One of the many things that make Microsoft Teams appealing to today’s companies as a centralised environment for collaboration and communication is its flexibility.
The solution is one of the most versatile on the market for UCaaS, thanks to an open environment, plenty of add-ons and integrations, and ways to connect your telephony.
Operator Connect is just one of the ways Microsoft allows companies to build their ideal communication technology stack within Teams.
However, many business owners still don’t fully understand how this solution works or what they might be responsible for in an Operator Connect plan. For instance, do you need an SBC for operator connect? Let’s find out.
How Do Operator Connect and SBCs Work?
Initially, the only way to bring your own communications vendor with you into Microsoft Teams was to use the Direct Routing solution. With Direct Routing, companies could unlock all kinds of versatile connections without relying on Microsoft’s Business Phone plans. However, the direct routing environment also requires some level of technical expertise.
Operator Connect is a way for businesses to leverage the benefits of bringing their carrier to Microsoft Teams without the headaches of Direct Routing. With Operator Connect, you choose one of the preferred participating operators in the Microsoft directory to manage your communications for you.
The fully-managed solution means your operator can handle all the complex parts of setting up your communication environment for you. A Session Border Controller, or “SBC”, is a network solution that secures voice over IP infrastructure while allowing for connections between various signalling messages and media sessions.
With an SBC, companies can access crucial benefits like:
- Security: Better protection against digital attacks on your UC network. This is becoming increasingly important in the hybrid world.
- Intelligent session control: Assistance with selecting the optimal route to deliver calls to your chosen destination through Teams.
- SIP interoperability: Improved mediation of SIP communications between various devices in a diverse ecosystem.
Virtually all businesses today will need to access an SBC solution as part of their UCaaS solution. Still, you may not have to purchase your system separately if you’re using Operator Connect.
Do You Need Your Own SBC with Operator Connect?
SBCs are a standard part of the modern UCaaS environment, and they’re ubiquitous in a space where companies manage communications from a range of environments. In a traditional Direct Routing environment, you will need to ensure the right SBC solution for your company. With Operator Connect, your Operator handles the SBC for you.
Operator Connect is similar to Direct Routing from Microsoft in its ability to ensure you can use the communications providers you most want to work with to empower your team. However, with Operator Connect, you also get extra benefits, like being able to quickly manage your squad and numbers from the Teams admin centre.
Operator Connect also has enhanced support compared to direct routing, as you’re accessing a completely operator-managed infrastructure. The company you choose to work with addresses all of the various aspects of connecting your company to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), including SBCs.
This means you not only save on the complexity of creating your communication stack with Operator Connect, but you can save on the costs of purchasing and managing tools like SBCs.
What are the Requirements for Operator Connect?
Of course, there are still requirements for those looking to leverage Operator Connect.
First, you’ll need to make sure the vendor you want to use with your communications strategy is part of the Operator Connect list of partners. This list is constantly growing, but you won’t have quite as much flexibility here as you would with direct routing.
Additionally, even though you’re connecting to a third-party service, you’ll still need a user license, either through an Operator Connect Conferencing license or a standard Microsoft PSTN Audio conferencing subscription license.
Once you start a partnership with a Microsoft Teams Operator Connect partner, you can rest assured that you’ll get high-quality service. Microsoft requires all Operator Connect partners to deliver an SLA to customers, provide a regulated or licensed level of service, and offer a tier 1 customer support experience.
Provided you have the right subscriptions in place, and you’re happy to connect with one of the approved vendors from Microsoft, Operator Connect will usually make your life a lot easier when getting business telephony in Teams.
Does Operator Connect Require Technical Knowledge?
Operator Connect allows companies to access user phone numbers directly from third-party operators while enjoying the simplicity of a direct admin portal experience. It’s generally easier to manage your entire communication ecosystem when you can handle everything within the admin centre rather than interacting with your direct routing provider.
With Operator Connect, there’s absolutely no technical configuration required, provided your users have a Teams Phone system license. You’ll be able to assign numbers in seconds and rely on your operator to provide all the technical setup, SBC, and equipment support you need.
Operator Connect makes it easy to scale, adapt, and expand the business according to your needs for companies without access to a lot of technical support in-house. You can even port Microsoft Calling Plan numbers and other numbers into your environment with assistance from your Connect provider.
What is the MetaSwitch Managed SBC for Operator Connect?
Microsoft has something to offer here if you’re looking for advanced SBC support through the Operator Connect environment.
After acquiring MetaSwitch in 2020, Microsoft implemented the new “Managed SBC for Operator Connect” solution built on the Microsoft-certified SBC (PermintaPermit). This service, hosted in the Azure cloud environment, offers a fast SaaS route for operators into Operator Connect.
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