In late 2021, Microsoft published an article regarding the connectivity principles for securely managing Microsoft 365 traffic in order to get the best possible performance. Take me to the Article: Microsoft 365 Network Connectivity Principles >> In the section focused on avoiding network hairpins, Microsoft states that as a general rule, the shortest and most direct route/call flow between the user and their closest Microsoft 365 endpoint will offer the best performance.

In any organization, the IT operations teams bear the responsibility of providing reliable cloud services to users that are increasingly distributed, working from home, the office, or elsewhere. As a result, IT professionals are looking for solutions to achieve visibility of the user’s network from end to end to quickly identify and resolve bottlenecks and ensure maximum productivity and ROI of their cloud applications.

Dependence on Microsoft 365 and Teams has never been greater, and the pressure is on for IT teams to deliver exceptional user experiences – anytime, anywhere. The modern workplace sees users connecting from the office, home, and pretty much any place in between. This hybrid work model has a significant impact on IT, the network and the overall quality of service perceived by the users.

In this series of articles, we are reviewing in detail the PSTN routing for Microsoft Teams voice. In the previous article, we reviewed the challenges IT teams can face when mixing Microsoft Teams, PBXs and PSTNs. Now, let’s take a deeper look at the complexity and potential points of failure in the PSTN supply chain.

Martello recently commissioned EMA to conduct an entirely independent exploration of the state of Microsoft 365 and how enterprises are managing its performance and user experience in today’s modern workplace. With special attention given to Microsoft Teams, EMA set out to gauge the criticality, impact, performance, management, challenges, and best practices of Microsoft 365.

The work landscape has changed dramatically over the past two years and it has been a challenge for an organizations IT teams to keep the workforce connected. For many businesses, Microsoft Teams has become a core part of their efforts to keep connected but supporting the Microsoft Teams infrastructure has been something many IT departments have had to learn on the fly. Pre-pandemic, businesses might have had thousands of employees working in a handful of offices.