2-3 weeks after your changeover

The framework and terms of use for the future telephony service are currently being finalised. As soon as the relevant decisions have been made, we will inform you in advance, prior to the roll-out phase beginning at the end of 2025.

It is planned to offer hardware devices for rent. Further information will be provided as the project progresses.

Instructions will be provided on a training platform and FAQs on this website in advance for your changeover.

 
Applications & Forms

Related Services

Jabber

Unified Communications client

Telephony

Communication in the office with fixed end devices and mobile communication via Jabber.