Erik Berger
IT Architect at Somnitec AG, formerly at Mammut Switzerland
Why did Mammut switch from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams?
The obvious reason was that Skype for Business Online was shut down at the end of July last year. Given this situation, we decided to fully implement MS Teams and looked for options and partners that could offer this transition as a managed service. We had already been using MS Teams for internal communication due to the pandemic.
What were the main reasons for this move?
In addition to the end-of-life of Skype for Business Online, cost savings in operating expenses, reduced complexity, and easier infrastructure management were key reasons why we chose Microsoft Teams as a comprehensive solution for Mammut’s internal and external communication. To make this transition, we needed a Session Board Controller that establishes the connection between MS Teams and the telephone network and acts as a SIP trunk provider. This is where peoplefone came into play, as they offer all the necessary services—including SIP trunking, number management, and managed SBC—from a single provider. I was also already familiar with peoplefone from previous projects.
How did the migration process go?
Since we were already using Skype for Business, we were already on VoIP. We then opted for a “big bang” strategy—that is, switching everything over all at once. That’s not entirely risk-free, since everything has to work immediately. However, peoplefone was very flexible and provided us with test phone numbers, test lines, and a test SBC, allowing us to thoroughly test the new solution and set up test users with call forwarding. This allowed us to thoroughly test this “big bang” migration in advance and thus ensure that we could successfully onboard all users on D-Day when the phone numbers migrated from Swisscom to peoplefone. Thanks to this comprehensive testing, which peoplefone offers free of charge, the migration process went smoothly and according to plan. It’s rare to see such a process go so smoothly, without having to sign a thousand documents, and with such a streamlined workflow.
What were the biggest challenges?
Internally at Mammut, there were still fax machines and analog devices connected to the old Session Board Controller that had to be replaced before the migration could begin. Another challenge in this process was Microsoft, since a large number of companies switched to MS Teams during the pandemic, which meant that user onboarding was sometimes very slow. Normally, this process takes a few hours, but under the circumstances mentioned, it took several days. We were able to work this out with Microsoft to the extent that, on the day of the migration, we had all the necessary resources available and all stakeholders were on standby in case any problems arose. Finally, the migration was initiated in the evening, and by morning everything was complete. peoplefone and the installation partner, Somnitec AG, remained in close contact with us throughout, and everything went smoothly.
How satisfied are you with the new solution?
We fully achieved our goal and were able to decommission the old devices, such as the Skype Server and the Session Board Controller, thereby reducing costs. Our users were very happy that they could now handle both their internal and external calls in a single environment and use the communication hub (MS Teams) from a single source. Mammut’s IT department also experienced a welcome reduction in workload, as the Session Board Controller was now managed by peoplefone.
How was the collaboration with peoplefone and Somnitec AG?
It couldn’t have been better, and the big-bang migration went exactly as planned and was completely hassle-free. As a long-standing partner of Mammut, Somnitec AG operates its entire server infrastructure as well as its Microsoft environment and thus possesses the necessary expertise and knowledge of the IT environment to ensure smooth collaboration. Peoplefone also integrated seamlessly into this structure and handled all aspects of the migration—as well as specific integrations with Somnitec AG—in an exemplary manner. It is also worth highlighting, as mentioned earlier, that peoplefone provided us with a free test environment and, working hand in hand with Somnitec AG, integrated the settings into MS Teams that were necessary for a successful transition.