SOLUTION SHEET
VOSS for Microsoft Enterprise Voice
Managing and operating a hybrid enterprise voice solution with traditional devices, services, and Microsoft Teams
Extending enterprise voice to Microsoft Teams
As an integral part of a digital workplace strategy, enterprise organizations are adopting the Microsoft Office 365 suite and moving to the cloud. They are also taking advantage of Microsoft Teams -included as part of the package – for their collaboration needs, driven by the unprecedented demand for remote working.
The challenge comes with extending and integrating this Microsoft Teams collaboration service into existing enterprise voice services and applications, often powered by Cisco or Avaya systems, so that everybody can freely communicate, whatever their choice of client.
The power of choice
Once fully integrated, it is possible to build a robust enterprise voice solution that can be managed efficiently through a single pane of glass, providing access to the PSTN for external calling to all and that keeps the need for further costly license purchases for such facilities to a minimum.
This is VOSS Automate: One system, providing management across the combined Cisco/Avaya and Microsoft solution, which in turn takes advantage of Microsoft’s Direct Routing technology to connect the two.
Benefits of a VOSS-managed collaboration solution
Introducing VOSS Automate for Microsoft Teams
VOSS provides end-to-end management of Microsoft Teams, UC and collaboration solutions, and enterprise voice, enabling organizations to take control of their collaboration platform. Businesses depend on Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams runs better with VOSS Automate.
VOSS Automate enables enterprise voice services (Cisco / Avaya) to be extended for use with Microsoft Teams and managed from a single pane view for all users, devices, and services.
| Extending enterprise voice to Microsoft Teams | The existing enterprise voice platform (Cisco or Avaya) is integrated directly into
the Microsoft Teams tenant using Microsoft’s Direct Routing technology. Enterprise
voice services are then extended to Microsoft Teams clients, providing break-out
(inbound, outbound calling) and allowing all clients to freely communicate (onnet). Personas are supported for Microsoft only clients, Cisco/Avaya only clients (IP phones, soft phones) or multi-vendor (Microsoft and Cisco/Avaya). Microsoft Teams users appear (with their same number) as endpoints on the platform. VOSS Automate simplifies the operation and management of this combined platform from a single pane view, covering dial plan management, call controls, call routing, and all numbers, users, devices and services that are deployed. Once connected, the existing configuration and users on the Microsoft Teams tenant is synchronized into VOSS Automate, providing visibility and management. VOSS drivers are included and selected as required when provisioning onto a Cisco solution, Microsoft Teams (using PowerShell scripts) or a third-party application. |
| Choice of clients for different worker needs | Clients maybe selected and freely mixed and matched based on the exact use case or application need – be that a mobile knowledge worker, a desktop-based user, a meeting / lobby / conference room, or full video conferencing facilities. Analog devices are supported via the enterprise voice solution. Should a user’s needs change over time – then alternative services and endpoints may be selected and provisioned from VOSS Automate. |
| Dial Plan and Number Management | All numbers – E164 telephony and internal extensions – are managed in the
number inventory. Numbers are marked as used when they are associated
against a user and are tagged as to their usage (Cisco-Only, MS-Only, Cisco-MS).
Numbers can be quarantined as part of an employee off-boarding process. Existing dial plan control and policies apply to all users on the estate – ensuring a consistent and secure deployment of enterprise voice with Microsoft Teams. |
| PSTN break-out and tariff control | By including the central PSTN break-out point into the solution, full flexibility and
control is opened for call tariffs – ensuring these can be catered to the needs of
individual enterprises, call costs can be reduced, existing commercial contracts if
in place with an enterprise customer can be honored and calls between different
types of clients can be kept fully on-net. The Microsoft standard Calling Plans for domestic and/or international calling are not required and are replaced by the above. |
| Managing Microsoft license costs | Most enterprise organizations make use of the Microsoft E3 user license (including Microsoft Exchange, the Office productivity suite and the Microsoft Teams client). The solution described here can make use of this existing user license, keeping the need to upgrade to the more expensive E5 license to a minimum. |
| Self-service administration | VOSS Automate provides a comprehensive data hierarchy and a role-based access mechanism to enable administrators from various departments, operating companies and customers to manage the service – providing controls but allowing service management to be delegated to the best points within an organization. |
| Industrialization | VOSS products are designed to operate in large scale, complex
enterprise/partner environments where performance, working at scale,
robustness, multi-tenancy, and concurrent access are important requirements. |
| Extensibility | Adaptation template framework for rapid development of new features, optimization of workflows and alignment with business processes. |
| Assurance and analytics | Deep insight into service operations and the quality of the integrated solution, including advanced analytics that measure how the service is being consumed, and the ability to automate responses to any issues that are raised. This capability requires the VOSS Assurance and Analytics product (optional). |
| Billing and reporting | Where changes to either part of the estate (Cisco/Avaya or Microsoft) are made
and these result in a billable change, these may be reported dynamically and
automatically northbound into a suitable billing platform for timely and accurate
raising of charges. This capability requires the VOSS NBI Module (optional). Included with VOSS AUtomate is a reporting feed for the combined estate that maybe consumed by higher level reporting systems. |
| VOSS licensing | Licensed on a per-user-per-month basis (subscription based on usage). |
