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TagMicrosoft 365

Why do I need upgrade guidance? Can’t I just delete/decommission Skype for Business?

In FAQ
September 23, 2021
1 Min Read
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Microsoft has now declared Teams as the new norm of telephony. After Skype for Business has retired, organizations are advised to migrate to Teams via a Migration process and plan. A Migration plan lets you organize your contacts and notify them earlier about how they would be migrated to teams. In addition to this, with a proper plan, you can upgrade in batches, and thus, all of the employees aren’t affected all at once. Simply deleting Skype for Business server will only remove all the contacts and meeting data from your skype and you wouldn’t be able to shift all of it in Teams.

MachCloud offers easy Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams migration with its Teams migration options and Direct Routing deployment. It offers Direct Routing, Cloud services, Microsoft 365 help, and services. MachCloud experts can help you get through all the migration loopholes from Skype for Business Server to Teams.

DID YOU FIND THIS INTERESTING? WHY NOT READ: “ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR EFFECTIVE MICROSOFT TEAMS MIGRATION“?

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All you Need to Know for effective Microsoft Teams Migration

In Business Communication, Microsoft Teams
July 19, 2021
3 Min Read
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Many users plan their migration from Skype to Teams. If you haven’t marked your calendars already, 31st July is the date when Skype for Business is officially retiring.

Migrating data and contacts to the new environment, Microsoft Teams, is a sensitive task. You need to be equipped with all the knowledge for Microsoft Teams migrations and deployment. A Microsoft Teams implementation checklist comes in handy while you are planning to migrate.

Why should I migrate to Teams anyway?

Microsoft Teams extends the capabilities offered by Skype for Business. So, with Microsoft Teams, you are all set to experience file storage, video meetings, chat, voice calling, app integrations and much more under a unified platform. Here are the top 5 things you need to know before you migrate to Teams.

  • MachCloud Operation Teams assistance on Onboarding and Deployment Phases

The operations team is available for any assistance 24×7 to support your needs. The migration must be done in phases and at any point, if you need assistance, MachCloud operations Team is ready to the rescue!

  • Know the size and location of your Team

Microsoft Teams migration largely depends on the size of the company. Size and geographical locations are important topics, especially if you have geographical separated organizations and employees in different timezones

  • Get a solution to Streamline Enterprise Team Operations

Use MachCloud professional team to get down to the nitty-gritty, they will come up with a plan that is best for your organization’s Skype to Microsoft Teams Migration. 

  • Know how to measure the effectiveness

In order to avail the maximum potential from Teams, you must know how effective it is in the organization. Tools like Teams Admin Center, Power BI templates and Call Quality Dashboard are there to help improve operations.

  • Forecast the costs

Teams Migrations require costs both from external and internal. However, In the long run, Teams will help save money for the entire business communication infrastructure. The internal efforts will be the costs of paramount importance and should definitely be on your Microsoft Teams implementation checklist. Another cost is a Microsoft 365 license depending upon the size of the company.

RELATED: SKYPE FOR BUSINESS ONLINE RETIRES | MICROSOFT TEAMS IS THE NEW NORM

MachCloud offers best-in-line Skype to Teams Migration Services

MachCloud is an all-in-one unified business communication platform and provides Professional Services. It streamlines Teams migrations with its Skype to Teams migration services. From pre-migration check to on-boarding, MachCloud experts provide assistance on every phase of Teams Migration. The entire process is smooth and streamlined based on fixed-price project offering.

So, head up your organization’s entire business communication with the most modern tools with MachCloud. 

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What are the benefits of Microsoft Teams?

In FAQ
August 12, 2020
1 Min Read
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Microsoft Teams has provided many business benefits to organizations like IT companies, Educational institutes, Government sectors, Hospitals, and many more. Microsoft Teams provide collaboration to its users that results in the next level of interaction between the users of the same type.

MS Teams let users interact in a variety of ways such as video conferencing, audio conferencing, persistent chat, and many others. Microsoft Teams is native to Microsoft 365, so sharing is a lot easier than via OneDrive. Microsoft Teams are easily set up using an existing Cloud PBX system. Microsoft Teams are easily adoptable due to Teams Calling Plans and Teams Direct Routing options. Microsoft Teams also provide features like Guest login, app management, admin rights, and much more. It is cross-functional in nature.

From a security perspective, MS Teams have various benefits since the chats remain private. Microsoft deploys best security practices in Teams like end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication. Microsoft Teams, thus, serves as a secure mode of business communication.

To know more about Microsoft Teams benefits, contact a MachCloud expert today. 

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New Voice Devices for a rich Microsoft Teams experience

In Microsoft Teams, SIP Trunking
August 10, 2020
3 Min Read
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Many eyebrows were raised when the announcement of Skype for Business End of Life was made last year from Microsoft, that too, in favor of a new M365 system: Microsoft Teams. Not only Teams is native to Microsoft 365, but is also an “integrated” system that provides the business a modern communication solution; a full-fledged Microsoft Teams phone system.

Not only Microsoft offers a business-oriented telephony system but it also fosters better communication with its certified Microsoft Teams desk phones like Yealink VP59 and other Voice and Display devices. Recently, Microsoft announced some advancement in its Teams functionalities including an introduction of SIP Phones!

The need for Teams Voice Devices

With the rapid adoption of Microsoft Teams, especially after the pandemic, organizations are finding ways to collaborate with video and audio-conferencing capabilities. Teams Voice and Display Devices are used to cater to the growing business collaboration need as companies make the shift to a hybrid mode of work. Apart from typical desk phones like Yealink VP59, Microsoft is introducing the capability of fully integrated Teams SIP based Phones for a rich Microsoft Teams phone system experience. These phones are expected to have basic Phone capabilities while working with Microsoft Teams. Basic features include ring, dial, and answer functionality. They can, however, not feature the more advanced Teams functionalities

A look into existing Skype for Business 3rd Party IP (3PIP) phones

The Skype for Business 3PIP phones work with specific firmware and can get on with Microsoft Teams via a specific “cloud gateway”.

Microsoft also made another interesting announcement in the same blog regarding Skype for Business 3PIP phones. The timeline for Skype for Business 3PIP IP Phones, which haven’t migrated to Teams yet, has been extended beyond the previously set date i.e. July 31st, 2023.

These phones have firmware options for standard SIP as well.

RELATED: MICROSOFT TEAMS INTEGRATION WITH BUSINESS PHONE: WHAT TO EXPECT?

MachCloud- A Reliable Telephony Solution Provider

MachCloud stands out from the other Telephony providers with its unique set of services in the most pocket-friendly rates. The high-rated back-end infrastructure is what makes MachCloud telephony services robust. Offering services like Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, VoIP, and Microsoft Teams, MachCloud has got many solutions for reliable service delivery.

With MachCloud, you get smooth business-critical solutions in a matter of hours. These solutions can take your business communication to the next level. Born-in-the-cloud MachCloud platform lets you enjoy your company work from anywhere. We offer instant delivery, easy management, simple and centralized services for your day to day business communication.

Whether it is Teams or Migration or any other Microsoft 365 offering like Exchange, SharePoint, Azure, OneDrive, our teams are ready for the rescue. Out experts value your existing systems and take full responsibility to successfully perform the deployment and migrations. With MachCloud, you are free to grow your channels.

Get started with MachCloud for a smooth Microsoft Teams experience for your business.

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5 steps to choose the right Microsoft 365 plans

In Microsoft 365
August 5, 2020
3 Min Read
5

Microsoft 365 plans are readily adopted by companies that go for the cloud-first approach. Businesses must find the Right M365 plan for better productivity.

Deciding which M365 plan to choose for business is a common business decision. However, there are so many options with Microsoft 365 plans that might perplex you.  Managers and CSPs often find it too difficult to decide which Microsoft 365 plan to go with.

A basic Tip: Keep your cool and analyze your business requirements first.

With that said, let’s dive into the basic steps to ease the decision-making process for choosing the Right M365 plan for your business.

1.      Assess things properly

It is essential to know the type of computers the employees are working on, what the business’s core applications are, and what are the current issues with the systems. Further, you must know what are the areas for which you’ll have to adopt Microsoft 365 Migration.

2.      Know your needs

Answer the following questions to get a basic idea of your needs:

  • Why are you making the shift to the cloud? ( Increase security, increase productivity or it’s a nice-to-have thing for your business)
  • Do you fulfill specific compliance needs?
  • What are the critical business features that will benefit from a cloud-first approach?
  • Do you want an improved internal collaboration?

Amongst employees and departments, needs vary across the company. Your salespeople will have a few different needs than the dev. department.

3.      Plan a budget

For the company, it is required to take up a business plan that falls under the budget.  It is important to know that Microsoft 365 plans are flexible and billed per-user, month-by-month basis, or even based on a yearly contract.

In action to this, you need to have to cater for the migration costs. If you have an IT Team at hand, you might save some bucks there.

4.      Pick your plan

There are many Microsoft 365 plans to choose from. It is always great to get a comparison. Microsoft assists businesses with its comparisons of Business Plans and Enterprise Plans. You can choose from plans like Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Apps. In addition to this, there are other plans for nonprofits, first line workers, government, and education.

5.      Reevaluate the licensing and business requirements

Once you have adopted the plan and gone along with it for a year or so, you might want to reconsider opting to another option based on your changing business requirements. It is never too late to assess and start over the process again based on changing market trends.

Related:  TOP 5 BENEFITS OF OFFICE/MICROSOFT 365 FOR BUSINESS

MachCloud – the All in one communication platform for business

MachCloud is a comprehensive and cross-functional business communication platform. Born in the cloud, MachCloud has got all it needs for the latest digital business communication provisioning for the businesses of today. It provides Microsoft 365 Business plans and Enterprise plans. You can select what is suitable for your business according to the number of employees and other factors.

Get started with MachCloud for a smooth Microsoft 365 experience and expert advice on selecting the plan suitable for your business.

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A guide to Deploy Microsoft Teams Direct Routing

In Microsoft Teams
July 23, 2020
3 Min Read
A

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing has gained immense popularity ever since the concept of modern business telephony is introduced. An on-premises telephony system infrastructure being directly linked to Microsoft Teams gives an edge to your business phone system. Microsoft has provided a full-fledge documentation on the step by step guide for Deploying Direct Routing for latest cloud business communication. However, it is very complicated to implement involving PowerShell scripts and connectivity protocol including security implementation. There are providers who easily can set up your business telephony with Microsoft Teams, without any hassle for you.

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing makes you do more with less

The Direct Routing feature expands the capabilities of Teams. There are two major phases to deploy Direct Routing in Microsoft Teams. These are: 

  • Planning & Prerequisites

  • Deploying Direct Routing

Planning the Business Telephony System

It is important to know the details of Teams Direct Routing before Deployment. Direct Routing allows the customers to interoperate with third party systems like on-premises PBX, Microsoft Phone system and Analogue devices. It further lets you leverage the existing infrastructure which you are using with other service providers. It facilitates users who do not have calling plans in their area. It is important to know the licensing requirements before you get started with direct routing.

RELATED: HOW Machcloud Teams FACILITATES BUSINESSES WITH TEAMS DIRECT ROUTING

Deploying Microsoft Teams Direct Routing with your local provider

The following steps are performed under this phase:

Step 1: Enable Direct Routing

In this step, the connection between Teams admin center and your local provider is created. No configuration at your side, all is fully automated provisioned by your local provider.

Step 2: Enable users for Direct Routing

For this step, you need to first create a user in Microsoft 365 and assign a license. You can create users via admin center. You can then assign the right Microsoft licenses to this user.

  • Configure Voice Routing Options

You can either configure Teams to route through a voice channel directly to the phone network or configure Teams to connect to existing PBX.

  • Phone number

A new or existing phone number can be assigned to a Teams user or an existing PBX extension number can be assigned to a Teams user. This process is automated by your telephony provider.

MachCloud helps companies in setting up their business telephony like no other

MachCloud is an all-in-one business telephony system provider that assists companies and organizations ranging from SMEs to enterprise level, in providing business phone systems. The services include Cloud PBX (Hosted PBX), SIP Trunking and Microsoft Teams Direct Routing. With its Teams-oriented unique solutions like Teams Calling Plans and Teams Extension, MachCloud stands out from other providers in the market. 

Get started with MachCloud to get details on Teams Direct Routing setup and enjoy state of the art business telephony service and cloud business communication.

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How to set up a Microsoft Phone System?

In Digital Communications, FAQ
July 21, 2020
1 Min Read
H

The first thing you need to figure out is that the Microsoft Phone system is available in your country. This phone system requires you to have a Microsoft 365 license. The steps to get a Phone system are the same as acquiring a license for Microsoft 365. By using Direct Routing from your local Telecom Provider, you can have any available national or international Calling plan from them. The next step is to get Phone numbers for your users. Your existing phone numbers can also be ported while you choose the Microsoft Phone system.

Microsoft provides full-fledged documentation for setting up Microsoft Phone systems. You might want to get in touch with an expert.

Get in contact with a MachCloud expert to deal with setting up a Microsoft Phone system at your end.

DID YOU FIND THIS INTERESTING? WHY NOT READ: “HOW MACHCLOUD FACILITATES BUSINESSES WITH TEAMS DIRECT ROUTING“? 

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Can Microsoft Teams replace the phone system?

In FAQ, Microsoft Teams
July 17, 2020
1 Min Read
C

Microsoft Teams can function as a full-fledged phone system for business. It can replace existing and traditional phone systems. Microsoft Teams are based in the cloud and it is native to Microsoft 365. Teams cater for the modern business collaboration needs like Instant chat, video conferencing, audio calls, document sharing from within Office 365. It has the tendency to be chosen as a modern unified communication tool hosted in the cloud.

The overall Teams call pricing is also cost-effective in comparison with other phone systems hosted in the Cloud. The Domestic and International Calling plans from your local Telecom Provider prove lucrative for your business. Number porting is easy if you have existing numbers from your Telecom Provider. It is also easy to get new numbers for users via your Telecom Provider. Microsoft Teams doesn’t require extra setup. A Microsoft Phone system is the future of Unified Communications.

Need help with Microsoft Phone or Teams setup? Talk to a MachCloud expert to know the details.

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Top 5 Benefits of Office/Microsoft 365 for Business

In Microsoft 365
June 16, 2020
3 Min Read
T

Microsoft 365 for business has come a long way. From mere Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Office 365 has evolved into a collaboration tool to enhance cloud business productivity. Today, Microsoft 365 (the new name for Office 365) is much more diverse, simple, available, and user-friendlier than ever. Let’s take a deep dive into the 5 major business benefits of Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 for business is Simple to use

Simplicity is one aspect of Microsoft 365 that has made it very popular with users. Despite Microsoft 365 is equipped with the latest tools and increasing products, there has been no complicated procedures and smooth switching between the products.

It is designed for cloud business

Microsoft 365 provides lucrative businesses with its Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Basic plans. In both of these, the full office suite is available to the business adopting these plans. The office suite includes Word, Outlook, Excel, Exchange Online, One Drive, SharePoint, Yammer, and Microsoft Teams. Easy Microsoft 365 pricing plans are excellent options for small to medium-sized businesses as well as large organizations.

Microsoft 365 for business enhances Team Collaboration in a cloud business

In the modern era, projects succeed in collaboration. Businesses which are equipped with best in line collaboration tools have a high chance of success in the market. Microsoft 365 provides a gateway to share, communicate, and talk more. SharePoint serves as a company-wide intranet service and a document library to store and manage content for the entire organization. Teams offer collaboration like no other. With a Calling in Teams option, Voice and video conference calls have been introduced right into Microsoft 365!

It assists Remote Working

Talking about the collaboration, the next step is remote working. While your business is equipped with the best in line collaborative tools from Microsoft 365, including a remote working resource in your business team won’t be a problem. Microsoft 365 assists remote workers with best in line security with Microsoft Authenticator for 2FA and also latest security policies.

Microsoft 365 provides Reliability and Resilience

Microsoft 365 provides the infrastructure needed for SME’s to function and flourish properly in the market. The platform is delivered right from the cloud and thus no heavy setup is needed at the business’s end, thereby, reducing the setup overhead. The cloud-hosted setup is all you need to carry out hassle-free business operations.

RELATED: MICROSOFT 365 | REBRANDING OFFICE 365 BUSINESS PLANS

MachCloud provides profitable Reselling of Microsoft 365 services

MachCloud is a one-window for all your business’s collaboration and digital business communication needs. With MachCloud, you can profitably resell Microsoft 365 services. Experts at MachCloud are very well informed of Reseller needs and how to cater for better reselling. With MachCloud, the Reseller’s favorite Microsoft 365 Services provider, you can Transform Microsoft 365 portfolio to the next level of implementation and usability.

Get started with MachCloud and experience the next level of Reselling with Microsoft 365.

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How to enable PSTN calling in Microsoft Teams?

In FAQ
June 12, 2020
1 Min Read
H

PSTN calling in Microsoft Teams can be enabled in two ways

Add Calling plans to Microsoft 365 licenses in Teams itself (if available in your Country). To be able to call from a mobile phone via PSTN in Teams, users must have 1:1 calling enabled in Teams and must be using a Teams client supporting 1:1 Teams Calling. Next, you need to be able to enable the Dial Plan tab in Teams. And the admin must provision the users for Calling plans. Unfortunately, this feature is not available in Europe.

The best way (available worldwide) is to add Calling plans from your local Telephony Provider who will enable Direct Routing to your Teams users for you. Very easy to implement.

Get in touch with a MachCloud Expert to enable PSTN Calling in Microsoft Teams.

DID YOU FIND THIS INTERESTING? WHY NOT READ: “The killer feature of Microsoft Teams for Business“? 

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