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ms-721Associate

Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer

Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate

MS-721 is the voice exam. It goes deeper than MS-700 on PSTN options, Direct Routing, emergency calling, Rooms devices, and call quality. The reading order below starts with the licensing and connectivity choices and ends with the operational runbooks.

For: Voice and meeting-room engineers: Teams Phone, PSTN connectivity, Rooms, and the network underneath. Replaced MS-720.

Official exam page and skills outline ↗
16 guides in 3sections. The sections are this site's grouping, written to follow the shape of the published skills outline; weightings and the current outline live on the exam page above and change between exam versions.

01Teams Phone and PSTN connectivity

  1. 1Microsoft Teams PhoneMicrosoft Teams Phone explained: what you get, the licensing, and the decision that shapes everything — Calling Plans vs Operator Connect vs Direct Routing.
  2. 2Teams Calling Plans and Operator ConnectThe two simpler PSTN options for Microsoft Teams Phone — when each is the right fit.
  3. 3Teams Phone Direct Routing deep diveDirect Routing connects Teams Phone to any SIP carrier — the architecture and the operational details.
  4. 4Teams Direct Routing local media optimisationHow Local Media Optimisation reduces latency and bandwidth on Direct Routing deployments by keeping media on the local network.
  5. 5Migrating Teams voice from Direct Routing to Operator ConnectRunbook for moving Teams Phone from a Direct Routing SBC to Operator Connect: choosing an operator, port vs new numbers, per-user cutover, emergency addresses.

02Call routing, emergency calling, and devices

  1. 6Teams auto attendants and call queuesHow to design auto attendants and call queues in Teams Phone — the modern PBX features built on resource accounts.
  2. 7Teams Phone emergency callingHow emergency calling works in Teams Phone — E911 / 112 location, dynamic detection, and country-specific requirements.
  3. 8Teams Common Area PhonesHow Teams Phone supports shared, deskless phones for reception, warehouses, and shop floors.
  4. 9Teams Walkie Talkie and frontline workflowsTeams Walkie Talkie provides push-to-talk for frontline workers on Wi-Fi or cellular — alongside Shifts and Tasks for shift-based work.
  5. 10Teams compliance recordingHow regulated industries record Teams calls and meetings for compliance — the recording APIs and partner solutions.

03Meeting rooms and quality

  1. 11Microsoft Teams RoomsMicrosoft Teams Rooms explained: what the hardware does, Windows vs Android, Basic vs Pro licensing, and the operating rhythm that keeps a fleet healthy.
  2. 12Teams Rooms deployment and managementHow to plan, deploy, and operate Microsoft Teams Rooms at scale — devices, accounts, policies, and the Pro Management Portal.
  3. 13Handling a Teams Rooms fleet certificate expiryWhat breaks in a Teams Rooms fleet when a certificate expires — Wi-Fi, 802.1X, proxy roots, hybrid Exchange — how to tell which, and renewing fleet-wide.
  4. 14Teams Premium features deep diveMicrosoft Teams Premium is a paid add-on with a specific set of meeting and protection features. Here's what you get.
  5. 15Microsoft 365 network connectivity principlesHow to architect network traffic for Microsoft 365 — local egress, optimisation, and the network connectivity principles Microsoft publishes.
  6. 16Microsoft 365 network performance tuningPractical patterns for diagnosing and improving Microsoft 365 network performance — latency, bandwidth, and quality.

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