Skype for Business 2019 or Microsoft Teams – Which should you move to

1st of November, 2018 / / No Comments

Last week, I presented a “how to” guide on the current 5 methods of moving from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams to a room of eager Government employees. The talk went well, everyone had great questions and the general feeling was of an energized bunch of people who were ready to walk back into their IT department and take a further look at Microsoft Teams.

From the many questions I received during the presentation, there was a question in particular that I found interesting, and pondered on the long drive home back to Sydney.… [Keep reading] “Skype for Business 2019 or Microsoft Teams – Which should you move to”

One month until TLS 1.0 support is removed from Office 365

2nd of October, 2018 / / 2 Comments

Not too long ago, I remember making the announcement at our user group that come October 31st, TLS 1.0 would no longer work in Office 365. “That’s ages away Craig!” was the cry from the audience. Well, in just under a months time, it’ll be upon us. The question is, are you ready?

What’s the deal with TLS 1.0 anyway?

Transport Layer Security version 1.0 is being removed as a supported secure protocol for connecting to Office 365.… [Keep reading] “One month until TLS 1.0 support is removed from Office 365”

Common Sonus SBC 1000/2000 Troubleshooting Tips

11th of September, 2018 / / No Comments

If you regularly work with Sonus 1000/2000 session boarder controllers, you may often be sat there scratching your head as to why a simple inbound call from ISDN to Skype for Business won’t ring your test handset.
Before you go and make yourself another cup of coffee and spin up LX, here’s a list of common issues I frequently encounter.
ISDN Channels
Alright, so you’ve set up your signalling groups, your transformation tables are a thing of beauty and your ISDN cables are connected and green.… [Keep reading] “Common Sonus SBC 1000/2000 Troubleshooting Tips”

Installing Skype for Business Server 2019

30th of July, 2018 / / 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced the availability of Skype for Business 2019 server preview for download and I thought it was about time I checked it out!
 
Obtaining the installation media
You can obtain the installation media (a 1.68GB ISO file) from here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Skype-for-Business-Blog/Announcing-the-Skype-for-Business-Server-2019-Preview/ba-p/218435
Easy!
 
The Lab
I’m running everything up at Windows Azure, but by all means feel free to spin up a new VM in your on premises lab if you have one.… [Keep reading] “Installing Skype for Business Server 2019”

The 5 ways to migrate from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams

19th of July, 2018 / / No Comments

Microsoft recently published a technet article outlining the different ways to migrate away from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. The article currently contains 5 different migration methods. Lets take a closer look at each of them, and how they might be used within your organisation.
The 5 migration methods
They say good things come in three’s, but in this case they come in five! Five different methods of moving from SfB to Microsoft Teams. When it comes to migration planning, choice is a good thing
5-migration-methods-teams
 
Migration Method 1: Skype for Business with Teams Collaboration
Ok, so you have a Skype for Business deployment right now, and are looking at moving to Teams.… [Keep reading] “The 5 ways to migrate from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams”

SBC Direct Routing For Teams – How are you affected?

30th of May, 2018 / / 1 Comment

What exactly is Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams
If you’ve been following along at home, you’ll have heard about the recent announcement with Microsoft Teams now allowing you to directly connect your existing on premise Sonus (Ribbon) or Audiocodes SBC to Microsoft Teams across the internet, to allow your Teams users to make and receive calls from the cloud.
Here’s a handy diagram direct from Microsoft that shows how it works

Hold on a minute Craig, Isn’t PSTN calling already available in Teams?… [Keep reading] “SBC Direct Routing For Teams – How are you affected?”

Surface Hub: Notes from the field

23rd of May, 2018 / / No Comments

I’ve been working with Surface Hub for around a year, and have ran into a few quirky things that are worth pointing out.

The display
Let’s get this one out of the way straight away. The display is beautiful. Especially when you connect up an Xbox one to It via HDMI! Perfect for kicking back during a deployment.

You broke it
Alright. I’ll hold my hand up and admit that I was the first person globally to break a surface hub (so I’m told, anyways).… [Keep reading] “Surface Hub: Notes from the field”

Starting Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business IM sessions from a link

18th of April, 2018 / / No Comments

An interesting question was raised by a colleague recently:
Craig, How do you start an IM session from a link on a web page?
We all know that you can create a mailto: link that users can click to open their Outlook (or other mail) client and automagically pre-populate the to: field with your email address, but did you know you can do the same thing with Skype for Business?
Skype for Business
To create a clickable link that automatically opens a Skype for Business chat window to you, or anyone else for that matter, use the following format:
<a href=”sip:craig.chiffers@contoso.com… [Keep reading] “Starting Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business IM sessions from a link”

Microsoft Teams Q&A

15th of March, 2018 / / No Comments

This page is a collection of Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business related questions and answers. It’s regularly updated as more information becomes available.
Microsoft Teams Q&A – Last Updated: 15th March 2018
Q: What is Microsoft Teams?
A: Microsoft Teams is a complete communications platform, that takes the best bits of Skype for Business, Yammer, SharePoint, Email and other web sources and presents them in one easy to use application. You can send IM’s, make voice and video calls, phone calls, Share documents, and collaborate all from within the one application.… [Keep reading] “Microsoft Teams Q&A”

Royal Flying Doctor Service empowers employees with Office 365

25th of October, 2017 / / No Comments

Customer Overview

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland) is a part of one of the largest and most comprehensive aero-medical organisations in the world. It provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote and regional Queensland. A not-for-profit organisation, the Flying Doctor relies on the support of the community and in Queensland the Service needs to raise over $12 million per year to keep the Flying Doctor flying.

Business Situation

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland) provides patient care to 95,000 people in remote communities as well as life-saving transfers to those in need of organ transplants and heart surgery.… [Keep reading] “Royal Flying Doctor Service empowers employees with Office 365”