By incorporating Teams with an outside PBX (such as VoIP applications like 3CX) businesses can have more flexibility for certain functions and features to be integrated, such as video conferencing, softphone/mobile applications, paging, call centre setups and queues, and IVR (Interactive voice response) auto-attendant.Direct Routing through a Canadian provider allows businesses to use their existing desk phones (or purchase new phones for as little as $60 – $300) and avoid additional licensing for users/extensions that do not require Microsoft Teams integration.Many Canadian businesses are instead considering their options outside of Microsoft’s service offerings, looking instead at incorporating direct routing from outside Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) Trunking providers, allowing for more choice on calling plans while receiving the same services at a lower rate.Option #2 – Use Direct Routing & a Calling Plan from a SIP Provider These increased costs, including standalone phone system requirements such as MS E5 licensing for each user, costs for a Teams certified Trunk (from Microsoft or from another certified source like Telecom Metric) and the Microsoft Teams-specific hardware and phones which range in price from $300 to $1000 each, can have a huge financial impact on your business, depending on your industry, budget and infrastructure.While utilizing a Microsoft-based calling plan may seem like a natural transition option from Skype for Business, it is important to note the high price tag for integrating and utilizing phone systems through Microsoft Teams certified Trunking.Option #1 – Purchase/Subscribe to a Calling Plan from Microsoft Luckily, many businesses can take this time to explore new options associated with the change. If your organization subscribes to any one of the Skype for Business calling plans, it will be your responsibility to prepare and set up for the transition this summer. Is your organization ready to transition into Microsoft Teams? While any new Microsoft Office 365 subscribers have been directed straight to Teams without the option to use Skype for Business, organizations that use or rely on the software for remote communication via Skype’s calling plans will have to transition themselves to Teams following the July 31st End of Life deadline. In late 2017, Microsoft announced that Skype for Business software and subscriptions would be discontinued in favour of the cloud-based team collaboration software, MS Teams. Skype for Business, formerly Microsoft Lync and Office Communicator, became the go-to enterprise software solution for businesses in the mid 2010’s as part of Microsoft’s product offering through Office 365 Subscriptions. The Skype for Business End of Life is set to take place July 31, 2021, and with that time creeping steadily towards us, organizations across every industry are asking: what’s next? These are for firms utilizing “cloud-only” or hybrid deployments as a last-mile transition service and are scheduled to begin in August.So long, Skype for Business! Is your organization ready? The company also announced that in the weeks ahead, they’ll begin scheduling Microsoft-assisted upgrades. Users can be moved directly from Skype for Business Server to Teams Only after configuring Skype for Business hybrid with Microsoft 365 or Office 365.Coexistence modes enable customers to operate Skype for Business Server/Teams side-by-side experiences until they are ready to move users to Teams Only.Customers will not be able to move online users out of Teams Only mode after retirement.This includes support for third-party audio-conferencing providers, Skype for Business Online Cloud Connector Edition, hybrid voice configurations, and Skype Meeting Broadcast. Services that integrate with Skype for Business Online will not be supported beyond the Jretirement.In Microsoft’s most recent blog post about the matter, they drew customer attention to a number of key changes, which include: The reminder says that it’s going away as of July 31, 2021, so you’ll need to complete your migration to Microsoft Teams (or an instance of Skype for Business Server), or have some other solution in place by then if you don’t want to suffer any business disruptions. If you’re still using Skype for Business at your firm, be advised that Microsoft recently sent another friendly reminder out to all users of the service.
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