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EPC Group

Enterprise Microsoft consulting with 29 years serving Fortune 500 companies.

(888) 381-9725
contact@epcgroup.net
4900 Woodway Drive, Suite 830
Houston, TX 77056

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About EPC Group

EPC Group is a Microsoft consulting firm founded in 1997 (originally Enterprise Project Consulting, renamed EPC Group in 2005). 29 years of enterprise Microsoft consulting experience. EPC Group historically held the distinction of being the oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner in North America from 2016 until the program's retirement. Because Microsoft officially deprecated the Gold/Silver tiering framework, EPC Group transitioned to the modern Microsoft Solutions Partner ecosystem and currently holds the core Microsoft Solutions Partner designations.

Headquartered at 4900 Woodway Drive, Suite 830, Houston, TX 77056. Public clients include NASA, FBI, Federal Reserve, Pentagon, United Airlines, PepsiCo, Nike, and Northrop Grumman. 6,500+ SharePoint implementations, 1,500+ Power BI deployments, 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations, 70+ Fortune 500 organizations served, 11,000+ enterprise engagements, 200+ Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft 365 consultants on staff.

About Errin O'Connor

Errin O'Connor is the Founder, CEO, and Chief AI Architect of EPC Group. Microsoft MVP multiple years, first awarded 2003. 4× Microsoft Press bestselling author of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Inside Out (MS Press 2007), Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Inside Out (MS Press 2011), SharePoint 2013 Field Guide (Sams/Pearson 2014), and Microsoft Power BI Dashboards Step by Step (MS Press 2018).

Original SharePoint Beta Team member (Project Tahoe). Original Power BI Beta Team member (Project Crescent). FedRAMP framework contributor. Worked with U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra on the Obama administration's 25-Point Plan to reform federal IT, and with NASA CIO Chris Kemp as Lead Architect on the NASA Nebula Cloud project. Speaker at Microsoft Ignite, SharePoint Conference, KMWorld, and DATAVERSITY.

© 2026 EPC Group. All rights reserved. Microsoft, SharePoint, Power BI, Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Fabric, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

EPC Group deploys and governs Microsoft Teams for enterprise organizations. We cover Teams Phone, Teams Rooms, compliance recording, and Viva Insights hybrid analytics. With 29 years of Microsoft consulting experience, we manage the full Teams stack — from PSTN calling to workplace productivity dashboards.

Key Facts

  • 29 years of Microsoft consulting. 10,000+ enterprise deployments.
  • Teams Phone options: Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Direct Routing.
  • Compliance recording covers SEC Rule 17a-4, FINRA 3110, MiFID II, and HIPAA.
  • Teams Rooms certified hardware: Poly, Yealink, Logitech, Crestron.
  • Viva Insights tracks focus time, meeting load, after-hours work, and collaboration patterns.
  • Contact: (888) 381-9725 · contact@epcgroup.net
HomeServicesMicrosoft Teams & Hybrid Work Analytics
Digital Workplace Transformation

Microsoft Teams & Hybrid Work Analytics

Enterprise Teams governance, Viva Insights for hybrid work measurement, Teams Rooms deployment, PSTN calling integration, and compliance recording. Built for regulated industries with 29 years of Microsoft ecosystem expertise.

Schedule Teams AssessmentTeams Consulting Services

The Digital Workplace Gap Most Enterprises Miss

Microsoft Teams & Hybrid Work Analytics

EPC Group deploys and governs Microsoft Teams for enterprise organizations. We cover Teams Phone, Teams Rooms, compliance recording, and Viva Insights hybrid analytics. With 29 years of Microsoft consulting experience, we manage the full Teams stack — from PSTN calling to workplace productivity dashboards.

Key facts

  • 29 years of Microsoft consulting. 10,000+ enterprise deployments.
  • Teams Phone options: Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Direct Routing.
  • Compliance recording covers SEC Rule 17a-4, FINRA 3110, MiFID II, and HIPAA.
  • Teams Rooms certified hardware: Poly, Yealink, Logitech, Crestron.
  • Viva Insights tracks focus time, meeting load, after-hours work, and collaboration patterns.
  • Contact: (888) 381-9725 · contact@epcgroup.net

Teams Phone: PSTN calling options

Teams Phone replaces legacy PBX systems with cloud calling. EPC Group implements all three connectivity models.

  • Microsoft Calling Plans — simplest option; best for under 500 users. Teams Phone Standard: $8/user/mo. Domestic bundle: $15/user/mo (3,000 minutes/user/mo).
  • Operator Connect — carrier-managed; best for existing telco relationships with BT, Verizon, or Lumen.
  • Direct Routing — most flexible; best for global enterprises with existing SIP infrastructure.

We handle SBC deployment, number porting, emergency calling (E911), and Teams admin center configuration.

Compliance recording for regulated industries

Regulated firms — traders, advisors, healthcare providers — must record and archive Teams calls. EPC Group deploys compliant recording platforms that meet audit requirements.

  • Automatic recording triggered by user policy (e.g., all calls for traders).
  • Tamper-proof storage with legal hold.
  • Transcription and keyword search for e-discovery.
  • Retention policies aligned with SEC Rule 17a-4, FINRA 3110, and MiFID II.
  • HIPAA-compliant recording for healthcare.
  • Chain-of-custody documentation for legal proceedings.

Teams Rooms enterprise deployment

Teams Rooms turns conference rooms into managed, compliant meeting spaces. Each deployment follows a structured process.

  • Hardware selection from certified vendors: Poly, Yealink, Logitech, Crestron.
  • Network readiness assessment (bandwidth, QoS, VLAN configuration).
  • Azure AD integration and Intune device enrollment.
  • Room booking integration with Exchange.
  • Audio/video calibration and digital signage configuration.
  • User training and admin onboarding.

Teams Rooms Pro Management Portal provides real-time health monitoring, remote firmware updates, and usage analytics across all rooms.

Hybrid work analytics with Viva Insights

Viva Insights shows how your organization actually works — not how you think it works.

  • Employee wellbeing — focus time, after-hours work, and meeting load per person.
  • Manager insights — 1:1 meeting frequency, team collaboration patterns.
  • Leader insights — org-wide trends, department comparisons.
  • Advanced analytics — custom Workplace Analytics queries for ONA and cross-team collaboration.

Privacy is protected by default. Individual data is never surfaced to managers without aggregation thresholds.

Teams governance

Ungoverned Teams environments create sprawl, security gaps, and compliance risk. EPC Group builds governance frameworks that prevent these problems.

  • Team creation policies and naming conventions.
  • Lifecycle management with auto-expiry and archival.
  • External sharing and guest access controls.
  • Retention and DLP policies aligned to compliance requirements.
  • Copilot governance — grounding controls and usage audit logs.

Frequently asked questions

What Teams Phone option should we choose?

Under 500 users: Microsoft Calling Plans ($8–$15/user/mo) is simplest. Existing telco relationships: Operator Connect. Global SIP infrastructure: Direct Routing. EPC Group assesses your requirements and recommends the right model.

What is required for compliant call recording?

You need a certified compliance recording partner, tamper-proof storage, and retention policies aligned to your regulation (SEC 17a-4, FINRA 3110, MiFID II, or HIPAA). EPC Group configures and validates the full stack.

How long does a Teams Rooms deployment take?

A single-site Teams Rooms deployment typically takes 4–6 weeks. Multi-site enterprise rollouts run 8–16 weeks depending on room count, network readiness, and hardware procurement lead times.

Does Viva Insights share individual data with managers?

No. Individual-level data is only visible to the employee. Manager and leader views aggregate across teams with minimum-size thresholds. Privacy settings are configurable by your admin team.

Can Teams replace our legacy PBX?

Yes. Teams Phone with Direct Routing supports existing SIP infrastructure. Most enterprises complete PBX replacement in 6–12 months through a phased cutover. EPC Group manages number porting, carrier coordination, and user training.

Schedule a consultation

Talk to an EPC Group Microsoft architect about Teams Phone, Rooms, or Viva Insights. Call (888) 381-9725 or request a 30-minute discovery call.

Enterprise Teams Governance Framework

Governance is not bureaucracy — it is the foundation that enables scaling Teams across thousands of users without losing control over data, compliance, or costs.

Team Creation Policies

Automated approval workflows, naming conventions, classification labels, and expiration policies to prevent sprawl.

Data Loss Prevention

DLP policies that detect and block sensitive data (SSN, PHI, PCI) from being shared in chats, channels, and meetings.

Guest Access Controls

Granular external collaboration policies with conditional access, MFA enforcement, and domain allowlists/blocklists.

Compliance Recording

Policy-based call and meeting recording for FINRA, MiFID II, HIPAA, and SEC requirements with tamper-proof archival.

Information Barriers

Chinese wall enforcement preventing communication between regulated groups such as investment banking and equity research.

Lifecycle Management

Automated team expiration, archival, and deletion workflows with owner notifications and grace periods.

Viva Insights: Measuring Hybrid Work Without Surveillance

Microsoft Viva Insights transforms Microsoft 365 usage signals into actionable workforce intelligence. EPC Group configures and customizes Viva Insights dashboards that answer the questions hybrid work leaders actually need answered — with privacy guardrails that comply with GDPR, CCPA, and labor regulations.

Meeting Culture

Track meeting hours, recurring meeting bloat, double-booking rates, and meeting-free time across teams.

Focus Time

Measure uninterrupted work blocks, identify fragmentation patterns, and set organizational focus time goals.

Collaboration Networks

Map cross-team collaboration, identify silos, and measure manager connectivity with direct reports.

After-Hours Work

Monitor email and Teams activity outside business hours to detect burnout risk and enforce work-life boundaries.

Hybrid Equity

Compare remote vs. in-office employee collaboration patterns to ensure equitable meeting inclusion and career development.

Space Utilization

Correlate Teams Rooms usage data with facilities systems to optimize office space allocation and real estate costs.

Privacy-First Architecture

EPC Group configures every Viva Insights deployment with privacy as the foundational requirement, not an afterthought. All personal insights are visible only to the individual employee. Manager and leader insights use aggregated data with a minimum group size of 10. No message content, document text, or screen activity is ever captured. Employees can opt out of organizational insights. All data processing complies with GDPR Article 22 (automated decision-making), CCPA employee data rights, and applicable labor regulations.

Teams Rooms: Bridging Physical and Digital Workspaces

Teams Rooms transform meeting spaces into intelligent collaboration hubs. EPC Group designs, deploys, and manages Teams Rooms at scale — from huddle spaces to executive boardrooms — with standardized profiles that ensure consistent experiences across every location.

Deployment Services

  • Certified hardware selection (Poly, Yealink, Logitech, Crestron)
  • Network readiness and QoS configuration
  • Azure AD and Intune device enrollment
  • Room booking integration with Exchange Online
  • Audio/video calibration and testing
  • Digital signage and lobby displays
  • Front Row layout optimization

Management & Monitoring

  • Teams Rooms Pro management portal
  • Real-time device health monitoring
  • Automated firmware updates and patching
  • Usage analytics and space utilization reports
  • Proactive alerting for offline or degraded rooms
  • Peripheral inventory and lifecycle tracking
  • Integration with facilities management systems

Teams Phone System & PSTN Integration

Consolidate your telephony infrastructure into Microsoft Teams. EPC Group migrates enterprises from legacy PBX systems to Teams Phone with number porting, call routing, auto-attendants, call queues, emergency calling compliance, and compliance recording for regulated industries.

Microsoft Calling Plans

Microsoft-provided PSTN connectivity. Simplest deployment for organizations under 500 users. No SBC required. Number assignment through Teams admin center.

Best for: Small to mid-size organizations wanting simplicity

Operator Connect

Carrier-managed PSTN connectivity through certified operators. Numbers managed in Teams admin center with carrier-grade reliability and existing telco relationships.

Best for: Organizations with existing carrier contracts

Direct Routing

Connect your own SBC to Teams Phone System. Maximum flexibility for global deployments, existing SIP infrastructure, and complex routing requirements.

Best for: Global enterprises with existing SIP/PBX infrastructure

Teams + Power BI: Workplace Analytics That Drive Decisions

EPC Group builds custom Power BI dashboards that combine Viva Insights data, Teams usage telemetry, room utilization metrics, and HR system data into unified workplace analytics. These dashboards help executives make data-driven decisions about real estate, meeting culture, team productivity, and hybrid work policies.

Executive Hybrid Work Dashboard

High-level KPIs: collaboration hours, focus time trends, hybrid equity scores, space utilization rates, and engagement indices across business units.

Meeting Culture Health Report

Meeting duration distributions, recurring meeting audit, meeting-free day compliance, multi-tasking rates, and organizational meeting load by seniority level.

Real Estate Optimization

Room utilization heatmaps, desk booking trends, peak occupancy analysis, and cost-per-seat calculations to right-size your office portfolio.

Team Collaboration Network

Cross-functional collaboration maps, communication silo detection, new hire integration speed, and manager 1:1 frequency tracking.

All workplace analytics dashboards enforce row-level security, ensuring managers only see data for their teams and executives see aggregate organizational metrics. Data is refreshed daily through automated Power BI dataflows connected to Microsoft Graph APIs and Viva Insights export endpoints.

Viva Connections: The Modern Employee Intranet Inside Teams

Traditional intranets fail because employees must leave their workflow to visit them. Viva Connections solves this by embedding a personalized intranet experience directly inside Microsoft Teams — the application your workforce already uses every day. EPC Group designs and implements Viva Connections with branded experiences, audience-targeted dashboards, and deep integration with your existing SharePoint content and business applications.

What EPC Group Delivers

Branded dashboard with company identity and navigation
Adaptive cards for tasks, approvals, and quick actions
Audience targeting (frontline vs. knowledge workers)
Curated news feed from SharePoint and Yammer
Multi-language support for global organizations
Integration with HR systems (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors)
Mobile-optimized experience for frontline workers
Analytics on content engagement and adoption rates

Why Enterprises Choose EPC Group for Teams & Hybrid Work

29 years of Microsoft ecosystem expertise across Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, and Azure
Governance-first approach that prevents sprawl before it starts
Deep compliance expertise for HIPAA, FINRA, FedRAMP, and GDPR-regulated environments
Proven Teams Rooms deployments across 500+ rooms for enterprise clients
Custom Power BI workplace analytics dashboards with row-level security
Privacy-first Viva Insights implementations that comply with labor regulations
End-to-end Teams Phone migrations from legacy PBX with zero downtime
Ongoing managed services with 24/7 monitoring and optimization

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Microsoft Teams governance and why does it matter for enterprises?

Microsoft Teams governance is a structured framework of policies, controls, and automated enforcement that manages how Teams spaces are created, named, classified, and retired across your organization. Without governance, enterprises face Teams sprawl (thousands of abandoned teams), data leakage through oversharing, compliance violations in regulated industries, and unmanageable storage costs. EPC Group implements governance frameworks that include naming conventions, expiration policies, sensitivity labels, information barriers, guest access controls, and automated lifecycle management. For HIPAA and FINRA-regulated organizations, Teams governance is not optional — it is a compliance requirement.

How does Viva Insights measure hybrid work productivity without invading employee privacy?

Microsoft Viva Insights uses aggregated, de-identified metadata from Microsoft 365 signals — meeting duration, email volume, focus time, collaboration patterns — rather than reading message content or monitoring screens. Data is aggregated at the group level (minimum 10 people) so no individual employee can be identified. EPC Group configures Viva Insights with privacy guardrails including opt-out options, data minimization policies, role-based access to dashboards, and compliance with GDPR and local labor laws. Leaders see trends like 'Engineering team averages 18 hours/week in meetings' without seeing any individual's calendar.

What does a Teams Rooms deployment include and how long does it take?

A Teams Rooms deployment includes hardware selection and procurement (certified devices from Poly, Yealink, Logitech, Crestron), network readiness assessment (bandwidth, QoS, VLAN configuration), Azure AD integration, device provisioning and enrollment via Intune, room booking integration with Exchange, audio/video calibration, digital signage configuration, and user training. EPC Group typically deploys 50-200 rooms in 6-10 weeks. Enterprise deployments of 500+ rooms follow a phased approach over 12-16 weeks with pilot rooms, IT staff training, and standardized room profiles for huddle spaces, conference rooms, and boardrooms.

How does EPC Group handle Teams PSTN calling and direct routing?

EPC Group implements Microsoft Teams Phone System with three connectivity options: Microsoft Calling Plans (simplest, best for under 500 users), Operator Connect (carrier-managed, best for existing telco relationships), and Direct Routing (most flexible, best for global enterprises with existing SIP infrastructure). Our implementation includes SBC deployment and configuration, number porting from legacy PBX systems, call routing policies, auto-attendant and call queue setup, emergency calling (E911/ELIN) compliance, call recording for FINRA/MiFID II requirements, and analog device integration. Typical migrations from legacy PBX to Teams Phone take 8-16 weeks depending on complexity.

What are information barriers in Microsoft Teams and who needs them?

Information barriers are compliance policies that prevent specific groups of users from communicating or sharing data with each other in Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Financial services firms need them to separate investment banking from equity research (Chinese wall requirements). Healthcare organizations use them to isolate patient data between departments. Government agencies use them for classified project compartmentalization. EPC Group configures information barriers through Microsoft Purview, defining segments based on Azure AD attributes, testing bi-directional blocking, configuring exceptions for compliance officers, and validating enforcement across Teams chat, channels, meetings, and file sharing.

How does Teams integrate with Power BI for workplace analytics?

Microsoft Teams integrates with Power BI through embedded reports in Teams tabs, Power BI app for Teams (pinning dashboards to channels), automatic notifications when data changes, and conversational analytics via Power BI Q&A. EPC Group builds custom workplace analytics dashboards combining Viva Insights data with HR systems, facilities data, and business KPIs. These dashboards show meeting culture health (meeting-free time trends), collaboration network analysis (cross-team connectivity), space utilization rates (which offices and rooms are actually used), and productivity patterns (focus time vs. fragmented schedules). All dashboards enforce row-level security and comply with privacy regulations.

What is Viva Connections and how does it replace traditional intranets?

Viva Connections is Microsoft's modern intranet experience built directly into Teams, replacing legacy SharePoint intranets with a mobile-first, personalized employee experience. It includes a customizable dashboard with adaptive cards (showing tasks, approvals, company news, HR links), a curated feed aggregating content from SharePoint news, Yammer communities, and Stream videos, and deep links to business applications. EPC Group implements Viva Connections with branded experiences, audience targeting (different dashboards for frontline vs. knowledge workers), multi-language support, and integration with existing SharePoint content. It eliminates the 'another app to check' problem by bringing the intranet into the tool employees already use daily.

What does compliance recording in Microsoft Teams involve?

Compliance recording in Microsoft Teams captures and archives all calls, meetings, and messaging for regulatory requirements. EPC Group implements policy-based recording using certified partners (Verint, NICE, ASC) integrated via the Teams Compliance Recording API. This includes automatic recording triggered by user policies (all calls for traders, for example), tamper-proof storage with legal hold capabilities, transcription and keyword search for e-discovery, retention policies aligned with SEC Rule 17a-4, FINRA 3110, MiFID II, and HIPAA requirements, and chain-of-custody documentation for legal proceedings. Recording policies are enforced server-side so users cannot disable or bypass them.

Related Services

Microsoft 365 ConsultingTeams ConsultingAI GovernanceContact Us

Ready to Transform Your Digital Workplace?

Schedule a Teams governance assessment with EPC Group. We will evaluate your current Teams environment, identify governance gaps, and deliver a prioritized roadmap for hybrid work optimization.

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(888) 381-9725contact@epcgroup.net

Microsoft Teams Strategy: 2026 Considerations for Microsoft Teams Hybrid Work Analytics

Teams Rooms (Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro license at $40/room/mo) brings governance, security, and remote management to conference-room hardware in 2026. Compared to dumb HDMI projectors, the per-room cost is offset within 12-18 months by reduced AV-support helpdesk volume, automatic firmware patching, and Microsoft Endpoint Manager-driven device compliance. Healthcare and financial services deployments typically standardize on Logitech Rally or Yealink for the room hardware.

Microsoft Teams Phone in 2026 is the modern enterprise PSTN replacement: Teams Phone Standard ($8/user/mo) for outbound calling via Microsoft Calling Plans, Teams Phone with Calling Plan Domestic ($15/user/mo) bundles 3,000 outbound minutes/user/mo, and Operator Connect lets enterprises retain incumbent carriers (BT, Verizon, Lumen) while integrating natively with Teams. The total-cost comparison vs legacy PBX favors Teams Phone for any deployment over 500 users.

Decision factors EPC Group evaluates

  • Teams Rooms hardware standardization (Logitech Rally vs Yealink)
  • Microsoft Purview information barriers for cross-business-unit segregation
  • Microsoft Sentinel detections for Teams compliance recording requirements
  • Teams Phone Standard vs Calling Plan vs Operator Connect TCO comparison
  • Communication Compliance policies for executive and regulated roles

See related EPC Group services at /services or schedule a discovery call at /contact.