Hello Readers, I hope you’re well.
Welcome to Episode 15 of the UCStatus Podcast. This episode features me (@randychapman), Shawn Harry (@shawnharry) and Mark Vale (@unifiedvale).
This week we talk about Teams voice “as a Service” providers and the need for a verification system to ensure they know what they are doing. With the sheer number of integrators and carriers throwing their hat in the ring to provide voice services for Teams, how do you know what you can expect? The simple fact is…
VOICE – IS – COMPLICATED
There are a lot of moving parts to consider. Every SBC is different. Every SIP carrier is different. Every customer and set of requirements is different. There are so many nuances to consider and you must be able to adapt and plan for every eventuality.
If a provider says they do Direct Routing as a Service, is that good enough? What is the minimum barrier for entry? It seems for some, its dial tone. Dial tone isn’t enough though. There’s definitely more to it than that.
Saying you do it isn’t enough in our opinion. We think Microsoft needs to step in and help the consumer with their decision. How? Certification.
Do you remember the old Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program (UCOIP)? We do. The UCOIP was/is a program run by Microsoft to certify certain thing to work with Microsoft UC. It’s been around since OCS and Lync 2010 days. One of the categories was certified SIP provider. Certified SIP providers had to go througha battery of tests to ensure they could deliver SIP to Lync. And we do mean Lync. Direct SIP to the mediation server, without the need for an SBC. Of course, we also thing an SBC is a good idea for a number of reasons. But the prospect is similar.
Can you provide voice services using Direct Routing to Teams? Having a certified SBC isn’t enough. In our opinion it needs to go further than that. Yes, there are Microsoft certifications for individuals and partners. Gold Communications for instance. But we don’t think it goes far enough. Have a listen…
What do you think? Have you worked with carriers or providers that need help? Would you look for a vendor certified provider for your project? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
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