Your phones may be digital. Is the rest of your firm?
Law firms, consultancies, accountants and other professional-services organisations increasingly use cloud calling and collaboration tools. But older office systems can still rely on analogue lines. Wanstor helps you identify those dependencies and plan the move without disrupting client service, office access or business continuity.
Find the lines hiding outside your IT strategy
Moving users to Teams or another cloud phone platform does not necessarily mean every office is All-IP ready.
Our assessment helps professional-services firms review:
- Main, direct-dial and reception numbers
- ISDN-connected telephone systems
- Call routing and hunt groups
- Fax lines and document workflows
- Lift emergency phones
- Fire and intruder alarm signalling
- Door entry and office intercoms
- CCTV and building monitoring
- Franking machines and older modems
- Business continuity and backup lines
Complete the form and we’ll review where hidden dependencies could remain.
Alternatively, call our expert directly.
No unnecessary technology overhaul.
No assumptions about compatibility.
Just a clear plan to protect client and office operations.
What we’ll check
Client communications
We’ll review business numbers, reception routing and older phone-system dependencies that could affect inbound and outbound calls.
Office systems
We’ll identify building services, including lifts, alarms and access control, that may sit outside the ownership of the IT team.
Fax and legacy workflows
Some firms retain fax services for specific clients, suppliers or document processes. These need to be located and assessed rather than assumed to have disappeared.
Hybrid working
We’ll help uncover differences between older homes, newer properties, supported-living locations and head-office systems.
Business continuity
The assessment considers appropriate connectivity and power resilience for critical digital services.
Hidden dependency check
We'll full scope out your estate to see exactly what depends on legacy connections.
What is changing?
The old network is closing. Client expectations are not.
The PSTN and ISDN services are being retired as the UK moves to internet-based communications. Organisations still using traditional lines need a migration plan before the network closes.
For professional-services firms, the risk is often fragmented ownership.
IT may manage Microsoft Teams or the cloud phone system. Facilities may manage lift lines and access control. A landlord may own parts of the building infrastructure. An office administrator may still use a fax line that nobody else knows exists.
The question is not:
“Has IT replaced the phone system?”
It is:
“Has the firm identified every service still associated with the old network?”
PSTN, ISDN and related legacy services are being withdrawn on 31 January 2027
Your phones may be digital. Is everything else?
When legacy services are withdrawn, a few other things may become exposed or stop working altogether.
Client and reception numbers
Legacy call routing or ISDN connections could affect how clients reach the firm.
Fax services
Older fax machines or multifunction devices may still use dedicated analogue lines.
Lift emergency phones
Office lifts may contain emergency calling equipment managed by a landlord or maintenance provider.
Alarm signalling
Fire and intruder alarms can use analogue connections to contact monitoring centres.
Door entry
Intercoms, gates and reception access systems may contain legacy line-based equipment.
Business continuity lines
Backup numbers or “rarely used” lines may still form part of incident-response plans.
How Wanstor helps
Before you replace anything, find out what actually needs replacing.
Wanstor’s existing hospitality work includes network environments supporting EPOS, corporate connectivity and guest Wi-Fi, giving the messaging a credible wider-IT context rather than treating each analogue line in isolation
Here’s how we’ll work on it with you:
| Step One | Step Two | Step Three | Step Four |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review | Assess |
Plan |
Migrate |
| Map offices, numbers, services, devices and responsible suppliers. |
Identify dependencies that could affect client communications, building access or continuity. | Agree priorities, ownership, change windows and replacement routes. | Support the move with the wider IT and connectivity environment in mind. |
Client service relies on the systems nobody notices until they fail.
A missed call can mean a missed instruction, opportunity or deadline. An inaccessible office can affect staff and client meetings. A failed alarm or lift line introduces a different level of operational risk.
Multi-office firms also face inconsistent estates. A recently refurbished London office may be fully digital while a regional branch, archive location or acquired firm still uses ageing infrastructure.
An early audit gives IT, facilities, landlords and third-party suppliers time to agree who owns each dependency and what must happen next.
Why Wanstor?
Because this is an operational change, not merely a telecoms order.
- Wider IT understanding: We’re a one-stop-shop for IT, meaning we’ll consider connectivity, cloud communications, office networks and devices together.
- Multi-office support: We’re experienced in delivering a site-by-site approach for firms with varied estates.
- Stakeholder coordination: We help bring together IT, operations, facilities and external suppliers, letting you know who owns what.
- Minimal disruption: Your business’ continuity is key to us so we’ll align plans to office schedules, client commitments and change controls.
- Practical options: No jargon, with Wanstor you’ll get a clear distinction between what can remain, what must move and what needs specialist review.
Wider IT context
Wanstor understands the wider IT environment, not just the individual line being replaced.
Hidden-dependency discovery
Support identifying overlooked systems before they become operational issues.
Interim connectivity options
Where a permanent solution needs more time, temporary connectivity may help reduce risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What systems could be affected by All IP Switch Off?
It’s not just your phones. Alarm and monitoring systems, lift emergency lines, payment terminals and door-entry systems may also rely on old analogue connections. If you don’t identify and migrate them to the right replacement, the switch-off could disrupt these critical services.
We use Microsoft Teams calling. Are we already ready?
Not necessarily. Teams calling may address employee telephony, but alarms, lifts, fax services, door entry and other building systems could remain on separate analogue lines.
We already use digital phones. Do we still need to check?
Yes. Digital phones don’t necessarily mean everything else is ready. Other services, sites or equipment may still rely on analogue connections, including alarms, lifts, payments and monitoring systems. That’s why it’s worth checking the wider business rather than assuming the phone migration has covered everything.
Who should be involved in the assessment?
Typically IT, operations or facilities, office managers, landlords and suppliers responsible for lifts, alarms and access systems.
What happens after we submit the form?
A Wanstor specialist will review the details you provide and confirm the most relevant next step within a few hours. There’s no obligation, and the aim is to understand what you’re concerned about and whether further assessment or migration support is needed.
Can Wanstor help if we have left All IP migration late?
Yes. Leaving it late doesn’t mean you’ve run out of options. Openreach will be applying EVAC lines to those who migrated too late. However, this is a costly and temporary solution. Wanstor can help identify what needs attention and accelerate the migration process. Where a permanent solution needs more time, interim options such as mobile or satellite connectivity can also be considered to help keep operations moving.
How long does All IP migration usually take?
There isn’t one migration timeline that fits every organisation. Ultimately, the timeline depends on what still relies on legacy services and the complexity of your sites and infrastructure. That’s why identifying dependencies early matters. However, we have rolled out migration services to customers within 2–4 weeks.
Can Wanstor support firms with several offices?
Yes. Each office can be assessed and prioritised according to its systems, lease arrangements and operational requirements.
What happens to existing lines or providers?
You don’t necessarily need to change everything at once. Instead, we’ll first identify which existing services need to migrate and which can remain. We’ll also check whether any contractual or notice-period requirements apply before you make changes.
Finding a forgotten line now is an admin job. Finding it after switch-off is a business interruption.
Check what your offices still rely on and create a controlled migration plan.
Check your firm’s readiness