telephony for microsoft teams: what to look for

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PRODUCED BY:PATRICK WATSONSENIOR ANALYST, CAVELL GROUP

August 17, 2021

PRODUCED BY PATRICK WATSON

Telephony for Microsoft Teams:

What to look for

Small and mid-sized business edition

Telephony for Microsoft Teams: What to look for

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Table of Contents

Telephony for Microsoft Teams 101............................................................................................. 3

Telephony is not included................................................................................................................ 3

How to add telephony to Teams....................................................................................................... 3 Microsoft Calling Plans.......................................................................................................................................... 3 Direct Routing ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

The challenges of Microsoft’s communications stack.................................................................. 5

Evaluating Microsoft Calling Plans ................................................................................................... 6

Third-party Direct Routing options.................................................................................................... 8 Basic access .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Direct Routing-as-a-service .................................................................................................................................. 8 Enhanced Teams telephony service ..................................................................................................................... 9

What to look for in a Teams telephony partner.......................................................................... 9

Intuitive Teams experience ........................................................................................................... 9

Innovative PBX features................................................................................................................. 10

Reliability and 99.999% uptime SLA ................................................................................................ 10

Top-tier security ............................................................................................................................. 11

Mobility.......................................................................................................................................... 12

Get the winning combo with RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams ................................. 12

Advanced PBX capabilities................................................................................................................ 13

Enterprise-grade telephony for any business size ............................................................................. 13

Upleveling your calling solution, together ........................................................................................ 14

What is Direct Routing and what are your options?..................................................................... 7

Third-party integrations .................................................................................................................. 12

Ready to deploy.............................................................................................................................. 12



Telephony for Microsoft Teams 101

Congrats! You have Microsoft Teams implemented across your business. That’s no surprise given

the number of daily Microsoft Teams users grew from just 20 million to a staggering 145 million

year-over-year—a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the acceleration of remote work.

But what about telephony for Microsoft Teams? What do you need to know about it? Here’s

a quick rundown.

TELEPHONY IS NOT INCLUDED

While Teams includes several collaboration essentials, such as team messaging and video conferencing,

telephony isn’t one of them. Teams requires a separate solution to enable external public switched

telephone network (PSTN) calls outside of the organization. This presents some critical issues since

calling is still one of the most popular communication tools used globally—its omission as a standard

feature in Teams leaves your business without a key asset.

Many businesses need telephony integrated natively into their Teams environments. Telephony

integration natively allows users to access private branch exchange (PBX) features, such as call control

and management, without having to move into other applications or systems—this reduces downtime

and application overload and simplifies training and management.

HOW TO ADD TELEPHONY TO TEAMS

Extra licenses and solutions are required to add telephony functionality into Teams. To enable telephony

in Teams, each user needs a Microsoft Phone System license, which is available as an add-on license or

is bundled into certain Microsoft 365 packages. Secondly, each user needs connectivity to PSTN, which

provides phone lines and minutes.

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Figure 1. Systems, licenses, and services required to enable telephony in Microsoft Teams

MICROSOFT CALLING PLANS

Businesses can use Microsoft as their telephony carrier. Microsoft provides a user with a Calling Plan that includes a user’s phone number and a bundle of domestic or international minutes. Calling Plans offer a simple route to add telephony functions into Teams, with Microsoft providing end-to-end service. There are a number of restrictions associated with the use of Calling Plans, including geographic coverage and limited PBX functionalities and feature capabilities.

DIRECT ROUTING Businesses can connect Teams to a third-party telephony carrier, providing users with a phone number and minutes. The connection is enabled by using a Microsoft-certified session border controller (SBC). Direct Routing allows businesses to bring their existing carrier relationships and services into Teams—this means being able to take advantage of cheaper call rates, greater flexibility, and better support compared to working directly with Microsoft. A Direct Routing setup can be costly with SBC management costs, and Direct Routing services may add additional OpEx costs on top of Microsoft licensing.

There are two ways to do this in Teams:


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Survey 2020

The challenges of Microsoft’s communications stack Don’t overlook the challenges that come with Microsoft’s communications stack. For starters, Phone

System is Microsoft’s add-on license that enables call control and PBX functionality in Teams. Phone

System offers a set of basic features and functions that you’d expect to be included within any business

suitable PBX system. A full list of the available Phone System features can be found here.

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Figure 2 . Common telephony requirements in Microsoft Phone System

<15%

>85%

Teams Telephony/Calling Enablement Method

Microsoft Calling Plans

Direct Routing

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Cavell Group conducted global research on this topic and found that Direct Routing is, by far, the most

popular method used to enable telephony within Teams.

More than 85% of global Microsoft Teams users have Direct Routing through

third-party telephony partners rather than Microsoft’s own Calling Plans.

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE4owMT



Calls between users in the same organization or tenancy—regardless of geographic location—are

handled internally by Phone System and never go out to the PSTN. For a Teams user to make external

calls, Phone System must be connected to the PSTN—either via a Microsoft Calling Plan or by

integration through Direct Routing.

Phone System offers a set of basic features and functions that you’d expect to be included within any

business suitable PBX system. A full list of the available Phone System features can be found here.

● Austria

● Belgium

● Canada

● Czech Republic

● Denmark

● Finland

● France

● Germany

● Hungary

● Ireland

● Italy

● Luxembourg

● Netherlands

● New Zealand

● Norway

● Poland

● Portugal

● Puerto Rico

●

Romania●

Singapore

● Slovakia

● Spain

● Sweden

● Switzerland

● United Kingdom (U.K.)

● United States (U.S.)

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This existing feature list might not meet the requirements of businesses with more complex telephony

requirements. Another key consideration is that some of Microsoft Phone System’s features are delivered

in the context of Teams and Microsoft 365. The features work in very different ways to traditional PBX

systems, and users may require additional training and support to effectively use everything in a Teams

environment.

EVALUATING MICROSOFT CALLING PLANS

Calling Plans allow organizations to utilize Microsoft as their PSTN carrier and offer a bundle of

domestic or international minutes and phone numbers for Teams users. The entire service is provided

directly by Microsoft with no additional PSTN carrier contract required.

The geographic availability of Calling Plans is limited, with Microsoft only offering full carrier

capability in 26 countries globally.

As well as global coverage limitations, Calling Plans are also limited in terms of regional numbering,

restricting businesses in their selection of phone numbers.

Microsoft does not have a native background in the communications industry and has looked to add to

its capability through acquisitions.

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Figure 3 . Key Microsoft acquisitions in the communications space

The expertise required in communications has required Microsoft to expand and integrate external

capabilities to manage customer requirements that fall outside its traditional business units. For

example, number porting, provisioning, and management are relatively new additions to Microsoft’s

support offering.

What is direct routing and what are your options?Direct Routing allows businesses to connect external phone lines and third-party PBX systems within

Teams. Microsoft requires businesses implementing Direct Routing to use one of a selection of SBC

devices to connect to Teams and manage the connection of session initiation protocol (SIP) trunks

to the outside world.

Figure 4. Direct Routing infrastructure

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When it comes to this approach, it’s important to note that the technical and financial capability

to manage such a deployment like this could be considerable. In addition, businesses would require

PowerShell knowledge. PowerShell is Microsoft’s task automation and configuration management

framework that allows technicians to control and configure Teams by automating processes

and functions.

Many businesses won’t want to configure and maintain their own SBCs and won’t have the in-house

technical capability, in PowerShell or otherwise, to manage this form of network configuration. In this

case, they’ll need to explore working with a third-party to enable telephony in Teams.

THIRD-PARTY DIRECT ROUTING OPTIONS

There are a number of providers that offer Direct Routing solutions as a managed service. These solutions

cover a range of different options catering to specific business requirements—from providing basic

access to more comprehensive services that include additional functionality and features as an overlay.

Here are your options:

BASIC ACCESS

Many providers now offer basic access for Teams by providing SIP trunks. SIP trunks are generally priced

on a cost per-channel, per-month basis. Basic SIP trunk provision would allow a business to connect

their own, or a third-party managed, SBC device to the PSTN to provide connectivity into Teams.

Businesses taking basic access services may need to factor in additional costs as calling minutes and

phone number charges also need to be accounted for. In certain regions, additional services may also be

required to comply with regulations around geolocation reporting for emergency services—something

that is not fully configurable within Microsoft’s platform.

DIRECT ROUTING-AS-A-SERVICE

This option is designed to allow organizations to enable telephony services within Teams while removing

the need for a business to manage on-premises infrastructure or possess in-house technical expertise.

Generally, Direct Routing-as-a-service products include the SIP connectivity, managed SBC resources, and

options covering carrier services such as phone numbers and minutes.

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ENHANCED TEAMS TELEPHONY SERVICE

Offering all the features of Direct Routing-as-a-service, an enhanced Teams telephony solution includes

further benefits. Vendors and providers will overlay additional advanced PBX functionality, allowing

businesses to overcome any potential shortcomings in Microsoft Phone System. These enhanced offers

include improved integration capabilities, enhanced support provision, and more detailed analytics

and reporting.

Figure 5 . Third-party Direct Routing Microsoft Teams telephony service options

What to look for in a Teams telephony partner For businesses looking to augment their Teams telephony with third-party Direct Routing solutions,

evaluating and selecting the correct product, platform, and vendor is vital. Here are several key

considerations when exploring Teams telephony partners:

INTUITIVE TEAMS EXPERIENCE

Ease of use is always top of mind for any business, which is why you want to look for phone

capabilities that are embedded natively into Teams so users never have to leave the app to make

calls. No one wants to waste their time toggling between multiple apps—give your entire workforce

a unified suite of communication tools all in one convenient location. With a native experience, users

can enjoy the same Teams interface they’ve been using with no additional downloads, bots,

or plugins.


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Figure 6. CITE Research 2018—Online survey of 2,000 knowledge workers in the U.S, U.K., and Australia

And if you’re an admin, look for a telephony partner that can offer you the ability to centrally manage

your business’s entire user base from one intuitive interface. The easier the experience is for users and

admins, the faster it will be to get everyone up and running without a hitch.

INNOVATIVE PBX FEATURES

The functionality currently enabled in Microsoft Phone System—in areas such as caller identification,

compliance, and routing—may not meet your business’s specific requirements. Keep an eye out for

a telephony partner that offers innovative PBX features that can help boost productivity. Here’s a

“top seven PBX features to look out for” list to keep handy:

Call controls

IVR and call handling

Automatic call recording

Reports and analytics

Call queues

SMS

Fax

RELIABILITY AND 99.999% UPTIME SLA

Reliability should be top of mind when researching your options. After all, service disruptions continue

to plague Teams, many of which last for hours. Microsoft currently guarantees an uptime SLA of only

99.9%, which equates to nearly nine hours of downtime per year. This lengthy amount of downtime just

means more lost revenue for your business.

Avoid the headache and build a backup plan by looking for a telephony partner that can offer 99.999%

uptime year-round—the highest in the industry. With 99.999% uptime SLA, users experience only six

minutes of downtime per year. Six minutes vs. nine hours: think of how much revenue you can save by

just selecting a more reliable telephony partner.

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TOP-TIER SECURITY

With data breaches on the rise, the costs of malicious attacks can be vast, especially for businesses

in data-sensitive verticals such as healthcare or finance.

“The average total cost of a data breach is $3.86 million”

—IBM Security, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020

Ensuring that any telephony platform has security at the forefront of its design is vital. Businesses

should look for solutions that offer accreditations and certifications such as:

● FINRA

● HIPAA

● SOC 2

● SOC 3

● HITRUST

In addition, ensure your telephony partner can provide seven layers of top-tier security to further

bulletproof your business.

MOBILITY

Simplify the user experience by having an “any mode, any device, anywhere” approach. Pick a telephony

partner that makes it easy for users to communicate and collaborate using any device on mobile, desktop,

or web. Ensure every user can communicate with others, both internally and externally, on a single

communications platform regardless of where they are—whether at home, in the office, or on the go.

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THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATIONS

There’s a huge selection of potential products and services now available on the market. When

researching potential telephony partners, remember to factor in flexibility and scalability. You want to

select a partner that can grow with your business and lets you easily add new users as your team grows.

Search for telephony partners that can offer additional flexibility via native integrations with a wide set

of popular business apps. Check to see if they have third-party integrations and open APIs to customize

your workflows and increase productivity. For example, your team can work directly from apps they

already use.

READY TO DEPLOY

Setting up and managing a new vendor can be a pain. Save yourself the time and energy by selecting a

partner that can take over the complicated work for you. Some vendors are happy to have you leave the

operation entirely up to them. Look for telephony partners that can help maintain and operate your

complete high-availability Teams Direct Routing infrastructure using Microsoft-certified SBCs—so you

don’t have to.

Get the winning combo with RingCentral Cloud PBX™ for Microsoft TeamsIf you’re looking for a telephony partner that hits every item on our “What to look for in a Teams

telephony partner” list above, then turn to RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams. RingCentral

Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams allows customers to combine Teams collaboration tools with a

market-leading cloud PBX. This Direct Routing integration offers a native, feature-rich PBX

experience, elevating collaboration for your entire team.

RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams also makes your job easier—you can easily manage

everything from an intuitive portal, and RingCentral helps manage the SBC so you can focus on what

matters most: your business.

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ADVANCED PBX CAPABILITIES

RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams extends far beyond simple calling. The PBX platform offers

users a unified communications experience with rich features such as IVR, call handling, QoS analytics

and call reports, and much more.

Businesses can gain valuable insights into their Teams’ calls using analytics to identify key trends across

individuals, teams, and the entire organization. This access to real-time data will help drive impactful

business decisions.

ENTERPRISE-GRADE TELEPHONY FOR ANY BUSINESS SIZE

Upgrade your capabilities from 26 countries that Microsoft offers to 40+ countries with RingCentral.

RingCentral also offers local and toll-free numbers in 110+ countries. And let’s not forget: Microsoft

Teams’ 99.9% uptime SLA translates to nine hours of downtime every year. With RingCentral, you can

upgrade to 99.999% uptime SLA, which translates to only six minutes of downtime per year.

RingCentral’s leading security certifications, such as SOC 3 and HITRUST, and compliance with industry

requirements, such as HIPAA and FINRA, ensure that users always operate securely and in accordance

with industry standards.

In addition, take advantage of 250+ integrations in the RingCentral App Gallery and open APIs through

the RingCentral developer portal to customize all your workflows. Enable your users to work directly

from apps they already use, whether it’s Salesforce, Google Cloud, Zendesk, or another popular app.

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https://www.ringcentral.com/apps/

https://developers.ringcentral.com/



UPLEVELING YOUR CALLING SOLUTION, TOGETHER

With RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams, all communication and collaboration essentials live

in the Teams platform. This drives productivity, enables your team to work from anywhere, and

simplifies the user experience. Users can get more work done with an industry-leading cloud PBX while

keeping Teams at the center of the collaboration experience. The best part is RingCentral grows with

your business and is always by your side to help maintain your Teams Direct Routing infrastructure.

You’re never alone when you partner with RingCentral.

To learn more about RingCentral Cloud PBX for Microsoft Teams, visit

ringcentral.com/microsoft-teams

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https://www.ringcentral.com/microsoft-teams.html

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