Throughout 2023, Kurmi’s teams worked diligently to further enhance our award-winning provisioning software, deploying two major product releases.
Here’s a round-up of a few key updates from those releases that simplify and automate UC end user provisioning and day-to-day management, and what they mean for Kurmi Provisioning Suite customers.
Cisco
Support for CUCM 15
The latest version of Kurmi Provisioning Suite, released in December 2023, is fully compatible with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) 15.
Our strong relationship with Cisco gave us visibility into the product roadmap to ensure we are fully compatible at CUCM 15’s launch. With Cisco actively encouraging organizations to upgrade to CUCM 15, our updated connector supports organizations in their transition to the new version. With Kurmi’s migration capabilities and ability to manage earlier versions of Cisco at the same time, organizations can pace their move to CUCM and complete admin tasks all through the Kurmi Provisioning Suite interface.
Expanded management of Webex Calling Multi-Tenant features
We’ve enhanced the breadth of what administrators and end users can accomplish from within the Kurmi Provisioning Suite platform to manage more aspects of Webex Calling Multi-Tenant. This eliminates the need to manage these features from within Webex MT, so users can stay within one interface.
The Kurmi administrator or the end user can now directly manage calling features, including:
- Recording Settings
- Incoming/Outgoing Permissions
- Enabling the Executive/Executive Assistant feature
The Kurmi administrator can now delegate the management of User Incoming/Outgoing Permissions to the site administrator. They also now are able to filter Webex users who do not have the recording feature and enable recording en masse in just a few clicks—eliminating the need to use a spreadsheet.
Streamlined Location Management for Webex MT
Kurmi administrators can now automate and onboard new sites by creating Webex Locations with numbers and default schedules. Establishing default location schedules is especially useful for streamlining the creation and management of auto-attendant features, hunt groups or call queues.
Microsoft
Updated connector permissions & authentication
To manage Microsoft Teams Phone, Kurmi Provisioning Suite must be declared as an application in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) with API permissions to read or write data.
In 2023, we focused on updating this connection to allow for greater customization and increase security. IT teams can now configure Kurmi Provisioning Suite’s access to their Microsoft environment at a granular level, setting permissions to read and write only what is strictly necessary, in order to adhere to their organization’s workflows and policies.
Additionally, the Microsoft 365 Graph connector now supports more authentication methods including certificate-based authentication.
License reporting
Managing Microsoft licenses can be time consuming and complicated–knowing which licenses grant permissions to multiple applications, double-checking who needs access to what, etc. Kurmi offers streamlined, automated license management for Microsoft 365, including reporting widgets that show license assignment, preventing the dreaded double allocation and saving money.
Call Pickup Group management
Organizations are increasingly using Call Pickup Groups in Microsoft Teams Phones to route calls internally when an employee is unable answer their phone. Configuring these groups can involve complex provisioning activity and daily management. Within Kurmi Provisioning Suite, Pickup Groups containing up to 25 people can be created with just two clicks. So now, IT admins can delegate management of this feature to non-technical administrators, freeing themselves up to focus on more technical initiatives.
Avaya
Avaya Virtual Stations
Kurmi Provisioning Suite can manage all aspects of Virtual Stations in Avaya. Virtual Stations are assigned to the user or agent, and are used to forward calls if the user is absent for example.
Avaya CTI Stations
Additionally, admins can now manage the Avaya Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Station from the Kurmi Provisioning Suite platform. CTI Stations are used to redirect calls to the call center agent with the most appropriate skills. CTI Stations also mean agents can accept calls directly from a computer without using a physical phone.
Zoom
Added compatibility
Zoom continues to grow in popularity as enterprises adopt more UC solutions to their tech stacks. In response, Kurmi has invested in updating our connector to Zoom environments. Now, UC administrators are able to automate provisioning for Zoom, from basic operations like adding an end user to general administration tasks, including bulk management.
Other enhancements
Connector for Enghouse Trio
In 2023, Kurmi added to its native connectors launching one for Enghouse Trio. Now, organizations that user the contact center system can manage Enghouse Trio end users and settings from the Kurmi Provisioning Suite platform – further streamlining UC administration for overtaxed IT teams.
Looking to 2024 and beyond
As we plan for the next year, we’re continuing to improve Kurmi Provisioning Suite’s feature set, leaning into our close ties with leading UC&C providers to ensure that our platform remains fully compatible with any new features that Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom, Avaya and others deploy.
To see these product updates in action, reach out to your Kurmi account manager or request a demo.
