The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) announced on June 17, 2026 that its Center for Information Technology Services (CITS) has initiated a yearlong project to migrate the university’s entire telecommunications system to Microsoft Teams Calling. The move signals the end of traditional on-premises PBX systems for the campus, replacing desk phones and aging infrastructure with a cloud-based voice solution deeply integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite already widely used across the institution.
CITS plans a phased rollout over the next twelve months, targeting complete cutover by mid-2027. The migration affects thousands of faculty, staff, and administrative lines, as well as emergency phones and contact center operations. Early priorities include piloting with IT staff, assessing network readiness, and configuring direct routing connections to Microsoft’s Phone System.
Why UMB Chose Teams Calling
For UMB, the decision was driven by both cost and capability. Like many universities, it faced end-of-life hardware, rising maintenance contracts, and the challenge of supporting remote and hybrid work arrangements that became permanent after the pandemic. Microsoft Teams Calling consolidates voice, video, chat, and collaboration into a single client, eliminating the need for separate VoIP apps.
“We’re not just replacing phones; we’re rethinking how our community communicates,” said a CITS representative in the announcement. The university will leverage Teams Calling’s integration with Outlook, SharePoint, and Power Platform to create automated workflows—for example, routing department calls based on calendar availability or triggering IT support tickets from voicemail.
Cost savings are expected from eliminating PRI lines, reducing carrier charges, and retiring legacy phone switches. UMB will use a mix of Microsoft Calling Plans for off-net calls and Direct Routing for on-net connectivity, ensuring call quality and redundancy.
A Phased Approach to De-Risk the Transition
Over the next year, the migration will unfold in distinct phases:
- Phase 1 (Months 1–3): Network assessment, pilot with CITS staff, and configuration of Session Border Controllers (SBCs) for direct routing.
- Phase 2 (Months 4–6): Departmental early adopters, training programs, and user acceptance testing.
- Phase 3 (Months 7–9): Bulk migration of administrative offices, with parallel running of old and new systems.
- Phase 4 (Months 10–12): Cutover of remaining lines, decommissioning legacy PBX, and full operational handoff.
CITS will maintain both the old and new telephony environments during the overlap to minimize disruption. A dedicated support team has been formed, and a self-service portal will allow users to configure call forwarding, voicemail, and delegation without IT intervention.
Campus Impact: More Than Just Dial Tone
Switching to Teams Calling reshapes the IT support model. Desktop support staff will manage voice as part of the standard collaboration toolset, not as a specialized telecom silo. The university’s network team is already upgrading campus Wi-Fi and wired edge switches to prioritize voice traffic using QoS policies and real-time media optimization in Teams.
Emergency calling presents a critical challenge. UMB must ensure that E911 location information is dynamically updated for softphones and mobile clients moving across campus buildings. Microsoft’s dynamic emergency calling capabilities will be configured to automatically detect a user’s location based on network mappings and manual override options.
For users who still prefer a physical handset, UMB will deploy a mix of certified Teams phones from Yealink and Poly, as well as encourage the use of Bluetooth headsets and the Teams mobile app. The goal is to provide flexibility without reverting to desk-phone dependency.
Broader Higher Education Trend
UMB is not alone. Universities across the country are retiring legacy voice systems in favor of cloud calling. Institutions like the University of Michigan, Arizona State, and the University of North Carolina system have already made similar moves. The trend accelerated after Microsoft’s operator connect program simplified carrier integrations, allowing universities to keep their existing PSTN contracts while moving control into Teams.
Analysts note that higher ed is uniquely suited for Teams Calling migrations because of consolidated Microsoft 365 licensing agreements that often bundle Phone System at little additional cost. For UMB, adding domestic calling plans to select user tiers will replace per-line telephony charges, with international calling billed through the same Azure consumption model used for other cloud services.
Technical Underpinnings: Direct Routing vs. Calling Plans
UMB’s hybrid approach combines:
| Feature | Direct Routing | Microsoft Calling Plans |
|---|---|---|
| PSTN connectivity | Via certified SBCs and chosen carriers | Microsoft acts as carrier |
| Control | Full routing policy control | Simplified, managed by Microsoft |
| Number porting | Managed through carrier | Ported to Microsoft |
| Cost model | Carrier agreements + Azure consumption | Per-user per-month subscription |
| Best for | Large campuses with existing carrier contracts | Small sites or standard local calling |
CITS will use direct routing for main campus numbers and a subset of calling plans for remote employees and satellite offices, providing a balance between cost optimization and management overhead.
Security, Compliance, and Governance
As a HIPAA-covered entity, UMB’s health sciences campus must ensure that voice communications comply with healthcare privacy regulations. Teams Calling supports call recording policies, retention labels, and legal hold, integrated with Microsoft Purview. CITS will configure policies to prevent accidental exposure of sensitive patient information over voice channels, including blocking recordings unless explicitly approved.
Additionally, the move aligns with the university’s zero-trust network architecture. Voice endpoints will be subject to the same conditional access and multi-factor authentication rules as other Microsoft 365 services, reducing the risk of toll fraud and unauthorized access.
User Adoption: The Human Side of the Migration
Technology departments often underestimate the cultural shift when replacing a technology that hasn’t changed in decades. UMB’s IT leadership is investing heavily in change management: lunch-and-learn sessions, drop-in clinics, and a “Telephony Ambassador” program where faculty power users mentor colleagues.
Feedback from early pilots has been positive, particularly around mobile integration. “Being able to take my office number anywhere on my cell phone without giving out my personal number is a game changer,” said one pilot participant. However, some staff expressed concern about reliance on headset audio quality and the loss of the tactile desk phone.
To address this, CITS will provide a standard headset to all full-time employees and offer optional desk phones for roles that require them, such as patient-facing administrative staff. A formal training curriculum in the university’s LMS will be mandatory before a user’s number migrates.
What Comes Next: Innovation Beyond Voice
Once basic calling is established, UMB plans to explore advanced Teams capabilities:
- Teams Phone with Copilot: AI-powered call summaries and suggested actions after a call.
- Contact Center integration: Connecting the student help desk and IT support to a native Teams Contact Center solution.
- Power Virtual Agents: Automated voice bots for common inquiries like office hours or enrollment status.
The migration positions UMB to take advantage of future Microsoft innovations without being locked into a rigid telecom platform. As hybrid campus life evolves, having a single hub for collaboration ensures that voice remains a seamless part of the digital experience.
Update, June 18, 2026: A CITS spokesperson confirmed that help documentation will be published on the university’s IT portal this week, and the first pilot users will go live on Teams Calling by July 7, 2026.