Communications

Colonial Connect is a state-of-the-art unified communications system allowing faculty and staff to communicate with each other across campuses, offices, residence halls and off-campus locations through chat, voice, video and web conferencing. It combines chat, voice, video and web conferencing features into an easy-to-use toolkit with a common directory. Colonial Connect also includes apps for a wide array of mobile devices, allowing users to collaborate from anywhere in real-time.

Colonial Connect Set Up & Feature Changes

Jabber

Jabber, a Colonial Connect service from GW IT, brings phone capabilities to your computer through the integration of chat, voice, video and desktop share in one tool. Once installed, you can select any of these features from the Jabber window. Jabber allows you to make and receive calls, check voicemail, receive voicemail messages in your email inbox, group chat with others and easily see who is online, integrate your calendar and share video and desktop with someone else all from your computer. Jabber also supports WebEx integration, and will automatically send invites to those within a Jabber group chat if WebEx is needed. 

Download Jabber  Training 

Purchase a Headset

Download instructions: Login to the software downloads page with your GW NetID and corresponding password. Use the dropdown to navigate to the Colonial Connect section. Select the Cisco Jabber Client that matches your operating system of your computer. If you need assistance downloading Jabber, please call the IT Support Center at 202-994-4948. 

WebEx

WebEx is a collaborative meeting tool that allows for real-time meeting and sharing computer content over the web. Features include multi-point video conferencing and desktop share to help facilitate online meetings or teach a class. For information on how to access this service, visit the WebEx for faculty and staff page or the WebEx for students page. 

WebEx for Students  

WebEx for Faculty & Staff  

Training

Voicemail

In order to access your voicemail, press the voicemail button, or dial 4-4000 for Foggy Bottom users and 3-4000 for Virginia Science and Technology Campus users. Colonial Connect also sends received voicemails directly to your email address. You can then listen to your voicemail directly from your email inbox. 

Change your Voicemail PIN  Training

Conferencing

Colonial Connect Conferencing allows for eight party conference calls, with a dial-in number and code available upon request. 

Request Conferencing Services

Mobile (Single Number Reach)

Single number reach is available through Colonial Connect Mobile. With this feature, your office extension will ring on your mobile device, allowing you to answer a call on the device of your choice. 

Set up single number reach here using your GW NetID and corresponding password. You can use this site to have your phone or Jabber line ring to your local cell phone number.

Setup Single Number Reach

eFax

eFax gives you the ability to fax from your computer without access to a physical fax machine. Using an existing fax number, you can send and receive faxes through the Colonial Connect eFax portal, with the ability to leverage Adobe PDF digital signature functionality. In addition, faxes can be received via email. Colonial Connect eFax supports a paperless office and reduces the number of hard-copy documents that may contain sensitive material. 

Colonial Connect eFax Quick Reference Guide

Request eFax

Desktop Phone

Phone features include the ability to place calls on hold, call waiting, ad-hoc conferencing, phone directory, transfer capabilities, call history, voicemail, video calls and extension mobility. The standard video desktop phones (models 8845 and 8945) offer video capability as an added feature. Extension mobility allows users to configure any Colonial Connect Standard Video or Multi-Line phone as their own, on a temporary basis, by logging into that phone. Once a user logs in, the phone adopts the individual user’s default device profile information, including line numbers, speed dials, service links and other user-specific properties of a phone. Basic, Multi-Line and Conference phone options are also available. 

Training  Purchase a Desktop Phone

This enterprise solution enables departments to create, manage and deliver digital signage content on video screens throughout campus using preapproved university templates.

The enterprise license is available at no charge to open budget customers; closed budget customers are offered the license at a reduced rate. Customers are responsible for all hardware costs and costs associated with onboarding (installation costs, etc)

This service is hosted in the cloud by a third party. The vendor will contact GW for maintenance as needed. Customers will be notified in advance if maintenance is required.

What is Digital Signage

Effective September 26, 2018, long distance codes are no longer required when calling from a GW desk phone or Jabber softphone.

For information on local, long-distance, and on-campus dialing, visit the GWiz knowledge base.

To select who may make long-distance calls, use the Phone Dialing Permission Change Request form.

The George Washington University added Zoom to GW’s menu of web and video conferencing tools at the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester. Throughout the fall, GW IT worked with each individual school to migrate faculty accounts to the platform, and at the beginning of the Spring 2021 semester Zoom accounts were made available to all GW community members.

Zoom has joined GW's supported web conferencing tools, which include Webex, Microsoft Teams, and Blackboard Collaborate. For more information on Zoom, like how to login, visit our website.