Johannesburg, 28 Jul 2020
There has never been a time such as this when it comes to the use of unified communications in businesses and communities. Collaboration platforms around the world have had a notable increase in sales and usage over the past six months than any other period because of the global lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most recognised and widely used collaboration platforms in the world, Microsoft Teams, falls within this bracket of providers that have experienced tremendous growth. Microsoft Teams is not only stable and convenient, but also offers myriad options for business and academic operations.
MS Teams has generally been used for VC meetings, instant messaging, assignments for educational institutions and channel connectors. Very few organisations around the globe ever used the phone feature on MS Teams because of the calling plans from Microsoft that were seen as costly. But now, with the evident need to be mobile (work from home solutions), it is easier than ever to have a cost-effective all-in-one solution. By connecting an approved session border controller (SBC) to your Microsoft phone system, you are able to make calls through your local voice provider and enjoy the benefits of local rates.
How does it work?
We can enable your users to make calls in Microsoft Teams with end-to-end control, using our SBC hosted in our cloud and its own number range. The solution is a simple add-on to Office 365 that connects Microsoft Teams, allowing for making and receiving of calls on any device using the Microsoft Teams App. No additional hardware is required, pay for only the concurrent sessions/channels you require and ensure you have the right Microsoft Office 365 licence. The MS licence options are Office 365 E5 licence or E1/E3 licence with an additional phone system licence.
Why would I go this route?
By enabling calling into MS Teams, you are assured of productivity benefits of having all your communication tools in one place. It makes it easier to manage one software platform instead of separate collaboration, communication and phone tools for users, therefore increased efficiency. Over and above this, it's simple to use, cost-effective and stable. Another advantage of such a solution is that it does not interfere with your existing telephony system.
How secure is this?
Due to the vast number and types of potential attacks, security of your applications should be of paramount concern. With this in mind, Microsoft Teams' direct routing with SBCs only works with approved/certified session border controllers. The SBC's deployment services are based on extensive experience and best-practice configurations. The SBC provides a comprehensive package of security features that handles the two main security areas: securing the service and securing the device.
At ScopServ, we are really excited to offer tools that make a difference and we make sure we deploy turnkey solutions that create a tangible difference in your organisation. Through simple low-cost monthly subscriptions, we will provide the following:
- Fully certified SBCaaS;
- Hybrid platforms for smooth UC migration;
- Scalability to suit any environment; and
- Secure SIP trunk connectivity.
ScopServ Integrated Services is the provider of world-class cloud based ICT solutions. The core of our operation is ensuring that customer experience is satisfied. We ensure that our solutions are ever evolving with our customer needs. Our offering is backed by our technical expertise, warranties and exceptional after-sales service. We pride ourselves as representing some of the best and leading ICT brands.
If you need to set up a solution for your organisation, simply call us on +27 11 700 3800 or e-mail sales@scopserv.co.za.
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