Telstra and Microsoft expand partnership in Australia

Telstra and Microsoft are teaming up to deliver managed enterprise voice services to Office 365 customers, co-developing solutions for Australia.

The two organisations look to deliver a loud collaboration and voice productivity solution, fusing together Microsoft's global leadership in productivity and Telstra's mobility assets.

For Australian businesses, the partnership means they will have full scope of Office 365's cloud productivity and collaboration apps, video conferencing and meeting broadcast capabilities, as well as Telstra's voice services.

Additionally, Microsoft's meetings and voice communications offering delivered in Office 365 will be paired with Telstra provided managed voice services and network assessments to deliver a comprehensive productivity and collaboration solution.

Giovanni Mezgec, general manager of Office 365 Partners at Microsoft, says the partnership will build on Microsoft's objective to bring workplace communication into the modern era.

"The option to integrate voice services will bring enhanced value to the millions of users enjoying Office 365 cloud services in Australia," explains Mezgec.

"This partnership will enable us to integrate our productivity and communication services with Telstra's enterprise-grade voice, networking and managed services, ultimately giving Office 365 customers everything they need to embrace cloud productivity and achieve more.

Gianpaolo Carraro, director of Global Applications, Global Products at Telstra explains that the partnership helped to re-positon Telstra, as it broadens customer engagement along the technology value chain.

"Telstra and Microsoft have joined forces to enable modern communications for Australian enterprises – designed for a connected world where employees work anywhere, anytime and on any device," says Carraro.

"When you combine this partnership, our core network and mobility capabilities, and our recent acquisitions of Kloud and Readify, we can provide customers with truly unique employee productivity solutions, designed specifically for their requirements," he explains.

"This is also a great example of how Telstra is innovating from our core strengths, transforming our product suite from traditional voice to IP services, on our journey from being a telco to a technology company.

Customers can start deploying their Office 365 with managed services including network assessments and voice provided by Telstra today.