FORT KNOX, Ky. — Several employees at Fort Knox recently received a new phone number that will follow them wherever they go.
Known as “Direct Inward Dialing” or DID, the Microsoft Teams-assigned numbers allow Department of Defense personnel to communicate with one other across civilian and government computers all over the world, similar to landline and Voiceover IP phones. They will also eventually replace many of those landline and VoIP devices.
Mark Rogers, Information Management officer at Fort Knox Garrison, said the age of landlines and VoIP phones is nearing its end – for the most part.
“A lot of the [landline and VoIP] devices and equipment no longer have replacement parts,” said Rogers. “People no longer even use the technology out in the commercial world outside of the government. So, trying to lifecycle those was going to cost multimillions of dollars.”
While Defense Department concepts and plans for introducing DID began before COVID-19, Rogers attributes the virus and the nation’s response to it with speeding up the process.
“It sort of helped push us into Microsoft 365,” said Rogers, “though that was available and in use in the civilian sector for several years before COVID.”
The advantages of communicating through Microsoft Teams and DID are many compared with landlines and VoIP, said Rogers.
For instance, direct inward dialing is custom-made for video teleconferencing and live, real-time collaboration. Collaborators can share files, chat, change backgrounds, set up calendar reminders and schedule upcoming meeting invites on the platform. Employees can receive calls from commercial civilian phone numbers, and OneDrive can also be used to coordinate any and all plans and operations.
Other capabilities include setting up the number to ring at multiple locations to ensure a call is not missed, and voicemail notifications to alert callers to where you can be found. Those voicemail messages can be captured as a sound bite or text.
“There are a lot of different capabilities,” said Rogers.
For now, there is one limitation.
“The only thing that you actually lose in capability is the 9-1-1 call,” said Rogers.
“Right now, all our numbers that are in the direct inward dial phone system are either going through Arizona or Virginia, which is why they all have a 520 area code,” said Rogers. “So, if you dial 9-1-1 from your Teams platform, it automatically ends up in Arizona or Virginia.”
Rogers said they are working to resolve the issue. In the meantime, he recommends using existing landlines or a cell phone to place emergency calls.
Another issue they are working on is using DID at overseas locations. As long as calls are made at American installations overseas, there are no issues. If people attempt to use the capability off post, it could come up as an international call, which has the potential of incurring international dialing rates.
When officials are done switching the installation to DID, over 75% of landlines and VoIP will be obsolete. Some will remain, however, including in elevators and dedicated emergency call-in offices.
“There’s a built-in backup for emergency services and systems that are out there,” said Rogers.
As Fort Knox makes the switch to DID, employees will have the opportunity to forward their unique number to a government or personal cell phone, so they can still receive calls when not behind their desks. Rogers said employees should go ahead and add their number to their address book ID card online to help others know how to reach them.
As for those landline and VoIP phones that will remain, there will be new numbers assigned during the transition.
“Every phone number on Fort Knox that exists right now by next year at this time will have a new phone number,” said Rogers.
What makes the DID numbers so unique is that they are not assigned to a specified location as are landline and VoIP numbers.
“Each number is actually attached to an individual, so the phone number that I have here at Fort Knox today, if I went to Italy next month and started working there, I would still have that same phone number,” said Rogers. “The dialing number itself sticks with the EDI – your employment identification number – and it follows you for the rest of your career.”
Every major command has the ability to turn a license on and off for its employees, depending upon what is needed, said Rogers. However, the actual number remains assigned to the individual, no matter which command they work for.
One possible exception may be if a Soldier leaves service and becomes a civilian employee, or an employee changes employment categories, such as civilian to contractor or military to civilian. Rogers said in those cases, an employee may then receive a different unique number.
The planned rollout for all DID numbers is expected to be complete within the next few months, said Rogers. Those who are curious about whether they have a unique number assigned to them can pull up their Teams account, click on the “Calls” button on the left side, and look below the phone pad. If there is a “Work number” listed below the “Call” button, that is their number.
“I can call anybody I want to from here,” said Rogers. “It’s all set up to work, and voicemails will show up on the right side. There are custom settings on that same screen. So, if folks have their Teams number forwarded to their government or personal phone, they can be in the field and, as long as they stay logged into the Teams system, people can reach them by calling that unique number.”
Rogers said those who telework will find this capability particularly handy. No matter where they are, people can reach them by calling that number. He suggested employees keep their contact information up to date to make reaching them easier.
Not everyone will get an assigned DID number, said Rogers. Those who have questions about whether they qualify for a DID license and how it works should reach out to their chain of command and local supporting information management officer.
“In theory, those people who are working at a deskside operation, like an administrative assistant or those types of positions, may not get a phone number. Part-time employees who hardly ever touch a computer, like a lifeguard at a pool, probably should not get a direct inward dial number,” said Rogers. “But the majority of the people across the installation will have one.”
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