In 2015, Eterna Plc undertook a full transition from analog PBX systems to a modern IP Telephony solution based on Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM). The goal was to enable seamless internal and external voice communication, reduce telephony costs, support remote collaboration, and implement a scalable voice infrastructure across all company locations.
As the Project Owner and Internal Coordinator, I was responsible for defining the technical and business requirements, overseeing execution by the deployment partner Arit of Africa, and owning the long-term administration and optimization of the solution across 8 offices.
Project Scope & Deployment
Branch Locations Covered:
Head Office – Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria
Other Lagos Offices – 4 locations
Ogun State Office
Abuja Office
Port-Harcourt Office
Telephony Infrastructure Setup
Cisco CUCM deployed at Head Office as the centralized call control platform
IP Phones deployed across branches with VPN/SIP trunk connectivity to CUCM
Redundant voice gateway configured for reliability
QoS settings applied across network infrastructure for call clarity
Integration with Cisco Unity for voicemail and auto-attendant features
Devices Deployed
Cisco 7821 – Standard deskphone for teams (shared 1 per team of 4 users)
Cisco 8841 / 8851 – For middle management and departments with direct lines
Cisco 8865 – For Executives and Directors (includes HD video calling, 5-inch screen, USB ports)
Cisco 3905 – Front desk and low-traffic extensions
Cisco Conference Station (8832) – Used in boardrooms and meeting rooms
My Contributions
As Project Owner and UC Lead, I:
Defined business and technical requirements for call routing, extensions, call groups, and phone types
Created the telephony policy documentation and user assignment matrix
Coordinated project milestones and testing with Arit of Africa and Cisco
Participated in UAT and test call simulations for all locations
Trained internal staff on phone usage, voicemail setup, and transfer handling
Managed the CUCM platform (post-deployment) for 8 years:
Extension provisioning
Firmware updates
Call route adjustments
Executive support
Outage troubleshooting and escalations
Integration of new locations or changes
Impact & Results
Transitioned from legacy PBX to enterprise-grade unified communications
Enabled HD voice and video calling across 8 locations
Centralized telephony reduced long-distance and inter-branch call costs
Improved customer service through direct lines and voicemail routing
Empowered mobility and scalability for future collaboration (Teams/Zoom integration-ready)