What is Direct Routing? Benefits of Direct Routing

In March 2017, Microsoft Teams was launched, which is one of the fastest growing business products in the world. Microsoft Teams is not only a platform provider for online meetings, but also provides internal communication, document management, and application integration. In addition, a new utility feature that helps Microsoft Teams become a PBX and call rates cheaper, more flexible and better support.... is Direct Routing. So what is Direct Routing? Let's find out right through this article!

What is Direct Routing? 

Direct Routing is a new feature released by Microsoft in June 2018, allowing customers to bring their own telecommunications services connected into Microsoft Teams. Before Direct Routing, the only option for telecom services with Microsoft Teams was Microsoft's calling plans. 

Direct Routing is important because it provides a solution for organizations to take advantage of their preferred telecom rates and take advantage of the many benefits of a PBX system combined with Microsoft Teams.

Why do you need Direct Routing?

Six months after the launch of Teams, Microsoft announced that Teams will be their cloud voice platform and replace Skype for Business. Since then, Microsoft has developed a way for the platform to be used as a complete business phone system (PBX). There are basically two ways to do this:

1. Using Microsoft Phone System and Call Plans

Created & maintained by Microsoft Teams on the Cloud, this package essentially turns Teams into a PBX that is tightly integrated with the rest and managed on the Teams functional interface.

The downside of Microsoft Phone System and Calling Plans is that it is only available in a few territories at the moment and switching to Microsoft Calling Plan may have some legal issues bound by service providers. existing phone. The next reason, your current plans and calls will be up to 70% lower than buying a calling plan from Microsoft..

2. Using Direct Routing

Direct Routing allows you to connect Teams with phone service providers. This means being able to take advantage of cheaper call rates, more flexibility, and better support.

Therefore, Direct Routing is considered an extremely attractive solution for many businesses because it gives them real flexibility when combining PBX and Microsoft Teams resources.

How does Direct Routing work?

Direct Routing works by combining Microsoft Teams system with SBC - Session Board Controller and SIP Trunk.

1. SBC - Session Boarder Controller

Session Business Controller (SBC) is a set of solution appliances deployed based on SIP over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network. It is used at the borders between different networks to ensure that data flows in the right direction & provides a layer of security for SIP to protect against external attacks.

Traditionally, SBCs were located on an internal server, but today hosted on the Cloud platform offers greater flexibility and reliability along with lower operating costs, suitable for a variety of businesses. small, medium and large businesses. 

The benefits of the SBC - multi-session controller

The SBC Multi-Session Edge Controller provides the required control in IP-based interactive communications. Here are the benefits of SBC for Business

• Safety: Protecting the IP PBX (HostedPBX) and UC server from denial of service (denial of service/distributed denial of service (DoS/DDoS)) attack, SBC also has automatic protection mechanism.
• Optimized connectivity: Intercast connection (HostedPBX / UC), even under 2 different protocols; thoroughly solve the problems of NAT, connect remotely behind NAT
• Quality of Service (SLA): ensures overload control, failure recovery, viability, quality of service and experience (QoE), availability,...
• Regulatory compliance: according to actual and legal requirements such as surveillance, recording...

2. SIP Trunking

SIP Trunks is a trunk line service running SIP protocol (Session Initiation Protocol, SIP) provided in all provinces and cities across the country, for corporate customers with total equipment. IP PBX radio.

What are the benefits of Direct Routing?

Using Direct Routing in combination with SBC will have advantages that are really worth paying attention to when businesses have been using Microsoft Teams for themselves. Following are the benefits of Direct Routing:

1. Reasonable cost

The built-in Microsoft Teams calling costs are not cheap & only supported in a few countries. Therefore, Direct Routing is a solution to connect HostedPBX and Microsoft Teams to help businesses take advantage of cheaper and more flexible call rates.

2. Unified calling platform

Leverage a unified calling platform, integrated into Microsoft Teams, that combines all of their internal and external communications into one coherent system. 

3. Transfer calls easily in Microsoft Teams

When Microsoft Teams is integrated with an existing PBX through SBC and SIP Trunking, users can make dynamic calls in Microsoft Teams while others use the existing PBX. Finally, all users can easily switch to a call in Teams. Call traffic is still active and stored in the Enterprise 

4. Interoperability with devices 

Direct Routing helps enable interoperability between customer-owned telephony devices and endpoints registered on Microsoft Teams. Businesses can completely move into the Microsoft Teams environment without having to give up existing equipment

5. Do not change the number of the business

Switch to Microsoft Teams to make a switchboard that can keep your business number. Direct Routing is the solution to combine the features available in Teams without losing the features of the existing PBX.

6. Simple Deployment

Because Direct Routing is a solution to connect with 3rd parties via SBC and SIP Trunk, so it will involve connection techniques, deployment is done by the SBC rental service provider. This helps businesses consider choosing the right supplier and not have to worry about their IT capabilities while still having deep expertise and high reliability.