By now, I hope you already know that as of July 2018, Office 365 will no longer work with SBC connections linking your off-brand PBX to Exchange Online UM services (read voice mail). For an actual read of the announcement, see this.
Here are the solutions offered by Microsoft:
- Option 1: Complete migration from 3rd party on-premises PBX to Office 365 Cloud PBX.
- Option 2: Complete migration from 3rd party on-premises PBX to Skype for Business Server Enterprise Voice on-premises.
- Option 3: For customers with a mixed deployment of 3rd party PBX and Skype for Business, connect the PBX to Skype for Business Server using a connector from a Microsoft partner, and continue using Exchange Online UM through that connector. For example, TE-SYSTEMS’ anynode UM connector can be used for that purpose. (sic)
- Option 4: For customers with no Skype for Business Server deployment or for whom the solutions above are not appropriate, implement a 3rd party voicemail system.
Personally, I would change Option 1 and Option 2. Especially if you have any combination of complexity, multiple locations, and user count. Couple that risk scale item with sheer lack of calendar, and I think it would be easier to get on-premises fired up and connected. And, IMHO, doing 2 would make getting to 1 easier with a better user experience.
Option 4 is not really an option is it? Everyone should want, need, and implement SfB. Life is better with SfB. Trust me.
About this time, the alert reader will notice that I skipped Option 3. That’s because those nice folks at AudioCodes have somewhat solidified their plans for stepping into the breach. How nice of them!
AudioCodes has put together a very nice, comprehensive, suite of solutions based on their outstanding hardware and CCE experience.
As the X-UM solution set, there are three of them:
Here is a bit different look at it…being a visual kinda guy, this is the view that helped me the most:
And then we have these further details for each scenario:
Microsoft licensing for the X-UM solution you choose is not covered, which makes sense, there are too many variations. Here is the official blurb:
How about some architecture oulines? I like pictures that show me things. Here is the X-UM Standard and Lite. Note that the “Lite” version relies on existing on-premises SfB resources.
Now, based on my current project, I know that there is going to be someone out there in reader-land who needs a visual of the call flows. I know I do.
Summary
About now you are most likely wondering which of these will work for you. AudioCodes X-UM is based on proven hardware and proven solution approaches (CloudBond, CCE). If your environment is more complex, needs that existing PBX to coexist with Office 365 for your VoiceMail needs, then choose the flavor that answers your needs. AudioCodes has you covered for any of the option 3 scenarios and could possibly help you (in the Lite version) with Option 1 and 2 also.
I know that somewhere above 75% of my customers all have some sort of “mixed deployment” usually due to call centers, business process, and culture. Notice that none of those are easily changed before July 2018. Ergo, we need to do something else in the short time we have available. I submit that AudioCodes X-UM might well be that something.
As always, YMMV
