04/01/2021
By Steven Hall

The pandemic has accelerated many changes in how we use technology. For nearly everyone, the phone on our desk has been unused for a year. Most of us have been attending meetings and making phone calls from our computers using earbuds, headsets and other devices with relative ease.

As the university migrates to Microsoft Teams from Skype for Business, technology has evolved and many of our desk phones will not work with our new system. Fortunately those same earbuds, headsets and other devices will continue to work just fine with Teams. For these reasons, UMass Lowell Information Technology will be shifting to support headsets as our primary device for phone calls and video meetings. To prepare for the transition to Teams in the near future, we will be removing desk phones from most areas of the campus this spring, so bring your headset with you when you come back to campus! Please note: This does not apply to phones in labs, classrooms, conference rooms, department reception desks, etc. – phones in those locations will remain in place.

Desk phones will be supported only in special extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis. All requests for an exception will be reviewed with the appropriate department head/chair.

If you do not have a headset, you can request one by contacting TechServices at help@uml.edu or 978-934-4357. If you feel you need to have a desk phone, please fill out this form and we will review your request with your department head/chair.

If you have any questions, please email teams-migration@uml.edu.