Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has launched its Rainbow Telephony for Microsoft Teams connector.
An enhancement of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s UC platform, Rainbow, the Rainbow Telephony for Teams connector is designed for interfacing with the Teams platform. The connector empowers the use of current telephony systems across any type of device — including desktop, tablets and mobile — software and environment in a seamless process.
Moussa Zaghdoud, Executive Vice President, Cloud Communications Business Division, commented:
Rainbow Telephony for Microsoft Teams is an example of how the Rainbow platform incorporates the most advanced telephony functionality enhancing each customer’s unique ecosystem and ensuring optimised productivity.”
The solution includes advanced features like call management, conferencing, and call barring. These facilitate dependable and streamlined communications with customers and partners.
Users can be reached anytime and on any device with a single number. The connector also means this number displays on devices when users make outgoing calls. Status synchronisation between Teams and Rainbow allows users to be no longer disturbed during meetings or calls because their presence status is updated between Teams calls and traditional phone calls.
Rainbow Telephony for Microsoft Teams provide telephony services that can centralise all of a user’s communications onto a single platform with other Microsoft Teams services. The connector bridges existing telephony devices to cloud telephony tools to generate optimal connectivity for global business users.
The solution is integrated within Rainbow, requiring no need for further investment, deployment or user training. Businesses can connect their existing PABX, on-premises or in the cloud, to Teams via Rainbow Telephony for Microsoft Teams. The solution intends to also offer a more straightforward transition to cloud telephony without services disruption.
“We are delighted to introduce enterprise-grade telephony capabilities to Microsoft Teams users around the world,” Zaghdoud added. “At Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, we prioritise seamless integration and embed ease-of-use in every aspect of our Rainbow platform. We pride ourselves in delivering exceptional products and services that cater to our customers’ evolving needs.”
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Broadening its Horizons
Since the pandemic, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, like many UC and collaboration businesses, has been growing and diversifying its portfolio of products and services.
This year, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise enhance multiple offers with Rainbow Cloud services, including all their “on the shelves” connectors complementing any SaaS application with real-time communication capabilities, including Rainbow Telephony for Microsoft Teams.
There is also Rainbow Hybrid, a continuity of Rainbow’s connectors which use the full capacity of the cloud capabilities without any changes to customers’ communication infrastructures. Additionally, there is Rainbow Hub, a full cloud UCaaS solution on the public Cloud to optimise collaboration and communications between employees and team members.
Then there is Rainbow Edge, a solution which addresses private Cloud infrastructure with the utmost efficiency in terms of data security. Some of their solutions are available with a trial period.
More recently, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise participated in the SHARESPACE consortium to create XR-based Social Hybrid Spaces (SHS) to enhance hybrid and remote working.
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and 14 other European partners made up the SHARESPACE consortium, a €6 million initiative funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The programme encompassed academics, industry and clinical experts in various disciplines, including AI, XR, mathematics, health psychology and cyberpsychology, cognitive neuroscience and movement science.
SHARESPACE intended to expand interaction in a virtual world using XR technology, enhancing communication methods specific to participants’ characteristics. Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise namechecked future deployment possibilities in various sectors, including health, learning, entertainment, sport, and the workplace.
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s Rainbow Telephony for Teams connector complements the original solution, initially established in 2021. UC Today’s review of Rainbow Telephony for Teams wrote: “As companies increasingly rely on Microsoft Teams for business communication purposes (in addition to collaboration), apps like Rainbow will be vital. They allow you to capitalise on your existing investment in telephony infrastructure while gaining from the Teams interface.”
