As collaboration becomes a crucial concern for companies around the world, Microsoft Teams is one of the platforms leading the way for today's enterprises. The fastest-growing offering in Microsoft's portfolio, Teams provides everything a business needs to stay connected, from file sharing to instant messaging. However, organisations still need to find a reliable way to port their numbers into the Microsoft Teams calling experience.
Bandwidth is the only Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider on the market with their own Tier 1 network. This unique company already powers the calling packages behind Microsoft Teams and are equally well positioned to provide Direct Routing to companies requiring something more advanced. Not only does Bandwidth own and operate one of the largest all-IP voice networks in North America, but they're a trusted cloud-native carrier for Microsoft's Direct Routing strategy.
I caught up with Lauren Brockman, Product Manager at Bandwidth, to learn more about their Microsoft Teams Direct Routing solution.
A Fully Native Carrier
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Lauren Brockman[/caption]
As Product Manager, Lauren Brockman is responsible for developing new products for the company - specifically in the voice area. Lauren works on everything from SIP and toll-free services to network connectivity into UC and CC platforms.
For the last 2 decades, Bandwidth has focused heavily on the wholesale space, powering companies like Skype for Business on the voice side. "We've built a product framework that allows us to connect to end-users. Now we're expanding or connectivity options to cloud platforms that support Direct Routing options."
As a fully native cloud carrier, Bandwidth can give businesses everything they need to transform their communication solution. With Bandwidth, businesses can directly implement scalable SIP trunking, connect to the PSTN, trigger ports, manage numbers in real-time, and more. Bandwidth essentially offers a more flexible way for businesses to move their numbers into the cloud, or simply upgrade their communications network.
Flexible Porting
As a Direct Routing solution for Microsoft Teams, Bandwidth offers a range of incredible benefits to customers, including the option to easily control disaster recovery and IP failover, and build a more scalable environment. According to Lauren, one of the biggest things that Bandwidth does well is deliver flexible porting. "We have an entire team devoted to giving people the flexibility they need in their porting strategy. "
Customers working with Bandwidth can manage their entire porting experience via a self-service dashboard, getting automatic status updates and tracking their performance at the same time. "Porting is often a very disruptive process for businesses. It's one of the main reasons why people are so afraid to leave their existing carriers and seek out new solutions. People don't want the disruption that comes with porting."
Brockman told me that with Bandwidth, businesses can port in a more seamless and stress-free way. "Your number is still yours when you port to us. Using our Direct Routing scenario, you get to decide exactly how your journey looks. Then, when you choose to move to Microsoft Teams, you simply move your numbers at the exact date and time you choose. Long porting intervals no longer apply."
