What to Look for and Why When Buying a Telecommunications Switch

Authors

Date of this Version

1991

Document Type

Article

Comments

the Association of College and University Telecommunications Administrators lnc. - (ACUTA) 1-11 pgs

Abstract

There are three characteristics of institutions of higher education that have a strong

impact on telecommunications:

. Campus Environment

. Multiple Service Populations

. Limited Budgets

Each characteristic translates into requirements for an effective telecommunication

system.

To Serve the Campus Environment

A campus is usually the first image associated with the word "college" or "university." Typically, institutions of higher education are housed in several buildings which may be fairly close together, or spread over some distance, perhaps reaching across a city or even a state.

To serve the campus user, a system must provide feature transparency, regardless of location. Small groups of users at remote locations, such as agricultural buildings, or downtown arts centers, should have the same service level as users at the main campus. In addition, many colleges and universities have satellite or remote campuses, such as affiliated two-year institutions. Users at distant sites also should have transparent access to all the features available at the main location. lf a multi-switch solution is required to achieve this level of service, then centralized administration should be a requirement. A one-switch solution typically offers administrative advantages in this scenario.