Imagine one platform for orchestration and provisioning of all Voice/Unified Communications services for all vendors & cloud platforms. Introducing APIO FUSION from Teraquant!
Freedom to Innovate with Independent Diagnostic Provisioning for Unified Communications
Teams, leveraging Microsoft’s massive Windows desktop installed base, is one of many cloud-based Unified Communications platforms. Others include Webex, Zoom, RingCentral, etc. In addition, most telcos and managed service providers have their own on-premises local office installed facilities from multiple vendors such as Ribbon, Oracle Communications and Metaswitch (now Microsoft).
How do telcos offer innovative services, select best-in-class platforms to put together a service pack mix of features that meet their customer or vertical’s needs and provide a competitive edge? Independent 3rd party provisioning and orchestration systems allows you to create, add and move features across different vendor platforms. But vendor specific provisioning platforms always favor their own equipment. They are not independent.
Here’s Where You Are, Right?
- You want to offer MS Teams to your customers in addition to your own on-premises voice/UC offering along with Webex and Zoom.
- You want to invest in one single provisioning system which has an easy-to-use self-help portal so users and customers can provision themselves non-billable and billable items to drive low-cost additional revenue.
- You want “no-code” new product design so you can embrace Teams and other UC platforms to create innovative services without a software development cycle.
Vendor Specific Limitations
Unfortunately, you are limited by vendor specific provisioning.
- They force you to use their central Direct Routing/Operator Connect environment. Some even force you to use their PSTN connectivity.
- Automation is limited to only Microsoft Teams and their own equipment environment. There is no other UC cloud platform support.
- Control, integration, and provisioning with any other Vendor Core Elements is very limited.
APIO FUSION from Teraquant
Pure Independent Third-Party Provisioning for all Vendors
Only one system supports all of the above, allowing you to retain multi-vendor infrastructure and at the same time minimizing costs of implementation and operations costs, with no swivel chair, using one single system with simplified and open APIs to all vendors. Partners can add value and be ultra-responsive to their customers.
Communications Service Providers/telcos must act fast before their business disappears into the cloud. The advantages to their customers are locally delivered, responsive, customer centric service providers looking after their local community and focused on the mission critical IT needs of corporate enterprises.
APIO FUSION from Teraquant gives you all this with cost-savings, easy-to-use, Customer Self-Help portals, requiring no-code to customize for your workflows.
Why APIO FUSION?
FUSION has full mature functionality and is the only Provisioning Platform to address all cloud UC vendors.
FUSION’s Key Strengths
Modularity
FUSION delivers a complete solution including infrastructure and inter-connectivity with Teams. In addition, FUSION provides full automation of any existing Direct Routing or Operator Connect environment and adapt to any customer requirements.
Flexibility
FUSION allows you a more comprehensive integration with partner solutions by automating processes with all existing core elements (Voice or IT) to drive out operational cost.
Evolving
The FUSION platform can be extended to other UC platforms like Webex and Zoom along with others in the future.
Microsoft Teams Integration
Microsoft Teams provides a 4-in-1 experience across chat, meetings collaboration, telephone calls, and web conferencing with the Office 365 platform.
The Teams Phone System is Microsoft’s Windows PC bolt-on for enabling call control and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) features using Microsoft O365 cloud. Phone System works with Teams clients and certified devices. Phone System allows you to replace your existing PBX system with a set of features directly delivered from Microsoft 365 cloud.
Microsoft Teams opens the way for telephony through solutions such as Direct Routing and Operator Connect which allows interconnection with PABX/IPBX type telephony equipment or services provided by telephony operators fixed (PSTN). These models allow users to send and receive their phone calls on their work computer, on their mobile phone, or their tablet whether they are in the orgaization’s offices or on the move.
APIO FUSION helps Telecom Operators and Microsoft Value Added Resellers simplify and automate on-boarding their customers’ voice needs with Microsoft Teams solutions as well as other UC solutions like Webex, Zoom, RingCentral, etc. The FUSION solution can be integrated with any existing voice or IT environment.
Where You Might Need Help?
Microsoft Calling Plans
Microsoft calling plans allow customers to manage Microsoft Phone System and numbers fully within Microsoft Teams Admin portal.
Disadvantages
- Expensive
- Limited Coverage
- Microsoft is in Full Competition with Telecom Operators and Value Added Resellers
Direct Routing
Direct Routing allows customers and Value Added Resellers to interconnect with existing Telecom Provider and hybrid environments. Integration with any other local third party voice system is supported. Telecom operators can integrate Teams within their existing Voice Core Network and within their existing Business Services.
Disadvantages
Operator Connect
Operator Connect allows customers to manage their entire Microsoft Teams Phone system through the Microsoft Teams Admin portal (user and number management) without the need of PowerShell and SBC expertise.
Disadvantages
- Limited Integration with Telco Core Networks – cannot control on-prem facilities
- Hybrid environment not supported (integration with any other third party voice systems)
- Requires SBC expertise
- Telecom Operators are listed in Operator Connect Catalog directly with their competitors
About Microsoft Operator Connect as an Enterprise Service
- It is the simplest of phone service for businesses, inbound & outbound LD calls
- All additional features need to be managed by a communications service provider
- Complexities of larger businesses that need call centers, IVRs, call-forking or services possible by control over your own SBC
- No capability for businesses to customize external call centers, IVR’s or PCI compliance services from a 3rd party systems
- If your DIDs are not with Microsoft’s approved list of carriers, you’ll have to port your numbers to them and porting out in the future may be fraught
- It is not possible to use a 3rd parties for call recording, if you want a less expensive option for regulatory compliance in vertical sectors
- Dependent on a large monolith for support
The Flexibility of Direct Routing Made Easy
With FUSION for Microsoft Teams, customers can automate and manage the on-boarding of their users on Microsoft Direct Routing and Operator Connect without the need of any voice expertise.
A dedicated Teraquant Managed SBC can be hosted in the public cloud and managed and controlled for any compatibility challenges. This means:
- cheaper call rates with a “pay for what you use” contract
- support for additional integrations such as call center, call recording, and analytics software
- perfect for businesses with more complex communications requirements such as hosted IVR/ACD/Call Center/PCI compliance services
- bring your own carriers not on the Microsoft approved list
FUSION offers self-hosted Oracle SBs within Oracle Cloud Infrastucture or can automate the provisioning of any SBC hosted by partners. FUSION includes:
- Microsoft Teams tenant synchronization and provisioning
- Number Management
- Number Porting
- A flexible central routing decision point for custom service enablement
- A Monitoring system
- Provisioning and Self Care Portal
- API integrations
APIO FUSION from Teraquant allows partners to integrate FUSION within any existing environment (IT and Voice) like Voice Core Network, CRM, billing, and hybrid integration with an existing third-party voice environment.
Orchestration is designing the workflow phone from conception or how you would modify or migrate the workflow you have. Provisioning is more of the operations exercise of adding new users and features and service packs to an existing product design.