Financial Bank

Modernizing the Unified Communications Infrastructure for Financial Bank

Basic Statement

Workplace Modernization through digital technology has unique implications and it affects the whole society under several aspects.

Unified Communications is critical piece for digital transformation. It provides a broad range of modern collaboration tools to everybody and it allows users to work more efficiently.

Unified Communications is becoming more and more important helping companies to face the challenges of “IT consumerization”.

Today everyone is an IT user both in personal life and in the workplace. This applies to employees, customers, partners and anyone who interacts with the business. As users become more accustomed to video experiences on their personal devices, they expect at least the same level of quality and innovation in their work environments. They demand to use the same devices in business as well as personal activities.

The case was for 6000 endpoint devices, 2 Data Centers, with over than 10.000 Smartphones, Remote Smart Workers too with a CUCM Cisco Call Manager on-Premises to migrate on Cloud with the need to move all on-premises applications and SIP Cisco desk phone to soft-phone Microsoft Teams over Android and Apple.

The Objective is review and ensure the continuity of the banking customer’s telephony services, implementing an innovative evaluation study for a Unified Communication infrastructure, integrated with other forms of personal communication such as IM (Instant Messaging), Presence and content sharing with the following requirements:

• Stay Simple in the complexity of the Bank’s network
• Balance Capex and Opex costs
• With a structured but flexible service (UCaaS)
• Simple  management
• Increasing the availability of the global service
• Managing telephony with top-level security support, meeting international banking standards.

OPTION # 1: Migration of the CUCM on premise to a Cisco UCM Cloud solution with the integration of Cisco Jabber Soft-Phones on PC/Laptop and Smartphone (as a TEAMS app).

OPTION # 2: Migration a part of the CUCM users (users in Smartworking?). Moving from on-premise to a Microsoft Cloud solution on O365-TEAMS thru the numbering assignment via Session Border Controller, while remaining telephone users switch from CUCM to Cisco UCM Cloud service.

Option #1

Migration of the Cisco CUCM Cluster-Domain from on-premise to a service in Cisco UCM Cloud such as UCaaS.

Migrating the configurations of the existing Voice Gateways, without heavily upsetting the current telephone structure in place, planning a possible strategy interconnection to the Cisco Cloud with Viptela SD-WAN solutions thru a migration of telephone end-point devices to Cisco Soft-Phone and collaboration solutions. 

This Option allows containing costs and migrating to UCaaS service guaranteed by Cisco. 

Existing landline phones remain and Cisco collaboration solutions remain too integrating Cisco Webex and Cisco Jabber Collaboration Video, Voice and Data solutions too.

With this Solution, it is possible to use on all personal devices (PC, Notebook and Smartphone) while Microsoft TEAMS application integrated with Cisco Jabber app will be able to make intra and intercompany telephone calls using the call routing UCM Cloud.

Option #2

Migration of a part of telephone users to Microsoft’s O365 / TEAMS platform / service (UCaaS) through the implementation of a Session Border Controller (SBC) dedicated to the routing of calls/numbers. Remaining numbers, the Cisco phones/devices have to be registered on Cisco UCM Cloud (UCaaS) with the same logic of Teams service.

Also with this solution, it is possible to use on all personal devices (PC, Laptop, Notebook and Smartphone). Microsoft TEAMS application with Cisco Jabber app will allow making intra and intercompany phone calls via CUCM and simultaneously calls via TEAMS (Microsoft Calling Plan).

This Option is more invasive and requires a business strategy that the Bank’s IT management must necessarily address in terms of implementation. The choice of Microsoft UCaaS requires the inclusion of the SBC (Session Border Controller) function certified by Microsoft, reconfiguration of Cisco’s UCM Cloud and the configuration of Teams on O365. End-point telephones (over 3200) that have  to remain active and updated and registered on UCM, Cisco Voice Gateway interconnection solutions will be reconfigured, the Genesys Contact Center will be separated. All this requires the revision and possibly updating of all configurations for the SIP Trunking and H.326 part. 

Migrating to Teams is simple; SBC allows Users migrations on Teams without interfering with CUCM Mobile or fixed users while Numbers, Dial Plan, extensions and PSTN rules remain the same.

Teams is the teamwork hub that brings together chats, meetings, calls, devices, apps and solutions in one place. An Enterprise-grade Platform with security and compliance features crucial for business.

With Cisco UCM Cloud solution described in Option # 1, in addition to the integration of Microsoft Azure Telephony System in Direct Routing mode, as specified in Option # 2, it is possible to connect a SBC (Session Border Controller) to the Microsoft telephone system. 

With this feature, you can configure CISCO CUCMSaaS PSTN connectivity with the Microsoft TEAMS client having a complete migration plan for Digital Transformation.

Then it is possible to operate with both technologies: Cisco Systems and Microsoft made possible to respond to the specific needs of the Bank’s business.

In a modern workplace, it often happens that customers have tools and technologies from different partners that ought to coexist.

Over the past year, customers have asked Microsoft to simplify the complexities they face when deploying in hybrid environments.

Microsoft did it: a complete integration with Cisco CUCM in Cloud SaaS, with the aim of simplifying and accelerating the conference room and IP voice gateway deployment with a smooth integration.

A complete interoperability between Microsoft Teams Rooms and Phone System with Cisco Webex Room and IP voice gateways.

Cloud Video Interop (CVI)

This technology allows Cisco Webex video devices to connect to Microsoft Teams Meeting Services.

Cisco Webex is certified as a Microsoft Cloud Video Interop (CVI) solution.

Cisco Webex Room and SIP video conferencing devices can join Microsoft Teams meetings with a fully reliable interoperability experience.

Direct join for users to meeting room devices

Cisco and Microsoft have released integration technology that allows meeting room devices to connect with other vendors’ meeting services via embedded web technologies.

Microsoft and Cisco enable the direct join functionality of guest users to their respective video conferencing devices to the web app for the video meeting service.

This functionality has been implemented on the last generation meeting room devices such as Microsoft Teams Rooms and Cisco Webex Rooms, using embedded web technologies.

Direct Routing for the Phone System

Direct Routing is a feature of the Microsoft Phone System that allows customers to choose and connect the UCM SaaS solution directly to Teams. 

The key component is the Session Border Controller (SBC). A tool that provides a wide range of services that improve the user experience and Security.

Microsoft’s direct routing function offers to Large Bank a migration path that facilitates the implementation of TEAMS ‘typical Soft-phone and Video call and conference systems, using the Cisco UCM SaaS system, while containing costs.

Conclusions Unified Communications Project for the Finance market 

Cisco UCM in the Cloud in conjunction with Teams Microsoft Phone System connected via certified SBC meet efficiency and business needs of the Bank.

An effective Communication System is crucial to improve business processes and communication among customers and suppliers.

Reduce Capex while improve Opex making the entire voice and UC infrastructure more productive and competitive.

Unified Communications solutions connect people together wherever they are, on any device, with integrated and intuitive collaboration model: IP telephony for voice calls, Web meetings and video conferences, voicemail, mobility, desktop sharing, instant messaging, in presence and remotely, to collaborate efficiently increasing the overall productivity.

This solution combining Teams, Microsoft Phone System and Cisco UCM in cloud as UCaaS with a certified SBC, guarantee PSTN Service needed by Customers