You're well aware that Microsoft provides phone system functionality as a part of the Office 365 platform, but perhaps you're not ready to take the full leap to a cloud-based telephony solution just yet. Meanwhile, you've got an aging phone solution that doesn't have modern capabilities, and you know that investing more into an outdated system as you grow doesn't make sense. So, where do you go from here?

Microsoft Teams can help bridge the gap by allowing you to integrate your existing phone solution with a modern cloud platform while maintaining your existing phone numbers and telephone provider. What’s more, you can easily make the transition in the interim without having to make any big decisions right away.

Here are just some of the ways Microsoft Teams is helping to meet you where you are in your cloud telephony journey.

Can I migrate a few users or do I have to move the entire office all at once?

The number of users you migrate to Teams is entirely up to you. If you are not ready to fully migrate to Teams, you can pilot the solution by adding a few new users to your existing office. When you’re ready to make the full transition, you may extend to a whole new branch without buying more hardware for your existing solution.

Can I use my existing phone provider or do I have to use a Microsoft provider?

One of the advantages of using Teams to extend the life of your phone system is that you do not have to make any changes to your existing phone provider. That being said, Microsoft can act as a phone provider and there are some compelling reasons to make the switch, even if you don’t have to. One of the biggest perks is that Microsoft provides phone numbers, domestic and international calling, and even E911 services through simple licensing that can scale up or down as you need it.

Can I use my existing phone system or will I need to replace it?

Microsoft Teams works with any phone system. By placing a certified gateway between your telephony circuit and your phone system, you can route phone numbers into your existing system or to Microsoft Teams based upon the number dialed. This allows users of the system to utilize either (or both) solutions while being able to call between the solutions seamlessly using the extensions and numbers they're already used to dialing.