Executive Summary
Nassau BOCES, the largest Board of Cooperative Educational Services in New York State in the USA, covering 56 school districts, selected a variety of AudioCodes solutions to modernize its legacy communications infrastructure and migrate to Microsoft Teams voice calling.
Background
Founded in 1967, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Nassau County (Nassau BOCES) is the largest BOCES in New York State in the USA. Serving 56 school districts across Nassau County, Nassau BOCES is dedicated to enriching public education and expanding opportunities for students of all ages and abilities through innovative and cost-effective services.
For more information, visit the Nassau BOCES website.
Objectives
Nassau BOCES embarked on a transformative journey to modernize its communications infrastructure by transitioning the organization and its associated school districts to a unified Microsoft Teams environment in order to enhance collaboration and efficiency.
The primary objective was to migrate from a variety of legacy Cisco telephony systems to Microsoft Teams voice calling, enabling cost savings, streamlined operations and a standardized communications platform. By consolidating multiple disparate systems, Nassau BOCES sought to improve manageability, enhance user experience and ensure seamless connectivity across all participating districts.
However, the project was not without its challenges. Addressing legacy equipment compatibility, navigating contractual requirements and ensuring a smooth transition for users required careful strategic planning and robust yet flexible technical solutions.
Challenges
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Transition from a variety of legacy Cisco telephony systems to Microsoft Teams voice calling
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Improve manageability, ensure seamless Direct Routing connectivity and enhance the user experience
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Enable cost savings, streamlined operations and standardized communications
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Navigate contractual requirements and facilitate a smooth transition with strategic planning and flexible solutions
“Working with AudioCodes has been instrumental in modernizing our communications infrastructure and streamlining voice services across our school districts. Their solutions provided the security, reliability and ease of management we needed, while delivering significant cost savings and a seamless transition to Microsoft Teams voice calling.”
Seamless Transition to Microsoft Teams Voice Calling
After evaluating a number of potential vendors, Nassau BOCES selected AudioCodes as its trusted technology partner to ensure a seamless transition to Microsoft Teams voice calling. AudioCodes provided the expertise and solutions needed to modernize the organization’s communications infrastructure, with a strong focus on reliability, security and ease of management.
AudioCodes Microsoft-certified Mediant 800 session border controllers (SBC) are at the core of the solution, enabling seamless connectivity with the PSTN and legacy voice systems during the migration process, while also safeguarding voice communications with advanced security protocols. By implementing AudioCodes’ industry-leading SBC technology, Nassau BOCES ensures high availability and, through its Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA) solutions, site resiliency, delivering uninterrupted voice services across its network of school districts. This solution not only enhances voice quality, but also provides the flexibility needed to support a large-scale migration.
To replace legacy analog phones, Nassau BOCES deployed AudioCodes C455HD Teams-native executive business phones with expansion modules, offering a modern and intuitive user experience. To further enhance operational efficiency, the organization implemented the AudioCodes One Voice Operations Center (OVOC), a comprehensive management platform that unifies device monitoring and quality of experience oversight in a single application. Additionally, AudioCodes Device Manager was chosen to enable IT personnel to remotely configure, monitor and troubleshoot the new C455HD business phones, ensuring a smooth and efficient rollout.
Results
By partnering with AudioCodes, Nassau BOCES successfully modernized its communications infrastructure along with those of the school districts it serves, replacing outdated systems with a streamlined, future-ready solution. The transition to Microsoft Teams voice calling resulted in a unified and reliable communications platform, ensuring seamless connectivity across multiple school districts.
One of the most significant benefits of this modernization was cost savings, particularly from a licensing standpoint. Microsoft’s pricing structure proved to be more favorable compared to alternative vendors like Cisco, allowing Nassau BOCES to optimize its budget while still delivering a high-quality solution. Additionally, the deployment of AudioCodes’ management tools enabled Nassau BOCES to provide in-house IT support services for itself and its associated school districts, substantially reducing the cost of ongoing support and maintenance.
Beyond financial and operational efficiencies, the shift to Microsoft Teams voice calling has greatly improved the user experience for staff and administrators at Nassau BOCES and across its school districts. With a standardized and intuitive system in place, users can communicate more effectively, leading to increased productivity and a more collaborative working environment.
“Working with AudioCodes has been instrumental in modernizing our communications infrastructure and streamlining voice services across our school districts,” said Sandeep Dhillon, Assistant Director of District and Technology Services at Nassau BOCES. “Their solutions provided the security, reliability and ease of management we needed, while delivering significant cost savings and a seamless transition to Microsoft Teams voice calling.”
