In an age of hybrid and remote working, business leaders strive to provide their employees with a comprehensive “work hub” for digital productivity. Teams need a landscape where they can seamlessly share files and ideas with colleagues, track user presence, and access knowledgebase content from anywhere with an internet connection.
Collaboration suites offered by leading brands like Microsoft Teams and Zoom are fantastic for building these unified experiences. They allow staff to connect via voice, video and messaging while accessing various integrated tools and services. And more brands are now integrating voice calling into these platforms to transform a collaboration tool into a true work hub.
That’s where solutions like Zoom Phone Provider Exchange and Teams Operator Connect come into play. While Microsoft and Zoom have their own “native” phone systems to offer business leaders, their BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) services provide businesses with the freedom to connect their existing telephony services with their collaboration apps.
So, how do Zoom Phone Provider Exchange and Teams Operator Connect Compare from a BYOC perspective?
What is Zoom Phone Provider Exchange?
Zoom Phone Provider Exchange is a cloud-based “BYOC” solution offered by Zoom, allowing companies to connect their external PTSN or SIP calling providers into the Zoom Phone platform. The service sits alongside Zoom Phone Plans and the traditional Zoom BYOC program to give customers various options for aligning their communication and collaboration tools.
Zoom’s BYOC program is similar to the “Direct Routing” service from Microsoft Teams, which allows businesses to select their preferred SIP carrier, who would provider external connectivity by connecting their network with the customers tenant or on-prem SBC (Session Border Controller). Zoom Phone Provider Exchange takes this opportunity for brands to access their preferred provider’s services to the next level.
With Zoom Phone Provider Exchange, users can find and connect with their preferred carrier directly within the Zoom interface. This creates a more streamlined approach to BYOC communications without additional hardware and complexity. Consumers can provision numbers within the Zoom environment using the Provider Exchange too.
The Benefits of Zoom Phone Provider Exchange
The Zoom Phone Provider Exchange essentially works as a simplified, cloud-hosted version of Zoom’s BYOC program. Companies can still retain the flexibility they need when managing and optimising their communication stack. However, they don’t have to invest as much as they would with specialist assistance and hardware.
With Zoom Phone Provider exchange, organisations benefit from the following:
- Reduced infrastructure costs: While the existing Zoom BYOC solution may require on-site equipment and additional hardware, this isn’t the case with Zoom Provider Exchange. Companies can move more of their technology into the cloud and reduce expenditure.
- Cost savings: Zoom Phone Provider Exchange gives companies the broadest level of access to all kinds of phone providers. This means companies can look for the most cost-effective option and even choose pay-what-you-use purchasing models.
- Flexibility: Zoom’s Marketplace app makes it quick and convenient to discover and choose the right providers for different needs. What’s more, organisations can rapidly provision numbers and tools from a single, unified interface.
- Geographic reach: While Zoom Phones does have native service in 45 countries, the Phone Provider Exchange service ensures companies can access the support they need for enterprise-level communications anywhere.
What is Teams Operator Connect?
Operator Connect from Microsoft Teams is a similar solution to Zoom’s Phone Provider Exchange. The solution builds on the existing Direct Routing capabilities offered by Microsoft Teams, which allows users to add their preferred telephony carrier into the Teams ecosystem using SIP technology, SBCs, and the PowerShell ecosystem.
