The world of work has changed.
Employees are replacing cluttered email inboxes with instant chat and video conferencing. Tools that can unify the communication stack to improve collaboration, efficiency, and customer service lead the way to a new digital future.
At the head of the charge is Microsoft Teams, with more than 115 million daily active users and an ever-evolving set of productivity features. This Unified Communications as a Service platform (UCaaS) has generated massive popularity for its ability to support multi-channel communication and collaboration in one platform.
However, if your organization starts to use a service like Microsoft Teams for internal and external communications, there are a few challenges to consider. For instance, in regulated environments, how do you make sure that you can record the conversations that happen over video, chat, and voice. What can you do to ensure that you're complying with your industry's demands?
The Importance of Compliance Recording for Teams
Suppose you operate within a regulated industry such as Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Energy, Utilities, or Retail. Whether it's with a customer or a colleague, every discussion your team has needs to adhere to the right compliance requirements. New tools for productivity, like Microsoft Teams, can't come at the expense of proper compliance.
Regulations like MAR and Dodd-Frank demand that all trading conversations are recorded, while the MiFID II regulations require that all communications resulting in transactions need recording. It is essential that you understand and adhere to regulations within your industry. One misstep can erode customer trust and have severe business implications.
With Microsoft Teams at the heart of your communications stack, you must understand that while the platform delivers innovative capabilities, including voice, and instant messaging, it doesn't provide the policy-based recording that your team requires.
Working with a specialist service provider to access policy-based recording solutions for Teams means you can utilize best-in-class productivity tools without compromising on compliance.
What to Look for in a Compliance Recording Solution Provider
Microsoft Teams recording tools help you modernize your compliance approach, manage risk, and protect your organization and customers. However, there are many different providers of compliance recording solutions out there. Choosing the right option isn't always easy. Here are just some of the considerations you'll need to think about when making your decision.
- Choose a technology provider closely aligned with Microsoft.
If you have chosen to invest in Microsoft Teams, it makes sense to select a specialist technology provider closely aligned with Microsoft. The closer the partnership, the quicker the provider will have access to new feature releases and APIs.
Verint was one of the first recording systems to receive Skype for Business certification in 2016. Subsequently, Microsoft chose Verint to help develop the recording solution built on the future Compliance Recording APIs for Teams. Verint and Microsoft's close alignment enabled Verint to create a feature-rich solution considered the top recording solution for Teams on the market today. The Verint solution is only delivered by Microsoft certified partners like Geomant, ensuring that only specialists handle service delivery.
- Choose a cloud solution provider that offers a hosted service.
Eliminate unnecessary deployment headaches for your IT department by choosing a provider that offers a fully managed service approach. Look for a system that can be deployed in the cloud, within the Azure environment, and benefit from full integration with Microsoft Azure Virtual Servers, Azure Active Directory, Azure SQL Database, Azure Storage, and more. This approach makes the most sense from a business continuity and financial standpoint; you are not reliant on any on-premises servers and eliminate in-house infrastructure and maintenance costs.
- Legacy technology? Choose a provider that can work with multi-vendor environments.
While we see an ever-growing trend towards Teams-only communications environments, you would be well-advised to select a recording solution that can work in multi-vendor environments and integrate with existing systems should it need to. That will allow you to capture legacy PBX, mobile, and other recordings in the same place. The key to your success here is teaming up with a capable and experienced partner, such as Geomant, who specializes in integration and is well versed in complex projects.
- Choose a provider with flexible pricing.
If you need to flex operations to respond to changing needs, such as an increase in the number of remote staff that need to be recorded, the solution must offer the freedom to scale your deployment up or down based on your evolving needs. Consider choosing a provider who offers flexibility to scale Microsoft Teams recording for the number of users and recorded transactions while also sharing the processing across a number of physical or virtual servers.
- Don't forget to think about data oversight and business intelligence.
Consider the benefits of a Teams recording solution that offers centralized administration and real-time data on the state of your entire recording system. This can help reduce the effort and cost associated with maintenance and free-up skilled IT personnel to refocus their efforts on more complex, value-add activities.
Leverage Microsoft Teams WITHOUT compromising compliance
Microsoft Teams is rapidly emerging as the heart of the business landscape, and while Teams delivers huge benefits, companies need to be cognizant of the potential impact on compliance. As more conversations flow through Teams, today's business leaders need to ensure that unlocking the true potential of Teams doesn't mean compromising on recording demands.
Solutions like Geomant's recording solution ensure that businesses can check all of the right boxes for the regulations that affect them, while enjoying the true benefits of Teams.