THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PHONE SYSTEM AND THE LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) INFRASTRUCTURE TO CITY OF DURHAM
When it comes to IT infrastructure requirements, the Phone System and the LAN Cable Plant are two major components of IT infrastructure when it comes to facilities. The phone system and the LAN cable plant enhancements were respectively in FY21and FY22 of the ten year capital improvement plan.
VOIP PHONE SYSTEM REFRESH
MAJOR OBJECTIVES:
•To modernize the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) hardware to ensure we retain or improve the reliability and performance of the phone system
•To update the phone system software to stay in compliance with the Cisco support lifecycle
LAN CABLE PLANT INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE
MAJOR OBJECTIVES:
•To make all the facilities are completely wireless (5G speeds or higher) adhering to the latest IEEE 802.11ax wireless standard
•To allow facilities to fully utilize the fiber optic metropolitan network that is being implemented Citywide to connect all City business units
•To ensure that all LAN infrastructure meet the EIA 568-B standards
BACKGROUND ON THE EXISTING LAN INFRASTRUCTURE
•The existing LAN infrastructure was built over 25 year ago. Therefore, the cable in the facilities have a wide range of capabilities for transmitting data from 10 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second
•The wireless capability is very limited within all facilities with the exception of the new City facilities (i.e. Police headquarters)
Current VOIP Phone System Risks
•VOIP phone system will fail without support because of noncompliance
•Disables 911 and Informacast
•Disables contact center operations (Durham One Call)
•Disables communications internally and externally
•Support for phone system will end 1st quarter FY21
Current LAN Cable Infrastructure Risks & Pain Points
•Non-compliance with the requirements for cloud and endpoint broadband standards
•Non-compliance with EIA 568-B and IEEE 802.11ax LAN and wireless (performance and reliability) standards
•Lack of performance alignment to requirements of modern endpoints (smartphones and laptops)
•The inability to utilize the metropolitan fiber optic network capability effectively
•Extremely difficult troubleshooting due to the lack of network cable identification
Future VOIP Phone System State
The VOIP Phone System will be in compliance with the hardware and the software that is supported by the manufacturer.
Future LAN Cable Plant Infrastructure State
•The upgraded LAN infrastructure is in compliance to the EIA 568-B and IEEE 802.11ac standards ensuring performance and reliability values are delivered
•The LAN Cable Plant Infrastructure is in compliance to the broadband requirements of the cloud and the endpoints that utilize the information highway
•Effective LAN cable management with the new cable identification standard
Solution Options & Analysis
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT OPTIONS
FY22 LAN Cable Plant Infrastructure
FY21 VOIP Phone System Upgrade Solution: Purchase hardware, software and maintenance for a 5 year life cycle
Funding Type: Capital
Expenditure (Capex)
Improvements Solution: LAN infrastructure in every City facility connected to the City’s MAN will be certified to be in compliance to the EIA 802-b and IEEE 802.11ax
LAN and wireless standards
Funding Type: Capital
Expenditure (Capex)
Option #1: Upgrade VOIP Phone System Only
• To modernize the hardware to ensure we retain or improve the reliability and performance of the phone system
• To update the phone system software to stay in compliance with the Cisco support lifecycle Description
Pros
• Ensures the phone system is in compliance with the hardware and software requirements to obtain effective support
Cons
• None
Option #2: Upgrade VOIP Phone System and LAN
Cable Plant Infrastructure
Description
• Upgrade VOIP Phone System and LAN Cable Plant Infrastructure with funds allotted for FY21 capital improvement projects for Technology Solutions.
Pros
• Ensures the VOIP phone system is in compliance to obtain effective support
• Ensures the LAN cable plant is in compliance with cloud and endpoint, EIA 568-B and IEEE 802.11ax standards
Cons
• None
Upgrade: Financials Estimate
FY22 LAN Cable Plant
Infrastructure: Financials Estimate
RISK IDENTIFICATION
Mitigation Risk (Costs)
• No Cost
Contingency Risk (Costs)
• No Cost
Our Ask
We are asking to approve the City’s Phone System Refresh and, if funds are available, we are asking for funds to renovate City facilities with LAN infrastructure enhancements for compliance for submission to the City Manager for approval and funding through the BMS department