Leaders in the world of real-time connectivity Ribbon Communications recently announced that their SBC (Session Border Controller) portfolio will integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Teams deployments. This service, built on top-of-the-line technology and innovation, will provide Ribbon customers with a new offering in the form of Microsoft Direct Routing facilities for the Teams hybrid environment.
The goal of the new service is to provide Teams collaboration environments with an easy-to-access, but secure solution for voice services. Since Teams is replacing Skype for Business as the communication hub for Microsoft Office 365, many organisations will rely on this solution to help their teams communicate, share files, and even conduct conferencing sessions too. In the past, external calling services were only available in select markets, using Microsoft’s own calling plans. Now, the Ribbon SBC service means that customers can leverage their SIP trunks and TDMs for PBX audio calls in the Teams client.
Native Integration with Microsoft Teams
As a native solution for voice calling services, Ribbon’s SBC portfolio is the perfect opportunity for those who want to adopt Teams as their tool for workspace collaboration, while making the most out of audio conferencing too.
According to the Vice President of SaaS for Ribbon Communications, Kevin Isacks, the brand is thrilled to be bringing new depth to its collaboration with Microsoft by offering them the opportunity to build upon the Teams environment with secure voice capabilities. Ribbon is fully committed to working alongside Microsoft to ensure that customers can tap into the true value of the real-time communications services available in Teams, without worrying about underlying technology integrations.
The Corporate Vice President for Engineering in Office 365 for Microsoft, Bob Davis noted that the company has been looking for ways to add more flexibility and choice to their customers who want to stick with their own SIP trunks and voice services but tap into the value that Teams have to offer too. The Ribbon SUBC services will ensure that Microsoft can provide carrier-grade integrated voice in their flagship collaboration product.
Building on the Value of the Ribbon Portfolio
This new partnership between Ribbon and Microsoft is a positive thing for both parties. The SBC portfolio offered by Ribbon includes a range of exceptional products including the SBC Software Edition, SBC 1000/2000 and the SBC 7000 alongside a range of other options. Each of these field-proven services does not require any hardware modifications for them to be set up instantly within Microsoft Teams.
This means that customers can maintain their existing voice services while accessing the hybrid features for communication and collaboration delivered by Microsoft Teams. The Ribbon portfolio is well-known for its high-quality security features, advanced monitoring services, and interoperability solutions all bundled within an easy-to-access solution.
Together, Microsoft and Ribbon will give customers an opportunity to migrate to the cloud at their own pace or establish a hybrid environment that suits them.
