News

Commsverse 2026: What two days of Teams, CX, and AI told us

Commsverse — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Last week, Team Aura returned to Mercedes-Benz World for Commsverse 2026. Despite the heatwave, the venue was full of energy as Microsoft experts, technology partners, and communications leaders came together to explore what’s ahead for Microsoft Teams.

As a Bronze Sponsor, Team Aura was back on Stand B3 for two days of product updates, new ideas, familiar faces, and conversations about everything from Teams Phone and customer experience to Copilot, AI, and the future of global communications.

The heat may have been stifling, but it did little to slow the event down.

Back at the heart of the Teams community

Commsverse has always been one of our favorite events in the tech calendar because it brings the whole Microsoft Teams ecosystem together in one place.

There is plenty to learn from the sessions and demonstrations, but just as much value comes from the conversations happening between them: quick catch-ups on the stand, introductions to new partners, and honest discussions about the challenges organizations are trying to solve.

This year was no different.

Team Aura spent two packed days speaking with customers, partners, and industry peers about how communications are changing and what organizations need to consider next.

Auri, our virtual teammate, was also on hand to introduce visitors to Aura and demonstrate how AI can create a more engaging, interactive customer experience. Unlike the rest of us, Auri seemed completely unfazed by the temperature.

Bigger conversations than Teams alone

One thing became clear very quickly: the conversation is no longer just about Microsoft Teams.

Organizations are looking at how Teams connects with voice, customer experience, AI, and the systems they already rely on.

Many want to modernize without disrupting critical operations or replacing everything at once. That made hybrid communications a major topic on our stand.

The message was clear: enterprises want a simpler path forward, but it needs to reflect the reality of their existing environments.

AI gets real

AI was one of the biggest themes running through Commsverse, but the conversations are becoming much more practical.

Organizations are moving beyond asking what Copilot can do. They are now focused on where AI can deliver genuine value, how it should be governed, and what foundations are needed to scale it securely.

The opportunity is significant, particularly when AI is connected with voice, customer experience, collaboration, and business data.

But success takes more than switching on another tool. It requires the right technology, integrations, governance, adoption strategy, and ongoing support.

Fast cars and faster communications

Of course, it would not be an event at Mercedes-Benz World without a little racing inspiration.

Alongside the cars, simulators, and motorsport memorabilia around the venue, we brought some competition of our own to Stand B3 with the chance to win a LEGO® McLaren Lando Norris helmet. Visitors entered the prize draw while stopping by to meet Team Aura and talk about Teams Phone, Operator Connect, Microsoft CX, AI, and global voice.

As you can imagine, it proved a very popular prize – and once the winner was announced, they made a quick getaway with it.

It added another fun element to an already lively event and gave us an excellent excuse to talk about fast cars and even faster communications.

As impressive as the vehicles were, though, the people and conversations remained the real highlight.

What we took away

Commsverse 2026 was a reminder of just how quickly the Microsoft communications landscape is evolving.

Teams is becoming the place where voice, collaboration, customer experience, and AI converge. At the same time, organizations need practical strategies that recognize the complexity of their existing environments.

They want to move forward without losing stability. Introduce AI without adding risk. Simplify communications without forcing every location, team, and platform through the same journey.

That balance between innovation and continuity was at the center of many of our conversations.

We left Commsverse energized by the ideas shared, the people we met, and the opportunities ahead. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Stand B3, entered our prize draw, spoke with Team Aura, or simply came over to say hello.

Until next year, Commsverse.

Microsoft communications transformation with Aura

Aura is a Microsoft-first communications transformation partner for global enterprises

We bring voice, collaboration, customer experience, and AI together inside Microsoft, connecting new and existing technologies to create a communications environment that is simpler to manage, secure, and ready to evolve.

Combining deep technical expertise with a high-touch, human partnership, we help organizations plan, deliver, and optimize transformation without disrupting the systems and services their people rely on.

Through Aura One, customers work with one accountable partner across strategy, integration, migration, adoption, managed services, and ongoing optimization.

One partner. One experience. One journey.

Missed Team Aura at Commsverse? Talk to us about simplifying, modernizing, and unifying your global voice, collaboration, and customer experience – inside Microsoft.

Aura achieves TX-RAMP Certification for secure cloud voice

TX-Ramp Certification — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Aura has achieved Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-Ramp) certification for Aura Connect – its secure, scalable cloud platform for global voice connectivity and Microsoft Teams communications.

This milestone further strengthens Aura’s position as a trusted cloud voice provider for public sector organizations, educational institutions, and regulated industries that need secure, compliant, and resilient communications services.

TX-RAMP provides a standardized approach for security assessment, certification, and continuous monitoring of cloud computing services that process the data of Texas state agencies. It applies to state agencies, institutions of higher education, and public community colleges procuring cloud services.

What TX-RAMP Certification means for Aura Connect

Aura Connect is Aura’s secure cloud-based platform for global voice connectivity and unified communications. It enables organizations to connect Microsoft Teams and other UC platforms to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) while supporting both cloud-first and hybrid telephony environments.

With TX-RAMP Certification, Aura Connect has been validated against a framework designed specifically for cloud services used by Texas public sector organizations. For customers, this provides added assurance that Aura Connect meets recognized security requirements for cloud services operating in state agency environments.

The certification is especially important for organizations that need to modernize communications while maintaining strict security, compliance, and governance standards.

Built for secure Microsoft Teams voice transformation

Aura Connect supports Microsoft Teams Phone through Operator Connect and Direct Routing – including Microsoft Government Community Cloud (GCC), and GCC High environments.

This gives organizations a secure and flexible path to modernize voice services without forcing a disruptive rip-and-replace approach. For public sector and regulated organizations, that flexibility matters. Many teams are moving toward Microsoft Teams as their communications foundation, but still need to protect existing investments, maintain service continuity, and meet specific compliance obligations.

Aura Connect helps make that transition possible by bringing together cloud voice, global PSTN access, hybrid telephony support, and secure management in one platform.

Supporting global and hybrid communications

Aura Connect provides PSTN access in 89 countries, helping organizations simplify global voice services through a single, secure platform. It also integrates with traditional telephony systems, including SIP, PRI, and analog environments, using certified Session Border Controllers (SBCs) and gateways.

This makes Aura Connect suitable for organizations at different stages of their cloud communications journey, whether they are:

Moving fully to Microsoft Teams Phone
Integrating Teams with existing PBX systems
Consolidating global voice providers
Supporting regulated users across multiple regions
Maintaining hybrid environments during phased migration

With a redundant, geo-dispersed architecture, automated failover, and disaster recovery, Aura Connect is designed to support mission-critical communications at scale.

Security and compliance at the core

TX-RAMP Certification adds to Aura Connect’s existing security and compliance position. The platform is delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering hosted in Microsoft Azure and aligns with recognized security and privacy frameworks, including ISO/IEC 27001 and the CSA STAR Registry.

Aura Connect also supports GDPR and data processing agreement requirements for international and government users, helping organizations build a more secure foundation for communications modernization.

A trusted path to cloud voice modernization

Achieving TX-RAMP Certification is an important milestone for Aura Connect – and for the customers Aura supports.

As organizations continue to modernize voice, customer experience, and unified communications, they need partners and platforms that can reduce complexity without increasing risk.

Aura Connect helps customers move at their own pace, integrate existing infrastructure, and build a secure Microsoft-first communications foundation for the future.

For public sector organizations, educational institutions, and regulated enterprises, TX-RAMP Certification provides additional assurance that Aura Connect is ready to support secure, compliant, and scalable cloud voice transformation.

Building momentum: Aura’s latest travels and takeaways

keyleen.reyes@auraalliance.com (Keyleen Reyes) — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Aura brings 30 years of Avaya expertise to IAUG 2025

keyleen.reyes@auraalliance.com (Keyleen Reyes) — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 23:00:00 GMT

For over 30 years, Aura has been a trusted Avaya partner, designing, delivering, and supporting enterprise-grade communications solutions for global enterprises. From legacy on-premise systems to complex hybrid and cloud environments, we’ve helped organizations evolve their communications ecosystems with confidence, control, and minimal disruption.

Now, as Avaya ENGAGE evolves into IAUG Converge, that legacy continues. This reimagined conference has become the premier gathering for those shaping the future of enterprise communications. IAUG Converge 2025 takes place this September in Kansas, bringing together Avaya users, partners, and IT leaders from around the world for a week of insight, collaboration, and forward thinking.

Aura is proud to take the stage in 2025, to share real-world insights into hybrid transformation at scale.

Aura session: A real-world journey to hybrid success with Avaya & Microsoft Teams

As part of the “Modernizing the Avaya Ecosystem” track at IAUG Converge 2025, Aura is excited to be speaking in the “Innovative or Cutting-Edge Concepts” category – and for good reason.

In today’s enterprise landscape, the pressure to modernize is real, but full cloud migrations aren’t always realistic, especially for organizations with complex infrastructure, regulatory obligations, or legacy technology dependencies.

In this session, Aura’s Tony Parish and Brette Ciamarra will walk through our proven Integrate to Migrate strategy – a practical, flexible approach to transformation. You’ll learn how to connect Avaya and Microsoft Teams, consolidate global PSTN services, integrate third-party apps, and modernize your communications environment without disruption or vendor lock-in.

A global oil & gas case study: Modernizing without disruption

To demonstrate how this works in practice, we’ll share a case study from a multinational oil & gas enterprise that needed to modernize communications across dozens of critical sites, without interrupting day-to-day operations.

With Aura’s guidance, the organization:

Integrated Microsoft Teams Phone with its Avaya platform
Consolidated global PSTN and contact center infrastructure
Continued supporting DECT, analog, and elevator lines
Maintained business continuity with less than four hours of downtime
Avoided early contract penalties and controlled overall migration costs

The result? A scalable, secure, and future-ready communications framework that preserved existing investments while enabling collaboration across the enterprise.

What you’ll walk away with

This session goes beyond high-level strategy. Whether you’re managing a global contact center, overseeing infrastructure-heavy environments, or planning your next migration step, you’ll gain:

Real-world lessons on integrating Microsoft Teams with Avaya
A clear blueprint for phased, low-risk hybrid transformation
Insights on managing PSTN, compliance, and legacy systems
Strategies to reduce costs, avoid lock-in, and maximize uptime
A practical roadmap tailored to your organization’s pace and priorities

More about Integrate to Migrate

Aura’s Integrate to Migrate methodology was built for enterprises that can’t afford disruption, but need to move forward. Rather than requiring a full rip-and-replace approach, it supports phased modernization by aligning existing Avaya infrastructure with modern platforms like Microsoft Teams.

It enables organizations to consolidate global voice infrastructure into a single, manageable environment, while continuing to support legacy systems such as DECT handsets, analog lines, and elevator phones. This helps reduce risk, cost, and complexity while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational uptime.

Integrate to Migrate gives IT teams control over their roadmap and flexibility to scale where needed. There’s no vendor lock-in, no forced timelines – just a smarter, more strategic path to unified communications.

At IAUG Converge 2025, we’ll break it down step by step and show you how it’s already working in the real world.

See you in Kansas

With more than three decades of Avaya expertise, Aura has helped enterprises across sectors modernize communications at scale, without compromise. Our team brings hands-on experience, practical strategy, and a deep understanding of how to evolve complex systems with confidence.

Join us at IAUG Converge 2025 to discover how leading enterprises are transforming their communications environments without sacrificing stability, compliance, or control. Whether you’re just beginning your journey or deep into a hybrid evolution, you’ll leave this session with actionable insights and a clearer path forward.

Looking forward to seeing you at IAUG Converge 2025!

On the road with Aura: Events, insights & good times

tony.parish@auraalliance.com (Tony Parish) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:15:00 GMT

Teams & toast: Making the move to Teams without the headache

joel.heasman@auraalliance.com (Joel Heasman) — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:15:00 GMT

Aura at CP Expo 2025: Driving collaboration and innovation

tony.parish@auraalliance.com (Tony Parish) — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Enterprise Connect 2025: Where innovation, networking, and cocktails converge

Keyleen Reyes — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

It’s that time of year again – Enterprise Connect 2025 is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited! From March 17-20, the biggest names in enterprise communications and collaboration will gather in sunny Orlando, Florida, for an action-packed few days of learning, networking, and tech discovery. And of course, Team Aura will be there – because what’s an event full of industry giants without the real players? 😃

If you’re in the world of unified communications, customer experience, or collaboration tools, this is the place to be. Expect insightful keynotes, hands-on workshops, and an expo floor brimming with the latest innovations. One of the most anticipated keynotes will be from former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who will share his experiences from space and how teamwork, innovation, and problem-solving can apply to enterprise communications. If anyone knows about remote work, it’s him! Whether you’re looking to level up your tech stack, stay ahead of industry trends, or just geek out at cool new solutions, Enterprise Connect has it all!

We’re particularly excited for Microsoft’s Ilya Bukshteyn, VP of Microsoft Teams Calling, Devices, and Premium Experiences, to take the stage with his keynote, “Communication & Collaboration in the Era of AI.” AI is rapidly transforming how businesses connect and collaborate, and nowhere is this more evident than in cloud-based communication solutions. As a Microsoft Operator Connect certified partner, Aura is leading the way in helping businesses harness AI-driven efficiencies within Microsoft Teams Phone – enhancing flexibility, streamlining workflows, and ensuring seamless integration. If you’re looking to future-proof your Teams setup with intelligent communication solutions, come find us to chat about how Aura can support your business!

Team Aura is all in!

This year, Aura is bringing the whole gang to Enterprise Connect, and we can’t wait to meet you! Our team will be on the ground, ready to chat about the latest in enterprise communications, share insights, and have some fun along the way. Got questions about optimizing your unified communications strategy? Looking for ways to enhance customer experience? Just want to talk shop over a coffee? We’re in!

Happy hour alert! 🍻

We believe some of the best conversations happen over a drink, which is why we’re thrilled to be hosting a happy hour with our amazing partners Luware and 1UC. Join us for an evening of great company, good vibes, and some well-deserved refreshments after a long day at the conference.

📅 When? March 18, 2025
📍 Where? Wreckers Sports Bar at the Gaylord Palms Resort
🔗 RSVP here: Happy hour registration

(Spaces are limited, so please register your interest first!)

Why Aura, Luware, and 1UC?

Aura’s partnership with Luware and 1UC is all about helping businesses make the most of their communication tools. Luware specializes in advanced contact center solutions, helping organizations enhance their customer service experience within Microsoft Teams. 1UC brings expert training to ensure businesses get the absolute best from their UC investments. Put simply: we’re a powerhouse team that’s here to help organizations unlock their full potential.

The happy hour is your chance to meet the teams, swap stories, and learn how we’re making enterprise communications more seamless, efficient, and downright awesome. Whether you’re deep in the world of UC, a Teams enthusiast, or just looking to connect with like-minded professionals, this event is for you!

See you in Orlando!

Enterprise Connect 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable event, and we’re pumped to be a part of it. If you’re attending, be sure to seek us out and say hi to Team Aura – we’d love to chat! And of course, don’t forget to grab a drink with us at the happy hour. See you there!

Aura joins forces with Nuvola to power its Microsoft Teams Ready Solutions with enterprise-grade voice

keyleen.reyes@auraalliance.com (Keyleen Reyes) — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Aura, a global communications service provider, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Nuvola Distribution, a leading Technology and Services Distributor. This partnership will complete the loop on Nuvola’s Microsoft Teams eco-system, by adding enterprise-grade telephony to its already comprehensive Microsoft Teams Ready Solutions, across the UK and beyond.

Aura and AVANT partner to propel Trusted Advisors ahead with next generation technologies

keyleen.reyes@auraalliance.com (Keyleen Reyes) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 23:00:00 GMT