WHITE PAPER Getting Collaboration Right

A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 Communication with Collaboration – a digital revolution
Phone system. PBX. Telephony. Communications. All of these
terms have historically been used to describe enterprise voice
communications. This technology was distinctly separate from other
IT tools. It was owned by “Telecom Managers” and telephony was
considered something of a mysterious art, the preserve of specialists
in the field.

Then along came unified communications (UC), a blurring of the boundaries, a move to have telephony
merged with instant messaging and other IT platforms. Many “UC” providers hailed from traditional
telephony backgrounds including Mitel, Avaya, Unify and Alcatel. Voice was very much at the core of UC.
Even new entrants to the UC market, such as Microsoft, positioned their Lync then Skype for Business
offerings as a specialist, dedicated telephony solution with some added extras such as presence, and
document sharing. But it remained a little detached from other IT business tools.

While unified communications remains current, collaboration is the new king

So where are we now? While unified communications remains current, collaboration is the new king.
True enterprise collaboration finally brings the worlds of voice, video, messaging, document sharing and
business application integration together into a single IT platform. What’s more, it’s cloud based and
offered on a subscription basis for ease of access and scalability.

But how do enterprises, with years of legacy telephony equipment, typically

different UC solutions in different countries and usually with a plethora of
different messaging tools used by employees, actually move to the new
world of truly integrated enterprise collaboration? How do they do this
seamlessly, without pain, and in a way that encourages user adoption of
the new tools?

This White Paper explores some of the issues at hand, and offers some
answers, with a specific focus on how enterprises can get collaboration
right by moving to Microsoft Teams, the application that has quickly emerged as the dominant enterprise
collaboration platform.

Digital Evolution – Microsoft Teams

When Microsoft Teams was initially released in 2017 it caused significant waves in the market. It was a
bold move, creating a “Single Pane of Glass” for all Microsoft Online Services. The development always
had a replacement for Skype for Business in mind. Once Microsoft re-engineered how Microsoft Teams
would manage calls and improved the user experience, call quality and stability, 2018 saw the release
of full voice capabilities. This also introduced the Direct Routing feature which allowed organisations to
utilise their existing telephony provider for lines and minutes as an alternative to Microsoft Calling Plans,
which are not available in all countries.

2 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 Since then, Microsoft has regularly announced new
Describing Microsoft Teams as a unified features and capabilities that have completely changed
communications solution actually only the way organisations are able to communicate and
refers to a very small part of what collaborate. In fact, when you analyse the different
Microsoft Teams can do, describing it communication methods provided within Microsoft
as a unified collaboration solution truly Teams, regardless if that’s in a message, a call or a
states what it delivers. video conference, it’s all about collaborating better
and more efficiently as a team.

Microsoft Teams brings a fully integrated window to an organisation’s communication needs sitting
alongside their files and folders that can been worked on collaboratively with team members.

This has largely been achievable through Microsoft SharePoint, which is fundamentally the way that
files and folders are managed in Microsoft Teams. Each time you create a Teams Channel, it is in fact
created in SharePoint, when you add files to that Teams Channel they are uploaded to SharePoint.
Microsoft Teams doesn’t actually hold the data or information, in its simplest form it’s a gateway or
portal to all of the Online Services Microsoft offers to its customers in one place.

Considering voice specifically, Microsoft Phone System and

Calling Plans (formerly known as Cloud PBX and PSTN Calling Bringing together telephony and
respectively) have made a dramatic impact on the market. collaboration is the evolution of
In terms of voice functionality, Microsoft Teams is by far the communication and highlights the
most evolved UC and collaboration platform available today. direction that digital transformation
No complicated software upgrades required, and in any case, is going.
how many users really need 200 phone features? Microsoft
Teams delivers what most companies need (especially when combined with some voice expertise from
vendors such as AudioCodes), but importantly, it’s a completely different way of working.

For enterprises considering migration to Microsoft Teams, the same principles apply as they did when
an organisation moved from legacy PBXs to Skype for Business. Interestingly it’s still important to follow
the same processes if moving from Skype for Business Server (on-premises) to Microsoft Teams. Every
enterprise must carefully evaluate and plan its users’ migration accordingly.

If you’ve already started using Microsoft Teams, or are seriously

considering doing so, you may be compelled to start migrating
some users who may not need the full feature set, which is
actually a really good way to improve user adoption.
From a collaboration perspective Microsoft Teams offers users a
feature rich environment, along with the capability to chat, peer
to peer videos and calling - why wouldn’t you embrace it?

Additionally, the good news is that a migration can be done gradually. AudioCodes can provide the
necessary tools for the migration journey or indeed complete the migration for you with our Live for
Microsoft Teams managed service. The purpose of this White Paper is to provide some practical guidance
on how AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams enables such a migration.

3 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 We understand your business
Customer Discovery Video Call
You may have seen a social media post, you may have met one of our team at an event or seminar, you
might then choose to look at the AudioCodes website and decide that you’d like to talk to one of our
unified communications (UC) consultants by clicking the “Talk to a Consultant” button. An AudioCodes
UC consultant will arrange to have a Microsoft Teams video call with you to run through what we call a
Customer Discovery Questionnaire (CDQ).

This first stage in the process is to listen. We will run through a high-level set of questions so that we
can understand more about your business challenges, your existing technology, how you use it and any
other compliance, regulatory or 3rd party integrations that need to be considered. We will also help
you and your organisation understand the solutions we offer for Microsoft Teams and answer any
questions that you may have. Once we have completed the call, our consultant will fill out a CDQ with
all the information that you discussed.

Example CDQ Questions:

1. What is the size of your organisation? The number of staff that your organisation has, the
number of offices/locations and any other remote office that requires inclusion.

2. Do you have a current UC solution in place, such as Microsoft Skype for Business or any other
UC solution or combination of products that you consider to be your UC solution?

3. What telephony solutions are you currently using across your sites? In our experience there
may be some unknowns, as most telephony solutions have grown organically, so whatever
information you can provide is massively helpful.

4. Do you have a Microsoft Office 365 account? Is your Active Directory replicated to Office 365?
Do you currently use Microsoft Exchange for your email solution? Is it part of your Office 365
environment?

As stated, these are just sample questions that our UC consultant will ask to ascertain what you currently
have and indeed if Microsoft Teams will fulfil your organisation’s requirements and expectations. You
will be provided a copy of the CDQ along with an initial proposal for the solution that our UC consultant
recommends for your organisation.

4 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 The AudioCodes Live – Microsoft Teams Delivery Framework
To ensure that we are providing the best solution to our customers, AudioCodes follows a Microsoft
Teams delivery framework, the framework has “Milestones” or “Goals” that must be met for the
process to move forward.

As an example, if after receiving a copy of the Customer Discovery Questionnaire, and you feel that an
important element has been excluded, we will run through the process again to ensure that we include
as much as possible that will have an impact or bearing on the outcome of the solution. Only then will
we move forward into the next phase.

ANALYSIS AND DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

• Technical Design Session • Environment Readiness (Data Centre, Network,

• High Level Design Telephony)
• Business Analysis and Stakeholder • Core solution build
engagement • Testing & acceptance
• Low Level Design • Proof of Concept (POC) Program

DISCOVERY AND ASSESSMENT PLANNING MIGRATION

• Network and Microsoft environments • Project Plans (Technical Delivery, • Training Delivery
• Site Audits / Surveys Communications & Training) • Number porting & User Migration
• Stakeholder Interviews • Test & Acceptance Plans • Floorwalking
• Champion building • Handover to Service

5 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 The Discovery & Planning Workshop (Formally a High-Level Design Workshop)
The Discovery and Planning Workshop is normally conducted on-
premises; however, sometimes due to geographic locations, some
elements may be completed remotely. Our workshops will cover a
number of different areas, again all of which are to ensure that the
solution we deliver will meet your requirements and expectations.

Organisational Readiness
By conducting an organisational awareness as part of the Discovery and Planning Workshops, we will
immediately identify any weaknesses within your organisation and where special attention needs to
be given. As part of this process AudioCodes will arrange interviews with stakeholders. Stakeholders
will also provide feedback about information and challenges that were previously unknown, which can
now be documented to ensure that nothing is missed or overlooked.

The objective of this organisational analysis is to:

• Identify the key departments and service areas across the organisation
• Gain context around the role each department and service area play within the organisation
• Identify primary methods of communication that are used today
• Identify common interactions between departments (both internally and externally)
• Understand some of the key challenges that each area faces today

The information that is gained will be used in the Discovery & Planning Document, which highlights
areas that need special attention and further consideration. It also identifies roles and responsibilities
to ensure a successful project delivery.

Stakeholder Interviews

Stakeholder Interviews are an extremely effective series of workshops with the business stakeholders.
The purpose of the workshops is to understand the business unit and their objectives and associated
needs. It’s also an ideal opportunity to introduce the solution to a broader selection of users through
the business stakeholders.

This gives the opportunity for them to voice the pain points that they experience trying to conduct
their day-to-day jobs. In addition to the usual answers of phone, email, face-to-face meetings etc. it
will also uncover the wide use of “Shadow IT”, i.e. unauthorised applications, ranging from files being
shared using Google Apps, Dropbox, and Instant messaging using Messenger, WhatsApp etc.

This very simple step suddenly makes the workforce feel engaged and part of the process and that their
opinions help towards the end solution. Additionally, it feeds information back to the leadership team
on the organisation’s readiness to implement a Microsoft Teams solution.

It will also identify any additional training that will need to be delivered to ensure that all employees
are able to complete their tasks without being hindered.

6 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 User Personas
As part of the Discovery and Planning Workshops, AudioCodes will identify “User Personas”. Most
organisations have around 4 or 5 different user personas, but there is no limit. However, it’s generally
better to have as few as possible from a management perspective.

User personas identify where someone works, how someone works, and what they need to communicate
effectively ensuring they have the right tools to complete their tasks.

Example User Personas

User Type Description

Device: Work laptop or desktop PC

Office-based Worker Client: Microsoft Teams for Windows PC
End-Point: AudioCodes Handset & USB Headset
Device: Personal laptop or desktop PC (BOYD)
Home-based Worker Client: Microsoft Teams client for Windows PC
End-Point: USB Headset / Mobile phone / Tablet
Device: Work laptop and Work mobile phone
Remote / Field-based Worker Client: Microsoft Teams for Windows PC & for mobile
End-Point: Bluetooth Headset / Mobile phone / Tablet
Device: Work laptop PC
Hotdesk Worker Client: Microsoft Teams for Windows PC
End-Point: AudioCodes Handset & USB Headset (Optional)
Device: N/A
Meeting Room Client: N/A
End-Point: AudioCodes RX Suite room conferencing solution

Endpoint Selection

In addition to creating a list of user personas, AudioCodes will run a “Device Bar” – this in its simplest
form is a desk with a variety of devices which will be made available to employees once Microsoft
Teams is implemented. It’s also advisable to select a couple of devices per user persona.

Most organisations that transition to Microsoft Teams try to encourage their employees to use a headset,
but this can be a false economy over the lifetime of a solution. It is estimated that an organisation will
need 3 headsets per person over the lifetime of a solution, and a good quality headset can cost as
much as a midrange desk phone.

Headsets are seen as a personal device. For health reasons it’s not advisable to share headsets, whereas
desk phones can be reused if an employee leaves or is absent. Equally it’s impractical to take a desk
phone home each day in contrast to a USB headset.

A reputable USB headset will be bullet-proof in terms of reliability and can be plugged into most good
quality desk phones. Bluetooth devices are more expensive. They do typically have much more features
but if you have a large office they can cause significant congestion as they all transmit on the same
frequency. They are ideal though for a field-based worker, but here again their life expectancy is quite
low with a typical worker requiring a replacement device every 12 months.

7 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 Discovery & Planning Workshop Summary

After the completion of the workshop, you will be provided with two outputs.

Firstly, an executive summary, designed to explain the business challenges, how we can help address
those challenges with an outline project timeline and budget. This document is for the leadership team.

Secondly, the detailed discovery and planning workshop summary document, which provides all of
the detail and design elements as discussed at the workshop. This forms a plan of record for the IT /
technical team who have participated in the workshop.

Statement of Works

Providing that you are happy with the information that we’ve collated and the solution that we are
recommending, we will move forward to create a Statement of Works (SOW). The end of this phase
is a key “milestone”. A “Statement of Works” is created with the technical detail that’s required to
implement the solution. It contains information such as IP address ranges, phone number ranges etc..

Proof of Concept (POC)

Why should you consider a proof of concept for a product that is a part of the Office
365 suite? The answer lies in Microsoft Teams’ versatility. Running a proof of concept
allows you to explore those capabilities before you try and incorporate Microsoft Teams
into your organisation’s broader business workflows. It will also test any compliance,
regulatory or 3rd party integrations. Quite often a POC will uncover areas that had
not previously been considered and give time to rectify without disrupting the entire
business.

During the POC phase, your IT teams will also have time to consider some of the governance and
security controls which need to be established prior to full roll out.

Microsoft Teams is designed for quick, but persistent collaboration that puts the power in the hands of
your users to create teams, invite others (even those outside your organisation), add channels, apps,
data sources etc. The ease of use is one of its strengths, but it also means IT teams must walk a fine
line between leveraging the full capabilities of the platform and having the necessary governance and
controls in place.

Some of the questions that IT teams need to think about include:

• Should anyone be able to create a team, or should it be controlled?

• What mechanisms will we use to avoid duplication of information?
• Will there be a naming standard for Microsoft Teams and how will this be enforced?
• How do we enforce compliance for Microsoft Teams that meets the business requirements?
• Do I have the required licensing?
• As an admin how do I discover content in Teams for investigative purposes?
• Will we allow automatic provisioning of new teams?
• Will guest access be enabled and how will we manage access, security and lifecycle of guest accounts?

8 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams

 Project Delivery & User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

As we provide Microsoft Teams voice solutions to our customers, quality assurance is critical in achieving
our goal of delivering “right first time”. Testing against all client’s requirements and driving the delivery
of high-quality code helps us to reduce User Acceptance Testing (UAT) effort and rework. Through the
scoping and planning phases, we ascertain the level and depth of quality assurance necessary and
tailor our QA efforts accordingly. During the project build phase, we focus solely on functional system
testing of the solutions developed.

As this is the last “milestone” it is essential that the UAT is successful. Once we have delivered the
solution and either handed over to the internal IT team or started up the managed service, the day-to-
day user assistance and system maintenance starts.

Summary
Enterprises are seeking to move away from separate AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams
telephony solutions to true collaboration platforms. provides a managed service to seamlessly
Microsoft Teams has rapidly emerged as the leading and fully voice-enable Teams.
platform for this given Microsoft’s dominance of the
business application arena.

For enterprises with a Microsoft Teams strategy, AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams provides
a managed service to seamlessly and fully voice-enable Teams. The core service includes Teams
Direct Routing connectivity, Microsoft tenant management, user lifecycle management, moves/add/
changes/deletes (MACD), plus integration with on-premises IT and legacy voice communications (PBX)
equipment to ensure a seamless migration. It can be deployed as a cloud, on-premises or hybrid model
depending on your preferred IT strategy. Per-user-per-month predictable pricing is ideal for budget
planning, and additional devices such as conference phones, IP phones, and analogue ports may be
added on a per-device-per-month pricing basis. AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams is the easy way
to bring productivity and collaboration to your enterprise.

To learn more about AudioCodes Live for Microsoft Teams and talk to a UC consultant, please visit this webpage:
https://liveteams.audiocodes.com/

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9 Getting Collaboration Right – A Practical Guide to Moving to Microsoft Teams