01 — Plan & Design Collaboration Communications Systems 20–25%

• Based on: MS-721 Study Guide
• 📁 ← Back to Home

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🗺 Domain Overview

mindmap
  root((Domain 1 20–25%))
    Plan Teams Meetings
      Meeting Types
      Meeting Policies
      Audio Conferencing
      Teams Premium
      Policy Packages
      Policy Assignment Methods
    Plan Teams Phone
      Licensing
      PSTN Connectivity
      Operator Connect
      Teams Phone Mobile
      Shared Calling
      Billing Methods
      Phone Numbers
      Call Flow Design
      Emergency Calling
      SBC Selection
      Compliance Recording
      Contact Centers
    Plan Certified Devices
      Room Configurations
      BYOD Rooms
      Rooms Basic vs Pro
      Windows vs Android
      Certified Components
      Interoperability CVI
      Resource Accounts
      Intune Enrollment
    Prepare the Network
      Network Assessment Tool
      eCDN
      Network Planner
      QoS
      MBR
      Network Roaming Policy
      Reporting Labels

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🎥 1.1 Plan and Design Teams Meetings

Meeting Types Decision Matrix

Requirement	Meeting	Webinar	Town Hall	Virtual Appointment
Interactive collaboration	✅	❌	❌	✅
Registration required	❌	✅	❌	❌
Large-scale broadcast	❌	❌	✅	❌
External customer-facing	✅	✅	✅	✅
Breakout rooms	✅	❌	❌	❌
Q&A feature	✅	✅	✅	❌
eCDN support	❌	❌	✅	❌
Max capacity	1,000	1,000	10,000+	Varies

Meeting Policies & Settings

Meeting policies control what features are available to meeting organizers and participants:

Policy Setting	What It Controls
AllowMeetingRegistration	Whether users can create webinars with registration
AllowTranscription	Live transcription in meetings
AllowRecording	Cloud recording capability
AllowBreakoutRooms	Breakout room creation
AllowIPVideo	Video in meetings
MediaBitRateKb	Maximum media bit rate for calls/meetings
AllowMeetingCoach	Speaker coach feature
AllowWatermark	Teams Premium watermark on video/shared content

PSTN Audio Conferencing

Audio Conferencing adds dial-in phone numbers to Teams meetings so participants can join via PSTN:

Feature	Details
Dedicated dial-in number	Assigned per-user (default bridge number)
Shared dial-in numbers	Toll and toll-free numbers on the conference bridge
Dial-out from meeting	Call out to add PSTN participants
Communication Credits	Required for toll-free numbers and international dial-out

flowchart LR
    ORG["Meeting Organizer"]
    BRIDGE["Audio Conferencing\nBridge"]
    TOLL["Toll Numbers\n(included)"]
    TOLLFREE["Toll-Free Numbers\n(requires Comm Credits)"]
    PSTN["PSTN Callers"]

    ORG --> BRIDGE
    BRIDGE --> TOLL --> PSTN
    BRIDGE --> TOLLFREE --> PSTN

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Audio Conferencing is included in M365 E5 but must be added separately for E3/E1
• Toll-free dial-in requires Communication Credits to be set up
• Each user gets a default dial-in number based on their usage location
• Dial-out policy controls whether meeting organizers can dial out to PSTN numbers from meetings

Teams Premium Features

Feature	Requires Teams Premium?
Custom meeting branding	Yes
Watermarks on video/content	Yes
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for meetings	Yes
Sensitivity labels for meetings	Yes
Custom meeting templates	Yes
Advanced webinar features	Yes
Town hall capacity beyond 10,000	Yes
Microsoft 365 Copilot in meetings	Yes (requires Copilot license too)

Policy Assignment Methods

Method	Best For	Tool
Direct assignment	Individual users	Teams Admin Center or PowerShell
Group assignment	Security groups / M365 groups	Teams Admin Center or PowerShell
Batch assignment	Large sets of users (CSV)	PowerShell
Policy packages	Role-based bundles (e.g., frontline worker)	Teams Admin Center

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Policy precedence: Direct assignment > Group assignment > Global (org-wide default)
• Policy packages bundle multiple policy types (calling, meeting, messaging, app setup) into a single assignable unit
• Teams Premium features require the Teams Premium license even if the user has M365 E5

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📞 1.2 Plan and Design Teams Phone and PSTN Connectivity

Licensing Requirements

User Type	Required License
Regular user	Teams Phone Standard + PSTN connectivity (Calling Plan / Operator Connect / Direct Routing)
Shared device (common area phone)	Common Area Phone license
Resource account (AA/CQ)	Teams Phone Resource Account (free) + Virtual User or Calling Plan if phone number needed

PSTN Connectivity Comparison

Feature	Calling Plans	Operator Connect	Direct Routing
SBC required?	No	No (operator-managed)	Yes (customer-managed)
Number management	Microsoft	Operator	Customer/carrier
Emergency calling	Automatic	Operator-managed	Customer configures
Country availability	Limited	Depends on operator	Any (SBC required)
Complexity	Low	Medium	High
Best for	Small/medium orgs, quick deployment	Mid-size orgs, existing carrier relationship	Large orgs, complex requirements, existing PSTN

Shared Calling

Shared Calling allows multiple users to share a single phone number for outbound calls while receiving inbound calls to their own extension:

Aspect	Details
Use case	Frontline workers, shared spaces, users who rarely make outbound PSTN calls
Licensing	Teams Phone Standard (no individual Calling Plan needed per user)
How it works	A resource account with a phone number is shared; outbound calls show the shared number
Inbound calls	Users can still be reached via their Teams identity (extension dialing)

Billing Methods

Method	Description
Domestic Calling Plan	Included minutes for domestic calls per user/month
International Calling Plan	Includes domestic + international minutes
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG)	Per-minute billing — no committed minutes
Communication Credits	Pre-paid pool for toll-free and overage minutes

Call Flow Design — Auto Attendants & Call Queues

flowchart TD
    CALLER["Incoming Call"]
    AA["Auto Attendant\n(IVR Menu)"]
    BH["Business Hours\nGreeting"]
    AH["After Hours\nGreeting"]
    HOL["Holiday\nGreeting"]
    CQ1["Sales\nCall Queue"]
    CQ2["Support\nCall Queue"]
    USER["Direct User"]
    VM["Shared\nVoicemail"]
    EXT["External\nNumber"]

    CALLER --> AA
    AA -->|Business hours| BH
    AA -->|After hours| AH
    AA -->|Holiday| HOL
    BH -->|Press 1| CQ1
    BH -->|Press 2| CQ2
    BH -->|Press 3| USER
    AH --> VM
    HOL --> VM
    CQ1 -->|Overflow/timeout| VM
    CQ2 -->|Overflow/timeout| EXT

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Auto attendants can nest — an AA can route to another AA or to a call queue
• Call queues support multiple routing methods: Attendant (everyone rings), Serial, Round Robin, Longest Idle
• Resource accounts are required for both auto attendants and call queues
• Auto attendants handle business hours, after hours, and holiday schedules independently

Emergency Calling Design

Component	Purpose
Emergency addresses	Physical locations registered with PSTN provider
Emergency locations (places)	More granular — floor, wing, building within an address
Emergency calling policies	Define how emergency calls are routed and who is notified
Emergency call routing policies	For Direct Routing — define which PSTN gateway handles 911/112
Location Information Service (LIS)	Maps network information (subnet, WAP, switch, port) to emergency locations
Dynamic emergency calling	Automatically determines caller location based on network data

flowchart LR
    USER["Teams User\nmakes 911 call"]
    LIS["Location Information\nService (LIS)"]
    NET["Network Data\n(subnet, WAP, switch)"]
    ADDR["Emergency\nAddress"]
    PSTN["PSTN\n(911/112)"]
    SEC["Security Desk\nNotification"]

    NET --> LIS
    LIS --> ADDR
    USER --> ADDR
    ADDR --> PSTN
    ADDR --> SEC

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Dynamic emergency calling requires LIS configuration with network elements (subnets, WAPs, switches, ports)
• For Direct Routing, emergency call routing policies define which SBC/gateway routes the emergency call
• Security desk notification can be configured to alert on-site security when an emergency call is made
• Emergency addresses must be validated with the PSTN provider before they can be used

SBC Selection & Direct Routing Planning

Consideration	Details
Certified SBCs	Must be on the Microsoft certified SBC list
SBC placement	Can be on-premises or cloud-hosted (Azure, AWS, etc.)
High availability	Deploy redundant SBCs for failover
Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA)	Maintains calling capability during internet outages at branch offices
Media bypass	Routes media directly between user and SBC (reduces latency)
Local Media Optimization (LMO)	Keeps media traffic local within branch offices

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• SBAs are recommended for branch offices where internet connectivity is unreliable
• Media bypass reduces latency and bandwidth usage by keeping media off the Microsoft cloud
• The SBC must present a trusted TLS certificate with the SBC FQDN in the CN or SAN
• Location-Based Routing (LBR) restricts toll bypass based on user’s geographic location

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🏢 1.3 Plan and Design Teams-Certified Device Solutions

Room Configuration Decision Matrix

Room Size	Recommended Solution	Key Components
Focus room (1–2 people)	Teams display or personal device	Monitor, webcam, speaker
Small room (2–6 people)	Teams Rooms on Android	Touch console, soundbar, camera
Medium room (6–12 people)	Teams Rooms on Windows or Android	Compute module, display(s), camera, microphone array
Large room (12–20+ people)	Teams Rooms on Windows	Dual displays, PTZ camera, ceiling microphones, content camera
BYOD room	No compute — bring your own laptop	Display, USB peripherals, room booking panel

Teams Rooms: Windows vs. Android

Feature	Windows	Android
Compute	Dedicated Windows PC (mini-PC / NUC)	All-in-one or soundbar with integrated compute
Cost	Higher	Lower
Customization	XML config file, GPO, high flexibility	Configuration profiles in TAC, simpler
Dual displays	✅	Limited
Content camera	✅	❌
Peripheral support	Wider range	More limited
Management	Intune + Pro Management portal	Intune (AOSP) + Pro Management portal
Best for	Large/complex rooms	Small/medium rooms, quick deployment

Teams Rooms Basic vs. Pro

Feature	Basic (Free)	Pro
Max rooms	25 per tenant	Unlimited
Join meetings	✅	✅
Screen sharing	✅	✅
Remote management	❌	✅ (Pro Management portal)
Advanced analytics	❌	✅
Intune enrollment	❌	✅
Copilot features	❌	✅

Interoperability Solutions

Solution	Use Case
Cloud Video Interop (CVI)	Connect third-party video systems (Cisco, Poly) to Teams meetings
Direct Guest Join	Teams Rooms joins Cisco Webex or Zoom meetings natively
SIP Guest Join	Third-party SIP/H.323 devices join Teams meetings via SIP

Resource Account Requirements

Each Teams Room device requires a resource account with:

Requirement	Details
Account type	Room resource account (room mailbox in Exchange)
License	Teams Rooms Basic or Teams Rooms Pro
Password	Must not expire (configure in Entra)
Conditional Access	May need MFA exclusions for room accounts

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Resource accounts for rooms are different from resource accounts for auto attendants/call queues
• Room accounts need Exchange Online mailbox capability for calendar integration
• Conditional Access MFA exceptions are often needed for room accounts that sign in non-interactively
• Intune enrollment is available only with Teams Rooms Pro license
• AOSP (Android Open Source Project) management is used for Android-based Teams devices

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🌐 1.4 Prepare the Network for Teams

Network Assessment Tools

Tool	Purpose	Type
Microsoft Teams Network Assessment Tool	Tests UDP connectivity, packet loss, jitter, latency from client to Teams relay	Downloadable client
Network Planner (Teams Admin Center)	Calculates bandwidth requirements per site based on user counts and personas	Web-based
Microsoft 365 Network Connectivity Test	Tests network path to Microsoft front door, DNS, TCP/UDP	Web-based (connectivity.office.com)

Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN)

Use eCDN when:

• Hosting town halls or large meetings with many viewers at the same site
• Network bandwidth to the site is constrained
• Multiple viewers at the same location would create bandwidth bottleneck

eCDN Provider	Integration
Microsoft eCDN	Native integration in Teams
Hive Streaming	Third-party, peer-to-peer
Kollective	Third-party, intelligent caching
Ramp	Third-party

QoS Configuration

flowchart LR
    AUDIO["Audio\nDSCP 46 (EF)\nPorts 50000–50019"]
    VIDEO["Video\nDSCP 34 (AF41)\nPorts 50020–50039"]
    SHARE["App Sharing\nDSCP 18 (AF21)\nPorts 50040–50059"]
    NET["Network\nQoS-enabled"]

    AUDIO --> NET
    VIDEO --> NET
    SHARE --> NET

Network Configuration Steps

Step	Action
1	Use Network Assessment Tool to verify UDP connectivity and media quality
2	Use Network Planner to calculate bandwidth per site
3	Configure QoS (DSCP marking) on endpoints and network devices
4	Set Media Bit Rate (MBR) policy to cap bandwidth per user
5	Create network roaming policy to control media settings based on network location
6	Configure network topology in Teams Admin Center (sites, subnets)
7	Upload tenant data for Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) reporting
8	Configure reporting labels for Call Analytics

Network Roaming Policy

Controls media behavior based on whether a user is on a managed or external network:

Setting	Purpose
AllowIPVideo	Allow/block video on specific networks
MediaBitRateKb	Set maximum media bit rate per network

Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) Setup

Configuration	Purpose
Tenant data upload	Upload building, subnet, and endpoint data for location-aware reporting
Reporting labels	Custom labels for sites/buildings to organize CQD reports
Network topology	Map subnets to physical locations for call quality correlation

⚠️ Exam Caveat:

• Tenant data upload for CQD can take up to 24 hours to process
• Network topology in Teams Admin Center is used for both CQD reporting and dynamic emergency calling (LIS)
• MBR (MediaBitRateKb) limits the total media bandwidth per user — affects both audio and video quality
• QoS must be configured on both endpoints (via GPO or Intune) AND network devices (routers, switches)

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📝 Quick-Reference Scenarios

Scenario	Answer
Organization needs phone system in a country where Calling Plans aren’t available	Direct Routing or Operator Connect
Branch office needs calling during internet outages	Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA)
5,000 employees need to watch a CEO broadcast with Q&A	Town hall (with eCDN if same location)
Small meeting room (4 people) needs low-cost Teams room	Teams Rooms on Android with Teams Rooms Basic license
Resource account for auto attendant needs a phone number	Teams Phone Resource Account license + Virtual User or Calling Plan license
Need to test if network is ready for Teams voice	Microsoft Teams Network Assessment Tool
Need to calculate bandwidth for 500 users at a site	Network Planner in Teams Admin Center
Large room needs content camera and dual displays	Teams Rooms on Windows
Third-party Cisco video system needs to join Teams meetings	Cloud Video Interop (CVI)
Emergency calls must route based on user’s physical location	Dynamic emergency calling with LIS configuration

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