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Technology staff recommend cloud-based phone system and vendor contract; board to consider in April
Summary
District technology staff reported that the current phone system is obsolete and recommended a cloud-based replacement from Rival 5 (also referenced as Bridal 5 in the presentation); the board was told a contract will be recommended at the April meeting with installation planned this summer.
District technology staff briefed the Evergreen Park ESD 124 board on March 19 that the district's phone system is outdated, lacks recent security updates and needs replacement; staff recommended a cloud-based system from a vendor the presenter identified as Rival 5 (also referenced as Bridal 5 during the presentation) and said the board will be asked in April to approve a contract for installation this summer.
Technology staff member Mr. Lee told the board the district's current system runs Cisco CallManager released in 2014 with its last security update around 2019'20 and can no longer be updated or serviced in its current form. "The release of CallManager that we're using was released in, 02/2014, and it received its last security update in February '19 or '20," Mr. Lee said during his presentation.
Mr. Lee described several operational and safety improvements the new system would provide:
- Improved 911 capabilities that can transmit room-level location in addition to building address; - Integration with paging and the district's public-address system to allow all-call paging by administrators from phones; - Cloud-based architecture with on-premises interfaces for PA integration and redundancy, and a customer-service model that staff described as helpful when carrier issues arise; and - Call-bursting capacity to handle high-demand periods (presenter said the vendor allows bursts up to 60 concurrent calls versus the district's current hard limit of 22 lines).
Mr. Lee said staff plan to present a recommendation and a proposed five-year contract with Rival 5 at the April board meeting, with installation planned for the summer and full implementation before the start of the next school year. The contract under consideration would include software and firmware maintenance as part of the vendor's managed service.
Why it matters: The district emphasized safety (improved 911 location data) and operational reliability (more concurrent capacity and vendor support) as reasons to replace the aging system. Staff also cited limits on concurrent lines that affect morning attendance call volume.
Next steps: The district attorney is reviewing contract language; staff said they will bring a final recommendation to the board in April and, if approved, proceed with procurement and installation during the summer.
Ending: No contract was approved at the March 19 meeting; board action is expected in April.
