University of Zurich: A new approach to communications administration
04.05.2026 – reference case University of Zurich
From telephone administration to a central communications platform
How do you manage 15,000 users, 13,000 lines, 150 departments and over 250 buildings – efficiently, securely and with a view to the future? How do you integrate traditional telephony with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365? And how do you automate processes so that decentralised units can operate independently, whilst ensuring governance and transparency?
The University of Zurich (UZH) was faced with precisely these questions. The TAS telephony administration system has been in use since 2018. Due to hybrid working and the resulting increased use of modern collaboration platforms, the solution needed to be comprehensively modernised and functionally expanded. The aim was not only a technical update, but also a structural simplification of the entire communications administration.
The use case: making quantity and complexity manageable
UZH is organised on a decentralised basis. Telephony, mobile devices, VoIP and Teams need to be manageable via a central platform without IT getting bogged down in manual processes and media breaks. At the same time, clear roles, clean data flows and a billing system that reflects the reality of a large organisation are required.
With the modernised TAS, UZH manages its communication services centrally yet in a multi-tenant manner. The institutes manage their own connections independently and see only their own data. Central IT maintains transparency and control over processes, data and governance at all times. This creates operational autonomy whilst ensuring clear central control.
New staff members are provisioned automatically. Orders are processed in a standardised manner via integrated workflows. Billing is carried out flexibly according to cost centres. This reduces manual steps, lowers error rates and avoids media breaks, whilst simultaneously increasing flexibility. For the organisation, this means: less effort, greater clarity and measurably more efficient processes.
Hybrid collaboration: integrated rather than tacked on
The integration of Microsoft Teams telephony was a key driver for modernisation. Employees can now use their UZH landline number via Teams regardless of location or device – on a desktop, mobile device or in a browser. Telephony and collaboration are thus seamlessly integrated into Microsoft 365. Traditional telephony remains in place, is intelligently supplemented and centrally managed.
TAS has thus become the hub of modern communication and is an integral part of the existing IT landscape. The existing infrastructure was enhanced rather than replaced. This was done in a controlled and phased manner without a big-bang migration.
Automation instead of administrative effort
A key objective of the further development was the consistent reduction of operational complexity. Automated interfaces to UZH’s system landscape, direct data import from Active Directory and standardised ordering processes sustainably reduce operational overhead and ease the burden on support and operations. IT gains time for strategic tasks rather than administrative routines.
Today, TAS manages around 15,000 users with 13,000 connections across more than 250 buildings and is thus designed to cope with the realities of a large, decentralised organisation.
“For us, it was crucial that we not only modernise a system, but also fundamentally simplify our communication processes. Ergon not only provided technical support but also contributed strategically to the process.”
Architecture for large organisations
The platform is based on a modern microservices architecture, is modularly expandable, stable in operation and designed for complex organisational structures. Institutes manage their own connections. Central IT nevertheless retains governance and transparency. It is precisely this interplay that makes the solution scalable for large organisations. Technological flexibility and organisational control mesh seamlessly.
“Our collaboration with Ergon was characterised by pragmatism, clarity and mutual trust. Together, we have created a solution that noticeably simplifies our day-to-day work.”
Relevance for other universities and hospitals
Many colleges, universities and university hospitals face similar challenges: decentralised units, thousands of users, hybrid working models and integration with existing identity and HR systems. TAS demonstrates how established telephony infrastructures can be gradually transformed into a future-oriented communications solution – without a ‘big bang’ migration and without losing control. The solution is therefore not only a successful project, but also a transferable model for complex large organisations.
The solution at a glance
- Management for 15,000 users
- Integration of Microsoft Teams into existing telephony
- Automated provisioning via identity system
- Multi-tenant management for institutions
- Scalable microservices architecture