Voice

Trust is key for any cloud-based solution 

Security should be at the forefront of any cloud telephony solution and cloud-based telephony can actually be more, not less, secure than an on-premises solution. With complex encryption techniques and continual upgrades, cloud vendors are able to secure your voice as soon as a threat becomes known, far quicker than it would take to update your on-premises solution and without the need to costly system and app upgrades. 

Ensuring you get the maximum return on investment 

ROI is clear to see when comparing cloud-based telephony to an on-premises solution. A Forrester study suggests up to 42% saving when considering aspects such as Power requirements, staff, ongoing support, upgrades, hardware, data centre rental and PSTN call costs 

With a cloud-based telephony system solution, typically, PSTN circuits, support and updates are all including in one monthly fee, meaning predictable budgets with no surprises, no periodic system upgrades (eliminating planning and downtime) and lower technical resourcing costs. 

Unified Communication Manager Cloud 

Cisco UCM Cloud is part of Cisco’s cloud calling portfolio, is powered by Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager collaboration (CUCM) technology and is hosted in Cisco’s Webex data centres across the globe. The service offers the same familiar CUCM features, and user experience providing an ideal migration path to the cloud for enterprise customers. 
Customers who want to take the journey to the cloud but are reluctant to purchase a multi-tenant solution or are familiar with CUCM on-premise, can choose UCM-C and get a completely dedicated instance of Cisco’s market leading PBX, hosted in the cloud. Migration to the cloud is made easy by utilising hybrid tools to move users at a pace that suits your business. 

PSTN options for businesses of any size, anywhere

PSTN connectivity cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses need the flexibility to select services from different providers, in different regions around the world. Most importantly, this solution must be easy to manage—complex provisioning creates unnecessary barriers to business growth. 

• Cisco Calling Plans – Many businesses lack the time, resources, and expertise to manage a multi-vendor cloud solution. These organisations need a complete solution, delivered by a single vendor, that is centrally provisioned and managed. With Webex Calling, Cisco Calling Plans deliver a complete enterprise-grade phone system from a single cloud provider. 
• Cloud Connected PSTN – Enterprises with a global footprint often struggle to manage relationships with multiple regional providers. Each provider must be individually evaluated, certified, and connected, and it can take days for administrators to work separately with multiple providers to provision local numbers. Cloud Connected PSTN delivers a full PSTN replacement service in over 65 countries through a rich and growing selection of Cisco-certified providers. 

The Webex Security and Privacy Difference

Webex has security and privacy built into its approach to product design and delivery. All Webex services including Webex Calling have secure default settings out of the box, thereby enabling users to start collaborating freely without having to worry about configurations. At the same time, Webex delivers a great user experience, one that doesn’t compromise security. 
Webex and Webex Calling are backed by Cisco’s rich history and expertise in security—from the network, to endpoints, to the data centres and our cloud services. The security of Cisco products is independently verified by a team with hundreds of security advocates across multiple functions. 

Join the millions already using Teams for their PSTN needs. 

Working collaboratively, means everyone being able to work towards a common goal. Teams already gives users the ability to meet, message and share but now with Teams voice, you can reach your target audience and, crucially, they can reach you, via the PSTN. You can have your advertised DDI number ring directly on your Teams client, either on your desktop computer, mobile device, or Teams certified handset, and you can make and receive calls as you did before. 

Choose a PSTN solution that fits with your business 

There are three options to choose from when considering adding PSTN voice to your Teams solution, direct routing, calling plans and operator connect. 

• Calling Plans provides a simple and easy option when considering PSTN. They are provided directly from Microsoft and you simply add them through the Teams Admin Centre, making them a great option for small businesses with simple telephony needs. With Calling Plans you pay a simply monthly fee per user and you get calls to national and mobiles included. 
   
• Direct Routing provides your business with maximum flexibility by connecting your Teams tenant to a third party PSTN provider. This can be achieved in multiple ways by deploying customer owned Session Border Controllers (SBC) either on-premise or in your cloud, or by connecting to a direct routing as a service (DRaaS) solution. 
   
• Operator Connect gives you the ability to choose a provider directly from the Teams Admin Centre however, this is not provided by Microsoft as with a calling plan, this is a direct contract between your business and the provider. If your current PSTN provider is listed, you can choose to connect with them. 

Teams is an open-source ecosystem, with multiple vendors to choose from 

Microsoft Teams is as a platform rather than an App. Many elements come together to provide the Teams interface which is why it is such a flexible and powerful solution. Teams telephony is no different. 

All businesses have different needs and choosing a one size fits all is not always the best approach. We can help guide you through the many decisions needed when considering PSTN Voice for Teams and find the right fit for your business.