156 Part I • Information Technology
Post-Implementation Reality
Altogether, the new system took approximately one year
from the initial planning process to the final implementa-
tion (see Exhibit 5) and included a $1.5 million investment
by Butler. The new system gave Butler a robust “soft-
PBX” capability based on a series of integrated servers
linked to PeopleSoft, LDAP, and the network. This also
resulted in six full-featured call centers allowing students
and outside callers to get better help regarding such items
as student accounts, admissions, financial aid, and box
office tickets. When departments moved to different
offices, they could simply take their IP phone with them
and the number was automatically redirected, without IR
intervention. Additionally, faculty and staff were able to
utilize a directory of campus phone numbers (available on
the telephone’s display area) that was updated daily by the
PeopleSoft system.
However, the new IP system was not cheaper and, in
fact, was actually somewhat more expensive as IR had to
add a full-time staff member to manage the new system.
The new system involved many more components than
existed with the outsourced Centrex system. In addition,
the IR group at Butler now has the responsibility of
maintaining networks not just for data, but also voice.
Soon after the euphoria of a successful initial imple-
mentation ended, CIO Kincaid was wondering, “Did we
make the right choices?” In their quest to improve commu-
nications, should Butler have taken on the responsibility of
managing an integrated voice and data network, given the
current security threats to computer networks?