Direct Routing as a Service is the term used to describe when service providers look after your Teams calling via the Direct Routing option.
Direct Routing itself is when Microsoft supports connecting session border controllers (SBCs) to Teams. This could either be your own SBC or a vendor’s environment.
The physical or virtual SBC connects telephony (on-premises or virtual) on one side to the cloud (Teams).
In simple terms, Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams enables external PSTN calling from Microsoft Teams — users can place and receive regular calls directly from the platform.
Direct Routing is an alternative to Microsoft Calling Plans and Operator Connect. It has been extensively adopted due to it being the most flexible way of connecting the PSTN to Microsoft Teams.
When you opt for Direct Routing, you get Teams access to unique functionality that an SBC enables. This includes traditional PBX features that you can’t (yet, at least) replicate on a Microsoft Calling Plan deployment.
Suggested Blog Post: Microsoft Teams Direct Routing: Everything You Need To Know
What is Direct Routing as a Service?
Direct Routing as a Service, often shortened to DRaaS in the Microsoft world is, when you choose for a service provider to take care of the management of your Direct Routing deployment. Instead of managing your own kit on-site to gain access to external calling in Teams, you effectively outsource this to a service provider. This removes the hassle of maintaining your own in-house infrastructure and mitigates the need for buying hardware upfront.
Not to be confused with Disaster Recovery as a Service in the cybersecurity and business continuity worlds, Direct Routing as a Service purely concerns Microsoft Teams.
Should you use a service provider for Direct Routing or manage it in-house?
There are many benefits each way you approach Direct Routing. Choosing one or the other depends on the unique needs of your company.
Here are the major differences between DRaaS and managing your own Direct Routing deployment on-site.
Manage Direct Routing In-House | Use Direct Routing as a Service |
Requires upfront investment | Consumed like a subscription model |
Manage Direct Routing yourself | Managed by a service provider |
Host critical connectivity on-premises | Hosted in cloud data centers |
Responsible for SBC and PBX | Service provider responsible for SBC and PBX |
Keep and utilize existing phone features | No training needed |
Lower costs if low call volumes | Lacks intricate management access |
Alternative Reading: Is Microsoft’s PAYG Calling A DRaaS Killer?
What are the pros of DRaaS?
The pros of DRaaS surround what a provider can do for you. By easing the pain of managing telecoms infrastructure, you get hours, days, and weeks back.
Rather than fighting fires and spending $$$$s on Teams Phone management, you can sit and put your feet up. (Alternative IT tasks are available, we’re sure.)
Pros of Direct Routing as a Service | Cons of Direct Routing as a Service |
System design and configuration taken care of | You don’t get the low level, day to day access you’re used to |
Service provider negotiates call rates | Everything is locked into one provider |
Service provider responsible for maintenance | Plugging in third-party tools may not be as easy |
Service provider looks after all hardware | May take some time to find your most suitable partner |
You get a ready-configured dashboard for analytics and monitoring | You might not know what to do with all the time you save |
Benefit from Teams Phone expertise | Large deployments can experience delays |
What are the cons of DRaaS?
The only major con of DRaaS is that you lose control of day-to-day PBX management. If you’re used to setting up call diverts and being the first point of contact for any phone system issues, your processes will change slightly.
That said, this is usually viewed as a pro. Rather than spending time on mundane tasks, you can dedicate more in-house resource and time to projects that add significant value and move your business forward.
Think of it like Netflix replacing DVDs. No longer do you have to wait for delivery or head out to the store. Instead, you hit play and start watching any film you like.
And there’s no scratching of discs because looking after hardware is a thing of the past.
How much does Direct Routing as a Service cost?
Pricing for DRaaS varies from provider to provider. Call charges will vary from country to country.
As a guideline, expect to pay somewhere in line with our own DRaaS rates:
- $1.24 (circa 95 pence) per user per month – assumes you bring your own SIP carrier and have 5,000+ users
- $2.83 (circa £2.15) per user per month inc unlimited minutes across all users – assumes you port your numbers and have 2,000+ users (applicable to UK and Ireland only; global pricing may vary)
Different providers may also provide extra services on top of a basic DRaaS deployment. If management of users is your hesitation when considering DRaaS, this might be just what you’re looking for.
For example, Callroute provides access to Orto, our automated provisioning solution for Teams.
With Orto, you get access to:
- Phone Number Manager: A single place to manage your numbers.
- Call Queue Management: Add agents to call queues without PowerShell.
- User Personas: Create Teams policy personas for each user role.
- Bulk Migration Tools: Speed up your process when someone changes departments, locations, or job role.
- Service Management Integration: With tools like Zendesk, ServiceNow, and Workday.
How to choose a Direct Routing as a Service provider
The list of Direct Routing partners is extensive. Searching the internet for them manually is a cumbersome task that takes hours and hours out of your day.
When selecting a partner to provide you with Direct Routing as a service (DRaaS), it’s easy to get sucked into the world of marketing, too. Everyone has a bells and whistles solution and thinks their version of DRaaS is the best. It has the shiniest wrapping paper and the biggest feature list.
But then disaster strikes. You discover that one little niggling thing that means you can’t move your project forward. Six months of planning and you’ve hit a blocker on day one.
So, here are some home truths…
When evaluating DRaaS providers, look out for these three main criteria:
- They support your locations: And disclose this early in the process. If there’s any delay or sense of uncertainty, it’s likely that this provider doesn’t support your region and is looking for a workaround to win your business.
- They provide you the information you ask for: Sounds basic but lots of sales teams are measured by the number of meetings they book rather than how helpful they are. If they force a meeting or demo on you before you’ve gathered everything you need, their best interests don’t align with yours.
- The sales experience is pleasant: Your new provider must be easy to communicate with. This is a reflection not just on their competence as a DRaaS provider but for the rest of your interactions to follow. Choose a provider with Teams experts that are nice to do business with.
Recommended Reading: Direct Routing as a Service Providers: 4 Red Flags
Why choose Callroute for Direct Routing?
We are just one of many providers of DRaaS. But we’re pretty darn good at it.
Callroute for Microsoft Teams is a truly complete voice enabling and management solution. Using Callroute, you can connect your existing voice carriers or new ones to Microsoft Teams and enable Teams voice for your users within a few minutes.
Not only does Callroute handle all the voice routing between Microsoft Teams and your carriers, but it also offers complete management of number assignments through our self-service portal which is secured by multi-factor authentication and roles based controls.
In addition, Callroute comes complete with full number management and automation that makes managing Microsoft Teams voice services simple.
Ready to deploy DRaaS?