NTU Singapore Completes Next Stage of Smart Campus Vision with Microsoft Technology

By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor  |  February 18, 2022

We have smart grids, smart phones, and smart homes. What about smart campuses?

Research group Deloitte (News - Alert) defines a smart campus as a system or collection of applications, platforms, or infrastructures that are leveraged in a siloed manner around school campuses. Achieving a smart campus requires a strategic framework that fosters a connected ecosystem and creates a new, exciting experience for all.

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, a research-intensive public university, recently announced it has partnered with Microsoft (News - Alert) to build a cloud-enabled smart campus. With a digital-first strategy and the adoption of technologies such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams Phone (News - Alert), NTU Singapore is set to accelerate innovation and thrive amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, according to the university.

As of January of this year, NTU has converted over 2,600 fixed phone numbers to the Microsoft Teams Phone system. With the cloud-based phone system, NTU employees can make and receive calls on their business number from all their internet-enabled devices, while using the same tool they use to chat and host video meetings. In addition to cost savings for the University, employees productivity has increased, as they can also transfer their calls across multiple devices, including laptops, PCs, tablets and mobile phones.

The adoption of the technology is an element of the university’s 2025 vision for equipping the smart campus with cloud-first technology and agile infrastructure. As the university adapted to respond, recover and reimagine its future during the pandemic, it first partnered with Microsoft in 2019 to create and sustain an environment that fosters flexibility and innovation on and off-campus.

“Innovation has always been core to the University’s DNA,” said Tan Aik Na, Senior Vice President for Administration at NTU Singapore. “This digital transformation in partnership with Microsoft marks a significant milestone in our commitment to embrace a culture of innovation, promote maximum efficiency, foster sustainability and improving the lives of our students and employees through empowered learning and living experiences.”




Edited by Luke Bellos
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