Microsoft Teams Update: New Collaboration Features Roadmap

March 28, 2019 by Ying-Hui Chen

Over the past two years, Microsoft Teams keeps evolving to keep up with the fast-changing workspace. This month, they are focusing on adding new collaboration tools to enhance team communication and work efficiency. Let’s check out what has been updated and what you can expect to see in the following months!

What NEW Teams Features are Available Now?

Data Loss Prevention in conversations and chats: Automatically detect, protect, and test for sensitive information in every discussion
Microsoft 365 Live Events: Create on-demand and live events that offer exciting communication solutions to partners, customers, and employees
Microsoft Whiteboard for Teams: Get involved with multi-level collaboration experiences

More Coming Soon Features

Live Captions: Read captions in real-time without losing track of the conversation
Information barriers: Choose which individuals are able to collaborate and communicate through the Teams platform

By the end of 2019, you can expect to see more features such as:

Secure private channels: Customize who can see files and conversations in a specific circuit
Content cameras and intelligent capture: Support for additional content-capturing cameras. Access Intelligent Capture to focus, and enhance images and text
Custom Backgrounds: Select your own unique background

Are you using Microsoft Teams? Make sure you check out our new Teams phones to take full advantage of the features!

Xorcom CXR2000 Appliances Are Upgrading to Solid State Drives (SSD) in April!

March 27, 2019 by Ying-Hui Chen

Xorcom announced recently that their CompletePBX appliances of series CXR2000 and up are going to be equipped with Solid State Drives (SSD) in April 2019! Currently, they are using enterprise-grade Hard Disk Drives (HDD).

What’s the benefit of upgrading to SDD?

The upgrade will significantly increase read and write speed, which means significant performance increase, especially for heavy-duty systems, TwinStar and call centers. The affected Complete appliance lines include CXR2000, CXE2000, CTS2000, CXR3000, CXE3000, CTS3000, CXTS3000, CXT4000, and CXTS4000.

The 2000 and 3000 series will have a 250 GB SSD by default (upgrade option to 500 GB SSD available) and the 4000 series will be equipped with a 500 GB SSD. See more details here!

Unboxing The Algo 8180 SIP Audio Alerter (G2)

March 22, 2019 by Steve Lopian

This day and age, it seems like every business is looking for IP paging. Some are looking to upgrade their old analog paging systems, and others are looking to start fresh. Whether it’s a small business with a warehouse or a large enterprise with multiple floors, IP paging is becoming a ‘must have’ for everyone.

But how difficult is it to install and operate IP paging? A lot of people will tell you that it is extremely complicated and expensive, but much like a lot of other stories you hear in the VoIP world, it’s just not true anymore.

If you are looking for something cost effective and easy to install, then I would be doing a disservice by not recommending Algo for all of your IP paging needs.

Algo has a wide-range of IP paging, emergency alerting, and security products that can cover every area of your business. Algo even offers paging adapters so you can seamlessly integrate your existing analog system to a new and efficient IP system!

But for the sake of this blog, I wanted to focus on one particular Algo product. The Algo 8180 (G2) SIP Audio Alerter is a perfectly priced unit that can serve multiple purposes! This thing offers voice paging, multicast or broadcast capabilities, and even has preloaded ringtones for the perfect alerting system!

I have looked around, and I can tell you that I don’t think there is anything out there that can match the simplicity of this device and also pack as many features that it offers. For a full list of features check out the Algo 8180 (G2) here!

By this point, if you are in the market for IP paging, you should only have 2 questions left! “What’s in the box?” And “How can I see it in action?” The good news is I have answers for both!

Just take a look at the video above for a detailed unboxing and product test right in our very own VoIP lab! We hooked the 8180 (G2) up to a Poly VVX 600 to show you just how simple it is to operate once you have it connected to your VoIP network!

So, enjoy the video and if Algo is not on your list of potential IP paging solutions for your business, I’m sure it will be now, and you can thank me later!

Are you currently using the Algo 8180 (G2) or other Algo products? How are you enjoying them? Let us know in the comments!

Ribbon and Yealink Partner to Bring Reliable and Faster Microsoft Teams Solutions

March 21, 2019 by Ying-Hui Chen

Ribbon Communications VoIP Gateways Ribbon Communications Inc., a global company that specializes in IP-based communications security and software solutions, announced their new partnership with Yealink, a global leader of enterprise communication and collaboration solutions, to deliver more reliable and faster Microsoft Teams options.

What Ribbon Products Have Been Tested?

Ribbon’s Session Border Controller (SBC) 1000, SBC 2000 and SBC Software edition (SWe) Lite are all tested as a secondary register for Yealink’s Teams edition (the T56A, T58A and CP960).

How Does This New Partnership Help?

Ribbon’s SBCs now provide Yealink’s Teams phones with the ability to make VoIP calls without being connected to the Microsoft Phone system. Yealink’s Teams Phones allow Teams users to enjoy real-time communications through a familiar user experience and Ribbon’s SBCs enable the same calling features even when these Teams phones are not connected to the Microsoft system.

“Microsoft Teams is one of the fastest growing enterprise collaboration tools in the world – now Ribbon and Yealink are working together to bring an innovative solution to market that will allow an entire organization’s employee base to realize the full benefits of Teams, even as separate groups are gradually migrated to the Teams voice capabilities,” said Alvin Liao, Vice President of Product at Yealink.

Are you a Microsoft Teams user? What are your thoughts on Ribbon’s new collaboration with Yealink? Share with us!

Webinar Recap: Advantages of Poly’s (Polycom) Device Management Service (PDMS-SP)

March 20, 2019 by Ying-Hui Chen

Poly has been getting a lot of attention this week! During the webinar yesterday, Tim from Poly, formerly Polycom, introduced who Poly is and how the combined company of Plantronics and Polycom makes a better communications experience. Tim also introduced PDMS-SP, Polycom Device Management Services for Service Providers. PDMS allows service providers to centrally manage and troubleshoot their Poly voice devices securely from the cloud. Click here to see the presentation slides and watch our webinar recording below!

Poly (Polycom) Webinar Q&A

Q: You mentioned Broadsoft Cloud. Is there availability for PDMS-SP to interact with Broadsoft Hosted Switch Platforms?

A: Yes, the PDMS works with Broadsoft. If you are a cloud customer, we would ask you to send Broadsoft’s engineering team a request to allow cloud access to Poly PDMS. We have a dedicated Broadsoft team and deep relationship with Broadsoft but they need customers to request the features so they can confirm the needs.

Q: Are Management and provisioning used in the same web interface?

A: On the Obi side, yes, it is using the same interface, but the Poly legacy runs separately.

Q: I’m visiting my old Obitalk portal and see no way to add Poly devices. What are the steps to get to the portal you showed us?

A: Please follow this link to see the steps:https://documents.polycom.com/bundle/pdms-sp-ag-current/page/c2901362.html

Click the links below to learn more about Poly’s PDMS:

PMDS Administrator Guide

PMDS Datasheet

Do you have more questions about the PDMS or Poly? visit our website or contact Jon Garbin at [email protected] or 716-531-4271.

More from: Q & A Ying-Hui Chen PDMS Poly Polycom

Is Sangoma 3000G Compatible with Cisco Patch Panel?

by Ying-Hui Chen

Our tech support team at VoIP Supply offers great pre- and post-sales support plus provisioning, consultations, configuration, and installation help. We get a lot of VoIP hardware and software questions and would like to share the solutions with everyone.

In previous Mom’s calling Q&A series, we have discussed: What Bluetooth Headsets are Compatible with Sangoma’s s705? Today, we have more new real questions and answers from VoIP users just like you.

Is Sangoma 3000G Compatible with Cisco Patch Panel?

Q: Will Sangoma’s Vega 3000G work with Cisco Telco Patch Panel with RJ21 ports? These two things wouldn’t integrate together would they?

A: If you are referring to the Cisco patch panel (patch panel with RJ-21 cables) that is used with the VG224, it should be compatible as long as the RJ-21 end is male since the Vega 3000 G RJ-21 port is a female port.

That being said, you can use any RJ-21 to RJ-45 combination that you find on the internet. The Rj11 analog plugs will fit inside an RJ45 port (sits in the middle of the port). For example https://www.amazon.ca/Panduit-VP24382TV25Y-24-Port-RJ45-Port-Connector/dp/B002FYAM8E

STAY TUNED

Come back for more VoIP questions and answers next time! If you have VoIP questions to ask us, please submit a technical support ticket or contact our VoIP experts today at (866) 582-8591

Poly’s VVX x50 Series OBi Edition Becomes the First Certified IP phones for Google Voice

by Ying-Hui Chen

Plantronics, Inc. (now Poly), a global communications company, announced that their x50 Series (including VVX250, 350, and 450) OBi edition IP phones are now certified for Google Voice.

These are the first certified IP phones for Google Voice for G Suit as a result of the new partnership between Poly and Google Cloud. The VVX x50 Series OBi Edition phones are available now and will be interoperable with Google Voice in select countries.

“We are thrilled to partner with Google to help G Suite customers enable the best communication experiences to further reduce communications complexity,” said Laura Marx, vice president, global alliance and partner marketing at Poly. “VVX x50 Series OBi Edition desk phones are fully integrated with Google Voice so they just work and live up to the standards of a professional-sounding call no matter the distraction, complexity or distance customers may be up against.”

To learn more about the VVX x50 Series OBi edition, visit our website or contact one of our VoIP consultants at 1-800-398-8647 today!

Poly Announced the Integration of Amazon Chime and Alexa Web Services (AWS) solutions

by Ying-Hui Chen

Are you an Amazon Chimie or Alexa user? You will be excited to learn that Plantronics (now Poly), a global communications company, now integrates with these two Amazon Web Services (AWS) solutions!

The integration is created to deliver a more efficient meeting experience for users and offer new voice commands to manage meetings and activate third-party devices. The Voyager 4200 UC headsets will also feature Alexa Built-in.

“Poly is on a mission to build bridges with the leading companies in voice, video cloud technology and beyond,” said Cary Bran, senior vice president and chief strategy office. “By leveraging Amazon Web Services, we can continue to offer crisp visuals and clear audio across multiple business ecosystems and devices so that our users can focus on communication – not the technology.”

We are excited to learn about Poly’s new integration with Amazon and looking forward to seeing more of our customers benefit from it!

NEW Firmware 1.6.0005 Updates from Advanced Network Devices

March 19, 2019 by Ying-Hui Chen

Advanced Network Devices (AND) released new firmware to improve brightness flexibility and peripheral control for their users. It’s recommended to update your IP devices to firmware 1.6.0005 to ensure that you have the best experience. See what has been updated:

IP devices now support IEEE802.1X network switch port authentication via a configuration file.
IP displays offer more flexibility with brightness settings, including adjusting brightness based on your local sunrise/sunset times and adjusting auto-brightness levels to accommodate specifics of your environment.
More precise access control and notification controls, including the flexibility to set activation of connected analog peripherals and device indicators beyond the initial alert duration.

Partners can log in to see more updates and download new firmware here.

New VoIP Hardware Roundup March 2019

by Ying-Hui Chen

What’s new for spring? Lots of new VoIP hardware releases! This month we have some exciting new VoIP gateways from Grandstream and Patton, as well as a new video conferencing solution from Poly. Let’s get to it:

New Polycom Studio Conferencing Solution

The Polycom Studio is another great solution for huddle rooms and small conference rooms that demand business-class performance with a simple USB plug and play video bar. The Polycom Studio works with nearly any video platform and is an affordable video conferencing solution for any budget. This unit is currently in stock! Check it out now.

Simple to deploy and manage
Polycom Acoustic Clarity
5x zoom / EPTZ
Speaker tracking technology

New GXW4500 Media Gateways from Grandstream

Grandstream recently released the new GXW4500 series gateways! This series are E1/T1 digital gateways that come in three different models, the GXW4501, GXW4502 and the GXW4504, supporting 1, 2, or 4 T1/E1/J1 spans and 30, 60 or 120 concurrent calls respectively. Pre-order your Grandstream GXW Gateway Now! Units begin shipping early April.

TLS and SRTP security encryption technology to protect calls and accounts
Software-configurable E1/T1/J1 port and supports PRI, SS7 and MFC R2
Dual Gigabit network ports with a configurable integrated NAT router
Supports up to 120 concurrent calls, multi-language voice prompts and T.38 fax

See the competitive comparison chart here

Patton’s New SN4140E 2 FXS Industrial Gateway

The Patton 4140E Industrial VoIP Gateway is ideal for delivering VoIP telephony in outdoor or environmentally exposed environments where heating and cooling cannot be controlled.

The SN4140E provides interconnection and conversion between modern IP-based Voice networks using SIP and traditional analog phones, analog PBX equipment or PSTN lines. We are now accepting pre-orders. The gateways will ship end of March.

2 FXS Ports
1 or 2 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet ports
Complete SIP and T.38 support
Easy management and provisioning

Microsoft Teams Update: New Collaboration Features Roadmap

What NEW Teams Features are Available Now?

More Coming Soon Features

Xorcom CXR2000 Appliances Are Upgrading to Solid State Drives (SSD) in April!

What’s the benefit of upgrading to SDD?

Unboxing The Algo 8180 SIP Audio Alerter (G2)

Ribbon and Yealink Partner to Bring Reliable and Faster Microsoft Teams Solutions

What Ribbon Products Have Been Tested?

How Does This New Partnership Help?

Webinar Recap: Advantages of Poly’s (Polycom) Device Management Service (PDMS-SP)

Poly (Polycom) Webinar Q&A

Is Sangoma 3000G Compatible with Cisco Patch Panel?

Is Sangoma 3000G Compatible with Cisco Patch Panel?

STAY TUNED

Poly’s VVX x50 Series OBi Edition Becomes the First Certified IP phones for Google Voice

Poly Announced the Integration of Amazon Chime and Alexa Web Services (AWS) solutions

NEW Firmware 1.6.0005 Updates from Advanced Network Devices

New VoIP Hardware Roundup March 2019

New Polycom Studio Conferencing Solution

New GXW4500 Media Gateways from Grandstream

Patton’s New SN4140E 2 FXS Industrial Gateway

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