In a system for managing voice and data communications of an office, the office having a plurality of computers coupled to the system over one or more packet buses and a plurality of telephones coupled to one or more time division multiplex (TDM) buses in the system, wherein a wide area communications network is coupled to the one or more TDM buses, wherein the system provides voice and data communications to a plurality of users in the office, wherein associated with each user is at least one computer and at least one telephone device, a method comprising the steps of:
- determining a first set of the computers to run an office attendant program, wherein a user of a computer running the office attendant program manages voice communications in the office;
- determining a second set of computers that will not run the office attendant program, wherein the second set of computers do not manage voice communications in the office;
- managing the voice communications of the office with the first set of computers, wherein commands between the first set of computers and the system for managing the voice communications of the office are transmitted over the one or more packet buses;
- storing on the system centrally-provided information, wherein the centrally-provided information comprises information for distribution to particular users in the office by the system;
- determining a selected subset of the users who are to receive the centrally-provided information;
- and
- providing the selected subset of the users with the centrally-provided information by transmitting the centrally-provided information over the one or more packet buses;
- wherein the voice communications of the office include voice communications that stay in a circuit-switched form via the one or more TDM buses and wherein packet-based communications are selectively coupled to the wide area communications network via the one or more TDM buses.