The journey from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams is an important issue on the minds of enterprise leaders. In fact, the decision of how to launch the journey has been a hot topic ever since the company announced their decision to transform their flagship platform.
In March 2018, Microsoft gave their community a little more information about the strategies they can use to move to Microsoft Teams with their "Direct Routing" reveal. The technology leaders announced that they were upgrading their Enterprise Voice strategy with direct routing as one of the plans for customers to use in Microsoft Teams.
The question is, how will direct routing help your organisation to migrate into the next stage of the Microsoft experience?
Direct Routing and Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's "direct routing" function allows the use of 3rd party PSTN trunks to make and receive regular phone calls from Microsoft Teams. In the standard deployment model, this means that customers start with SIP trunks from a telecoms provider, then configure a supported SBC (Session Border Controller) from a Microsoft certified provider like AudioCodes. Finally, they'll connect their SBC into the Teams strategy and phone system and enjoy an enhanced communication and collaboration strategy.
Microsoft introduced direct routing as a way to access Teams as part of its "Intelligent Communications" makeover for it's range of UC products. As of June 28th, after a successful public preview period, this service is now generally available and and can be used by any Office 365 user.
To take advantage of Direct Routing, Microsoft customers will need a Microsoft Teams account and the "Phone Systems" solution as part of their Office 365 strategy. They'll also need their own SBC (session border controller) and telecommunications service. You'll need to ensure that the SBC comes from a source approved by Microsoft and there's only a handful of these certified vendors out there, including AudioCodes - an organisation devoted to state-of-the-art UC&C and simplifying the move to the cloud.
Customers already using AudioCodes infrastructure to connect their PBX and Skype for Business systems with Phone System will be in an excellent position when the switch takes place. After all, you'll already have all the resources you need to repurpose and reconfigure your existing infrastructure into a Microsoft Teams-ready environment. If, on the other hand, your network isn't set up with AudioCodes technology, or it needs an upgrade, there's a huge selection of certified SBCs to choose from in the AudioCodes portfolio.
Transitioning to Teams with AudioCodes SBCs
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Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams - Direct SIP connectivity to enable voice services in Microsoft Teams.[/caption]
Direct Routing provides a way for enterprises of all shapes and sizes to connect to an SBC device from a reputable provider and continue to use their own telco systems with Microsoft Teams. According to Microsoft, organisations may choose to use direct routing if they want to stick with their existing PSTN contract, or they don't have calling plans available that would facilitate a simple change in their location. Additionally, if you want to continue supporting analogue devices, direct routing will allow for that.
Of course, the first step is finding the right SBC partner to support your direct routing needs.
AudioCodes SBCs have been carefully designed to offer direct SIP connectivity for enterprises who want to bridge the gap between Microsoft Teams and their existing communication infrastructure. The AudioCodes "Mediant" Session Border Controllers for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business offer extensive scalability, reliability, and interoperability for organisations making the critical move to cloud or hybrid services.
What's more, AudioCodes, through its extensive partner network, offers complete end-to-end packages for implementing your Teams switchover, including project management solutions, planning and design, and even implementation strategies for the Mediant SBC portfolio. The direct routing solutions come with:
Ewan Haig, Country manager, AudioCodes UK[/caption]
