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  Businesses everywhere continually seek options for improving productivity, increasing collaboration, exceeding customer service standards, and decreasing unnecessary expenses. One of the most costly investments many companies have is their traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone systems.  Between the cost of hardware, installation, and maintenance, not to mention the dependency on physical phone lines that literally tether the business to a single physical location, the numbers can add up quickly.…

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSUvHK4mdR4[/embed]   Since COVID-19 forced so many to work from home instead of remaining in the office, we've become accustomed to using video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams to collaborate with coworkers, clients, and partners. With 25% of professional jobs set to be remote by the end of 2022, it's easy to see how global downloads of video conferencing apps are 90% higher than they were before COVID-19 shut things…

As the tools many of us have used to stay in touch with one another since March 2020, Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become household names, thanks to COVID-19. From kindergarteners to seniors, schools and churches to businesses and virtual happy hours, we’ve all become accustomed to using these video conferencing systems to connect with each other. The pandemic, and the need for a virtual means of connection associated with…

 Microsoft Teams Direct Routing: Background and Definition You likely already know about Microsoft Teams. It’s an online platform for meetings, virtual events, calls, chats and collaboration. But, did you know that there’s a way to multiply this tool’s capabilities to boost your business communications? It’s called Microsoft Teams direct routing. Microsoft Teams has been available since 2018. It reached 75 million daily active users in April 2020, 70% more…

Organizations are always looking for ways to reduce costs and streamline their networks. Against that backdrop, Microsoft's SIP Gateway—by way of Microsoft Teams—has given customers more functionality and flexibility without adding complexities. When implemented the right way, Microsoft Teams enables organizations to utilize SIP calling and leverage core features by making MS Teams compatible with most standard SIP-based phones. Through a Microsoft Teams SIP phone solution, your business can integrate…

The past year has been a whirlwind, full of unexpected and unwanted mandates and limitations as we all try to keep ourselves and our employees safe. Organizations may have closed up their physical offices due to COVID-19, but most are doing everything they can to keep operations running without losing key functionality. Video conference calls are now the norm, but people still need to make and receive calls. Do you…

The Need for Microsoft Teams SIP Trunk Microsoft Teams has become a valuable virtual collaboration tool for organizations of all sizes. Just recently, Microsoft announced Teams reached 115 million daily active users. It enables people to connect remotely, share ideas and documents, and coordinate activities through Microsoft 365. And even though Microsoft Teams has some voice capabilities, they are limited, offering only basic capabilities and international calling. Most businesses who…

The Challenges with Microsoft Teams Calling Plans Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft Teams usage has surged to 115 million daily active users, a 50 percent jump from the 75 million reported users six months ago. With so few of us able to meet in person for nearly a year now, virtual meetings have become the new norm.  Video conferencing technology is making it possible to connect people from all over…

Microsoft Teams Certified SBC Vendors - Defined Microsoft partners with selected Session Border Controllers (SBC) vendors to certify that their SBCs work with Direct Routing. According to Microsoft, the purpose of having a relationship with a Microsoft Teams Certified SBC is to: Jointly work with the SIP interconnection protocols Perform intense tests using a third-party lab - only devices that pass the test are certified Run daily tests with all…

The Case for Transitioning from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams  If you are considering a Skype for Business upgrade to Microsoft Teams, there are indications that you should act sooner than later. In 2018, a report showed that Skype for Business and Zoom Video Communications hold 45 percent of the video conferencing market, and 89 percent of companies use multiple video conferencing platforms. In 2017, UC Today reported that…

Considering a Microsoft Teams PBX Integration? Have a standard PBX organizing your landlines into a local network but considering adding a video conferencing capability? For many businesses, a Microsoft Teams PBX integration sounds like the ideal way to keep an existing phone system and still leverage the benefits of video conferencing. But is it? Let’s first look at the PBX. A PBX is a business-grade telephone system that offers advanced…