Microsoft Teams Operator Connect from Virgin Media O2 Business
Microsoft Teams Operator Connect provides Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity with Teams and Microsoft Phone System for Teams Enterprise users to make external calls. Fixed 01 and 02 telephone numbers are the Teams phone numbers across enabled Teams clients. Our Unified Recording service is available as an optional add-on.
Features
- Single 01 or 02 geographic number across Teams clients
- Presence integration across all Teams client enabled devices
- All in one Unified Communications and Calling solution
- Auto attendant and call queuing
- Self-service VMO2 Teams Calling Automation Portal
- Segregated tenant management for large organisations
Benefits
- All Teams clients ring simultaneously to the geographic number
- Presence to teams across fixed Teams client devices
- Integrated calling with chat, meetings and file sharing
- Automated attendant call routing and ability to queue calls
- Easy service activation in the VMO2 self-service portal
- Management of service controllable at sub-unit level
Pricing
£4.40 a user a month
- Education pricing available
- Free trial available
Service documents
Request an accessible format
Framework
G-Cloud 14
Service ID
9 0 8 0 5 8 2 9 4 7 6 4 4 4 6
Contact
Virgin Media Business
Diane Murray
Telephone: 07973 622296
Email: publicprocurement@virginmedia.co.uk
Service scope
- Software add-on or extension
- Yes
- What software services is the service an extension to
- Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 (requires Teams Phone Standard License or E5 License).
- Cloud deployment model
- Public cloud
- Service constraints
- There could be planned maintenance that will be communicated in advance to the Buyer.
- System requirements
-
- Microsoft Teams Phone Standard capability
- All endpoint hardware must be Teams-certified
- Buyers must have an Office 365 tenant
- Users must have a Teams client
- Public Internet access with sufficient capacity.
User support
- Email or online ticketing support
- Email or online ticketing
- Support response times
- 24x7 including public holidays
- User can manage status and priority of support tickets
- No
- Phone support
- Yes
- Phone support availability
- 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Web chat support
- No
- Onsite support
- Yes, at extra cost
- Support levels
- Buyers can receive a range of support through all stages of the contract, for example: Implementation; Contract Management; Managed Service; Account Management; Incident Management (such as unplanned or planned outages), Reporting; Stakeholder Engagement; Escalation Process; Technical Support and Exit Management. More details are within the Service Definition and the Terms & Conditions.
- Support available to third parties
- No
Onboarding and offboarding
- Getting started
- Buyers can access online user guidance and training videos about the Teams application from Microsoft. There is a self-service administration guide for the Teams Calling Automation Portal (TCAP) and for configuring Operator Connect in the Buyer's tenant.
- Service documentation
- Yes
- Documentation formats
- End-of-contract data extraction
- Standard exit provision applies when the contract ceases and moves to new provider/contract.
- End-of-contract process
- Standard exit provision applies when the contract ceases and moves to new provider/contract. The Operator Connect subscriptions need to be deprovisioned in Teams Calling Automation Portal (TCAP) by the Buyer's administrator.
Using the service
- Web browser interface
- Yes
- Supported browsers
-
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
- Chrome
- Application to install
- Yes
- Compatible operating systems
-
- Android
- IOS
- Linux or Unix
- MacOS
- Windows
- Designed for use on mobile devices
- Yes
- Differences between the mobile and desktop service
- As long as a Teams client is installed, there are no differences between the mobile and desktop service.
- Service interface
- Yes
- User support accessibility
- WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
- Description of service interface
- The service interface will be the Teams client. The Buyer will perform the administration using a web portal service interface.
- Accessibility standards
- WCAG 2.1 AAA
- Accessibility testing
- Microsoft Teams is WCAG 2.1 AA compliant with some minor exceptions. Teams Calling Automation Portal (TCAP) is not WCAG compliant.
- API
- No
- Customisation available
- Yes
- Description of customisation
- Select user calling plans in the Teams Calling Automation Portal. Call features such as call voicemail and call forwarding may be set in the Teams Client. Other features, such as call queues, auto attendants and call delegation can be configured in Teams Admin Centre.
Scaling
- Independence of resources
- The capacity of the service is proactively monitored and scaled for service availability.
Analytics
- Service usage metrics
- Yes
- Metrics types
- Usage metrics.
- Reporting types
- Regular reports
Resellers
- Supplier type
- Not a reseller
Staff security
- Staff security clearance
- Other security clearance
- Government security clearance
- Up to Security Clearance (SC)
Asset protection
- Knowledge of data storage and processing locations
- Yes
- Data storage and processing locations
- United Kingdom
- User control over data storage and processing locations
- No
- Datacentre security standards
- Supplier-defined controls
- Penetration testing frequency
- At least once a year
- Penetration testing approach
- ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a Tigerscheme qualified provider or a CREST-approved service provider
- Protecting data at rest
-
- Physical access control, complying with another standard
- Encryption of all physical media
- Data sanitisation process
- No
- Equipment disposal approach
- A third-party destruction service
Data importing and exporting
- Data export approach
- Call Data Record (CDR) data is exportable through the My O2 Business portal and the Teams Admin Centre.
- Data export formats
- CSV
- Data import formats
- CSV
Data-in-transit protection
- Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
- Other
- Other protection between networks
- Not applicable as there is no transfer of data between the Buyer's and the Supplier's network through this service.
- Data protection within supplier network
- IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
Availability and resilience
- Guaranteed availability
- We offer a Service Availability SLA. More details are in the Terms and Conditions.
- Approach to resilience
- Geo-redundant data centres with geo-redundant SIP trunks. Further information available on request.
- Outage reporting
- Email response to tickets raised by the Buyer.
Identity and authentication
- User authentication needed
- Yes
- User authentication
-
- 2-factor authentication
- Username or password
- Other
- Other user authentication
- Single Sign On for the Teams Calling Automation Portal.
- Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
- The Supplier will agree with the Buyer a select a group of administration users that have access to management interfaces (e.g., the Teams Calling Automation Portal [TCAP]) and support channels (e.g., raise tickets to the Service Desk). These users will be issued a log-in username and password.
- Access restriction testing frequency
- At least once a year
- Management access authentication
-
- 2-factor authentication
- Username or password
- Other
- Description of management access authentication
- Single Sign On for the Teams Calling Automation Portal.
Audit information for users
- Access to user activity audit information
- Users contact the support team to get audit information
- How long user audit data is stored for
- At least 12 months
- Access to supplier activity audit information
- Users contact the support team to get audit information
- How long supplier audit data is stored for
- At least 12 months
- How long system logs are stored for
- At least 12 months
Standards and certifications
- ISO/IEC 27001 certification
- Yes
- Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
- British Standards Institution
- ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
- 23/01/2022
- What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
- The ISO 27001 certificate covers the protection of Buyer and Supplier employee information that is managed within the Supplier's organisation.
- ISO 28000:2007 certification
- No
- CSA STAR certification
- No
- PCI certification
- No
- Cyber essentials
- Yes
- Cyber essentials plus
- Yes
- Other security certifications
- Yes
- Any other security certifications
-
- ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management
- ISO 20000 IT Service Management
Security governance
- Named board-level person responsible for service security
- Yes
- Security governance certified
- Yes
- Security governance standards
-
- ISO/IEC 27001
- Other
- Other security governance standards
- • Cyber Essentials Plus • ISO 20000 IT Service Management • ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management • ISO 9001 Quality Management System
- Information security policies and processes
- The Supplier has its own information security policy based on ISO 27001, with established internal processes for handling security events. The Supplier has in place security teams dedicated to specific areas, and is audited regularly by external auditors to ensure compliance.
Operational security
- Configuration and change management standard
- Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
- Configuration and change management approach
- The Supplier follows an internal configuration and change management process. Each change is processed through the following stages: Identifying the details of the change; Assessing the operational and security impact of the change; Gaining approval of the change; Authorising and scheduling the change; Notifying stakeholders about the change; Implementing the change; and Closing the change following review.
- Vulnerability management type
- Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
- Vulnerability management approach
- Processes based on ISO 27001 standards are in place to discover security vulnerabilities involving a combination of vendor notifications, authenticated/unauthenticated vulnerability scanning using industry-leading security platforms and penetration testing. Risks are recorded, tracked and mitigated through an internal risk management framework.
- Protective monitoring type
- Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
- Protective monitoring approach
- We have a Systems Logging and Monitoring process governs protective monitoring. We use automated logging extensively using SIEM software in our network and IT infrastructure. This monitors user activity, configuration changes and to measure performance/compliance. We also use a range of tools to inspect, analyse and risk assess device event logs to detect suspicious activity incidents as well as report on overall pattern of usage. All potential compromises and incidents are tagged with a priority category and response times will vary depending on their priority level.
- Incident management type
- Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
- Incident management approach
- Our Incident Management approach is based on ISO 27001 standards. It governs the processes in place to manage incidents detected by our monitoring systems or reported by Buyer. The process defines how the Supplier will manage the lifecycle of an incident, from identification to closure. The process includes pre-defined processes for common events. Users can report incidents to the Supplier's IT Service Desk. All information related to incidents are logged on our system to provide a full audit trail.
Secure development
- Approach to secure software development best practice
- Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed
Public sector networks
- Connection to public sector networks
- No
Social Value
- Social Value
-
Social Value
- Fighting climate change
- Covid-19 recovery
- Tackling economic inequality
- Equal opportunity
- Wellbeing
Fighting climate change
The Supplier’s approach to protecting the environment is detailed in our Environment Policy and guided by certification to internationally recognised standards and systems including ISO14001:2015. The Supplier has internal policies regulating water usage, waste disposal, minimising single-use plastics and carbon emission reduction.
In April 2023, we received validation from the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) for the following carbon-reduction goals:
• Net zero by 2040 with a 90% reduction in value chain emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3).
• Reducing operational emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 90% and scope 3 emissions by 50% by the end of 2030.
• Reducing operational emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 60% and scope 3 emissions by 25% by the end of 2025.
As of February 2024, the Supplier has reduced operational emissions by 45% (baseline FY2020). Here are some examples of the actions we’re implementing to achieve our goals:
• A stringent Code of Conduct requiring suppliers to have a board-approved carbon reduction plan with SBTi-aligned Net Zero goals and interim targets.
• Continuing to source 100% renewable electricity to power our network where we control the bill.
• Delivering a Mast De-Carbonisation Project to drive the landlords of third-party sites to source green electricity. In 2023, the Supplier has de-carbonised 1,128 masts.
• Transitioning our fleet of over 4,000 vehicles to electric by the end of 2030.
• Free-of-charge carbon footprint estimations for our solutions, so customers are better equipped to implement technology sustainably. Our model has been certified by the Carbon Trust.
The Supplier also aims to achieve zero waste operations and zero waste products by the end of 2025. To support this, all customers (including public sector organisations) can receive cash for trading in their unwanted devices and a minimum of 95% of this waste is recycled.Covid-19 recovery
Immediate response to the pandemic:
The Supplier’s priority during the COVID-19 pandemic was to ensure that communities were safe and supported. Actions included:
• Providing 40GB of free data a month to support home-schooling families struggling to connect during lockdown.
• Offering any customer who worked for the NHS an extra 10GB of data monthly for six months from Summer 2020.
• Partnering with environmental charity, Hubbub, to launch ‘Community Calling’, which works with 400+ local community organisations to re-distribute smartphones to people who need them most.
• Offering vulnerable customers on mobile contracts unlimited minutes and an extra 10GB of data
• Launching an Essential Broadband tariff for existing customers who receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance and/or Income-based Employment Support.
Continued support for those impacted by COVID-19:
The Supplier recognises that COVID-19 exacerbated existing economic and social challenges, and created new ones, so we’re continuing to contribute to economic recovery and support the most vulnerable. Actions include:
• Continuing to provide return-to-work opportunities – the Supplier recently announced 200 new entry-level positions being created in 2024.
• To ensure our customers can access the information they need, the Supplier offers over 60 zero-rate sites including National Energy Action, Citizens Advice and National Debtline.
• 9.7 million people are now eligible to benefit from the Supplier’s Essential Broadband tariff.
• In 2022, the Supplier provided a £400,000 grant fund to launch the Tech Lending Community. This initiative makes tablets and free data available to community organisations supporting vulnerable individuals across the UK, all while extending the life of second-hand tech.
• In June 2021, the Supplier announced its support for the ‘Together Coalition’, by offering grants of £1,000 to 400 small charities that champion and celebrate the community spirit, belonging and togetherness across the UK.Tackling economic inequality
The Supplier is committed to tackling economic inequality across the UK. This includes:
• Hiring over 2,600 apprentices since our award-winning scheme began in 2008. Our ‘blind recruitment’ process opens opportunities to those who have potential but may lack relevant experience.
• Working with organisations, such as ‘Blind in Business’ and ‘Step into STEM’ to help create opportunities for groups often facing barriers to employment.
• Supporting business creation and growth, through Wayra (start-up cohort) and 5G accelerator hubs.
• Hosting a virtual work experience programme for 14–16-year-olds, focused on driving diversity in STEM careers.
The Supplier works directly with our customers to provide employment and upskilling opportunities in their communities. For example, our nationwide network of 170+ ‘Future Careers Ambassadors’ provides support and guidance to pupils from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM. The Supplier pays around £2.5m every year through the Apprenticeship Levy and has spent 55% of the levy to date on apprenticeships (versus a UK average of 39%).
Additionally, the Supplier has a significant focus on addressing digital exclusion since this is a key barrier to economic equality. By 2025, we aim to:
• Connect 1 million digitally excluded individuals.
• Equip 6 million people with digital skills, confidence, and tools.
The Supplier’s customers benefit from access to subject matter experts in this space, as well as our established partnerships. Our digital inclusion initiatives include:
• Partnership with the Good Things Foundation to create the National Databank, which provides free-of-charge SIMs for individuals experiencing data poverty. Since 2022, over 78,568 SIMs have been distributed.
• The Supplier’s nationwide ‘Connect More’ programme enables our employees to use their five paid volunteering days to deliver digital skills training through local authority and third-sector drop-in centres.
• As part of our ‘Community Calling’ initiative, over 18,292 phones have been re-homed.Equal opportunity
The Supplier is dedicated to tackling inequality and enabling everyone across the UK to fulfil their potential.
The Supplier’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, ‘All In’, sets bold ambitions to be achieved by 2027. These are measured and reviewed regularly to ensure that the Supplier is on track.
To support ‘All In’, the Supplier has created an Inclusive Recruitment Programme to ensure our end-to-end recruitment journey for internal/external talent is fully inclusive.
The Supplier also reduces barriers through our policies aimed at providing the right support and flexibility for all employees. This includes:
• Industry-leading Family Friendly people policies which include up to 26 weeks’ paid maternity and adoption leave, 14 weeks’ paternity leave and up to 12 weeks’ paid neonatal leave, plus paid time off for caring, bereavement, emergencies, and more.
• Optimising our workplace adjustment process in collaboration with industry leaders, ‘Microlink’.
• Our ‘Work Smarter, Live Better’ hybrid working policy empowers our people to work in a way that helps them thrive.
• Integrating an ‘Adjustment Passport’ into our HR system, which provides comprehensive documentation of the accommodations provided for employees. This eliminates the necessity to divulge personal information.
• Regularly collaborating with our employee networks which represent the LGBTQ+ community, gender, disabled people, people who are neurodivergent, unpaid carers, and underrepresented ethnic groups.
• Signing up to the Government’s Disability Confident scheme and working towards achieving the Level 2 Disability Confident Leader standard.
• Attaining the 'Carers Confident' Level 1 classification and actively progressing toward Level 2.
• Funding gender transition treatment for our transgender and non-binary employees and helping them access medical care and support.
Additionally, all our suppliers must provide a Modern Slavery Transparency Statement detailing the actions they have taken to minimise the risk of Modern Slavery in their operations and supply chains.Wellbeing
Improving Health and Wellbeing:
The Supplier promotes a culture of health, education, and wellbeing so that we can support all employees, both personally and professionally.
Our ‘Thrive’ programme provides a comprehensive range of advice, tools and policies to ensure our people can be their best at work. As part of Thrive, our employees have free 24/7 access to confidential support and advice from trained therapists via Bupa Healthy Minds. Our people can also access free online treatment, such as Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
The Supplier offers the following management development modules:
1) Stamp Out Stigma: Managers’ mental health awareness
2) Anxiety and Depression: Managers’ toolkit
3) Workplace Stress: Managers’ survival kit.
To support physical wellbeing, the Supplier’s employees are enrolled on the Bupa Medical plan from day one. Our people can even choose to extend this to their partner and/or children by paying an amount every month. The Supplier also offers a Ride-to-Work scheme to help our people improve their fitness, reduce their carbon footprint, and save money on the cost of a bike.
Personal development also has a crucial role in wellbeing, so the Supplier ensures that our people have the right knowledge, skills and behaviours to reach their full potential. We have a wealth of learning and development tools available, including unlimited access to 16,000+ online courses on LinkedIn Learning, which are taught by passionate real-world professionals.
Community Integration:
When delivering social value propositions, the Supplier prioritises collaborating with the community to help deliver a shared vision for the area. This includes partnering with the public sector, private sector, and third sector.
Additionally, all the Supplier's employees have five paid volunteering days per year to support and connect with their local communities, digitally and in person. Since 2023 alone, our people have supported over 443 charitable causes.
Pricing
- Price
- £4.40 a user a month
- Discount for educational organisations
- Yes
- Free trial available
- Yes
- Description of free trial
- 5 users for 14 days.