UCaaS with Microsoft Teams

As the off-site hosting of business infrastructure gains in popularity, many organizations are turning to platforms like Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Microsoft Teams, to provide a comprehensive and fully integrated suite of cloud communication and productivity tools. In this article, we’ll be looking at the features and benefits that this particular combination can bring.

How UCaaS Works

UCaaS or Unified Communications as a Service is a cloud-based approach to integrating business communication tools within a single, streamlined platform. These tools include services like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol or IP) telephony, video conferencing, file sharing, collaboration, and instant messaging.

UCaaS is also referred to as Unified Cloud Communications solutions and is delivered on demand “as a service” to consumers from a host or provider, through a subscription-based pricing model. The host assumes responsibility for providing and maintaining the UC infrastructure. However, organizations that opt for an on-premises deployment of Unified Communications tools can use their own private cloud resources.

The Unified Communications tools are available through a single software interface, which provides a consistent user experience across all devices. So subscribers can employ the same familiar set of controls to send or receive voice, text, instant messages, and email – regardless of whether they’re on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.

UCaaS may be adopted as an alternative to on-premises Unified Communications tools, a VoIP  phone setup, or a diversified set of business communication tools that includes a mixture of cloud applications, traditional desktop software, and tools from multiple vendors.

The UCaaS Advantage

Organizations that opt for UCaaS will typically enjoy a number of benefits, including:

• A lower total cost of ownership (TCO) across their business and cloud communications tools.
• Simpler communication and resource management across multiple sites or locations.
• Integration of visual features such as video conferencing, web conferencing, and screen sharing.
• Increased productivity through collaboration and data sharing across apps, including office suites, sales and marketing platforms like Salesforce, and social media.
• Support for mobility, through secure mobile apps and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies.
• An enhanced customer experience that unifies chat, email, phones, and other channels.
• Business continuity and Disaster Recovery (DR) processes, including broadcast over voice phones, instant messages, text, and email.

How Microsoft Teams Comes Into The Picture

Microsoft Teams is the cloud successor to Skype for Business, and increases the functionality of that previous platform by providing collaboration tools, app integration, and file storage. Organizations that implement a successful upgrade from Skype for Business Online to Teams can do so by taking advantage of Microsoft’s support services and online guidance, which include best practices, downloadable assets, no-cost instructor-led training, and Teams onboarding assistance with FastTrack.

In common with Unified Communications solutions, Microsoft Teams delivers high-definition audio and video experiences that allow users to interact and collaborate easily, regardless of their device or network. For example, Microsoft Teams Rooms provides virtual meeting spaces accessible with one touch join, and a rich set of artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities.

The Teams UI delivers consistent experiences across a range of Microsoft certified devices. And for Calling and Meetings, Microsoft Teams is supported by an ecosystem of partners with solutions ranging from devices to third-party integration – which includes Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) providers.

Teaming UCaaS With Teams – The Right Choice

With Calling and Meetings, Microsoft Teams delivers immersive experiences that help organizations boost their productivity. UCaaS platform providers and users can maximize on this opportunity by offering integrated messaging, calling, and meeting solutions built on Microsoft Teams.

There’s already a range of purpose-built devices to choose from. But to optimize the cost savings and productivity gains from any UCaaS-Microsoft Teams integration, smart vendor selection is key.

net2phone provides cloud communication solutions with everything you need to run your business communications successfully at scale – from robust voice features and powerful messaging tools, to powerful analytics and dashboards.  The net2phone solution integrates natively into the Microsoft Teams environment granting access to it’s global network and unlimited calling plans. And the best part – it can be set up in just minutes with a simple one-click configuration.

If you’d like to know how net2phone’s UCaaS solutions can integrate with your Microsoft Teams deployment, contact a net2phone expert.