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How to transform Microsoft Teams into a single Unified Comms solution

19 May 2021

Microsoft Teams is a great product. It is head and shoulders above other collaboration solutions on the market. But it lacks one key capability to make it a truly unified communications solution.

 

When the pandemic hit, businesses without cloud-based communications quickly realised they did not have the on-premises systems or collaboration tools to provide support for remote and home-based employees. 

To plug the communication gap, many quickly adopted tools in a piecemeal approach - like Zoom for video conferencing, and Slack for channel-based messaging.

Now as we settle into a semi-permanent workforce cadence, business has been contemplating how best to manage a workforce which is likely to remain more distributed than it was prior to the pandemic.  

 

Microsoft Teams is closest to a full Unified Comms solution

For value and functionality, available through one interface, Microsoft Teams is head and shoulders above other UC solutions. It delivers a large number of unified communications capabilities including

  • Instant messaging
  • Voice calling
  • Video calling and videoconferencing
  • File sharing and real-time document collaboration
  • Team-focused/Project-focused communication

Microsoft Teams has all the functionality required to effectively manage and organise a remote team.

Teams will streamline processes, allow staff to work in the way that suits them best, and overall keep people connected and productive no matter the time, place or device.

However, there is one thing that Microsoft Teams doesn’t have built in, and this is the thing that prevents it from being a standalone, fully integrated, unified communications solution.

Teams does not have built-in telephony at its core. 

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Telephony is essential for true Unified Comms

Wait, I can hear you saying, I can make phone calls on Teams. 

Out-of-the box, Teams supports the ability for users to make voice over IP (VoIP) calls from Teams client to Teams client. It does not allow calls outside of the Teams environment. If you want your users to be able to call regular phones you will need to upgrade your Microsoft licensing.

Microsoft offers Phone System as its Teams telephony bolt-on and while it does offer some functionality, it doesn’t provide the enterprise-quality voice capabilities that most enterprises require. 

 

Microsoft Teams + Telstra Calling for Teams = Unified Communications

Telstra is Microsoft’s preferred calling provider for Microsoft 365 in Australia.

Telstra Calling for Microsoft 365 brings together the best of Microsoft’s cloud collaboration tools with Telstra’s voice, network and services expertise.

Microsoft teams + Telstra Calling

Telstra calling

 

How Telstra Calling for Teams works

Telstra provides a fully managed link directly into Microsoft Teams, so all users will need is adequate internet access. There's no need for complex technology roll outs.
 
Each user is allocated a phone number associated with their Microsoft Teams client. The business can choose to migrate or port existing landline numbers, or allocate new ones.
 
For organisations not ready to move voice completely to the cloud, there is the option to host complex users in the Telstra private cloud and move those who are cloud-ready to the Microsoft public cloud. Alternatively, Telstra can provide a managed gateway to connect the on-premises voice environment to the Microsoft Cloud.
 
Mid-2020, Telstra announced its Teams Calling would be extended to international numbers in selected countries paving the way for multi-nationals to adopt the solution as its primary unified communications tool . 
 
 
Telstra calling for Teams

 

MobileCorp Microsoft 365 & Telstra Calling for Teams

MobileCorp is a Microsoft Partner and a Telstra Platinum Mobility Partner. Our expertise spans both Microsoft 365 and Telstra managed services. We assist organisations with their Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Teams adoption, either with or without Telstra Calling.

Our Microsoft 365 professional services include 

  • consultancy and solution scoping
  • solution architecture
  • tenancy design and build
  • migration
  • licensing

We also offer a Microsoft 365 managed service, which may be charged to a Telstra bill, and delivers:

  • tenancy management
  • end user moves, adds and changes (MAC)
  • licensing management
  • technical support service desk
  • security monitoring
  • back-up service
  • reporting package

 Learn more about MobileCorp Microsoft 365 & Telstra

 
Telstra calling for microsoft 365 brochure cover
 
telstra teams calling
 

About MobileCorp

MobileCorp is a Sydney-based communications technology company. We support companies by providing managed mobility and ICT services including UEM and EMM, mobile device security, expense management and managed connectivity solutions.

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