Deploying a hybrid UCaaS is more complex than a pure cloud system. You need to install an on-premises device, configure failover paths, and synchronize a cloud layer with local infrastructure before launching the service. Most of this complexity is on Sangoma’s side, but understanding each step helps your team prepare, ask the right questions, and avoid delays that push back the go-live date.
This guide explains how Sangoma deploys hybrid UCaaS, what each phase involves, and how survivability and failover are configured at deployment rather than later.
**If you’re looking for a checklist of what your team needs to prepare, see the **Hybrid UCaaS Deployment Checklist.
In this article, we’ll cover the other half: what Sangoma does and what to expect at each step. (For readers in a manufacturing environment, Sangoma’s VoIP implementation guide for manufacturing details industry-specific considerations before and during deployment.)
Key components powering Sangoma’s hybrid UCaaS
Sangoma’s hybrid unified communications service combines cloud management with on-site reliability. Rather than relying solely on Internet connectivity, the architecture keeps voice traffic local whenever possible while using the cloud for centralized control and management. The following components are involved in every deployment.
The StarBox® device
The StarBox® device sits at the edge of the customer’s Internet connection, outside the firewall. Its primary function is to keep voice service running during Internet outages through local survivability: internal calls stay on the local network instead of crossing the Internet, so a WAN outage doesn’t take the phones down.
StarBox® also manages traffic shaping in both directions of the connection. It prioritizes voice packets and identifies slow network points, redirecting calls to avoid congestion. For failover, it supports two WAN circuits, backup LTE, and analog POTS lines. When an outage occurs, calls automatically switch to the backup path.
The device arrives preconfigured before installation. Sangoma provisions it before shipping, so on-site installation consists of physical installation and registration rather than configuration from scratch.
Business Voice Plus (cloud core and management portal)
Business Voice Plus (BV+) is the cloud layer where call routing, users, extensions, auto attendants, and sites are created and managed. Sangoma prepares most of this configuration before the system goes live, then hands it over to the customer for review and approval. After launch, the BV+ portal is administrators’ daily tool for adding users, adjusting call flows, updating extensions, and pulling reports.
BV+ connects to multiple redundant data centers across the country. Devices automatically connect to the nearest data center for optimal performance, and intelligent routing selects the most efficient path to reduce latency and maintain call quality.
See also: Top 10 VoIP Trends Shaping Business Communication
TeamHub and Sangoma Meet (collaboration tools)
When the system is activated, users get access to the full business collaboration suite. TeamHub covers voice calls, chat, SMS, and presence. Sangoma Meet provides video conferencing. File sharing is included on both platforms. These tools are available on desktop and mobile clients from day one, with no delay between activation and user access.
Phones and network layer
Sangoma supports its own hardware phones as well as a range of compatible third-party IP phones. The network layer requires a PoE switch to power the phones and VLAN segmentation to separate voice traffic from data traffic. StarBox® manages VLAN configuration automatically: VLAN 41 carries dedicated voice traffic, and VLAN 42 routes to the backup circuits. For organizations seeking additional stability, Sangoma’s managed network and SD‑WAN services are available as options.
UCaaS implementation workflow
The deployment follows a predictable six-phase sequence. The table below provides an overview before detailing each phase.
| Phase | What Sangoma does | What your team does | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Network analysis & requirements | Assesses LAN/WAN readiness, confirms the failover option | Provides site access, network documentation, call flow requirements | Week 1 |
| 2. Business Voice Plus build | Creates sites, users, extensions, call flows in the portal | Reviews and approves the configuration | Week 1–2 |
| 3. StarBox® shipment & site preparation | Ships the preconfigured device | Prepares the rack space, network outlet, PoE switch | Week 2 |
| 4. StarBox® on-site installation | Installs and registers the device, provisions the phones | Provides on-site access, confirms phone locations | Week 2–3 |
| 5. User & device activation | Activates softphones, TeamHub, Meet, voicemail, SMS | Coordinates small-group user training | Week 3 |
| 6. Transition & final validation | Manages number porting, final routing tests, monitors after go-live | Confirms decommissioning of the legacy system | Week 3–4 |
Phase 1: Network analysis and requirements
Before any configuration, Sangoma reviews the site's LAN and WAN environment. This includes equipment, cabling, bandwidth capacity, and the status of any existing infrastructure that will remain in place. The goal is to confirm that the network is ready for voice traffic and identify anything that needs to be addressed before StarBox® arrives.
At this stage, the customer chooses a failover option: dual WAN, LTE, POTS, or a combination. The decision is documented and incorporated into the StarBox® configuration before it ships.
Call flow requirements are also gathered here: IVR menus, queue structures, routing logic, and hunt group behavior. Collecting these details in advance allows BV+ to be built accurately in Phase 2 instead of having to be revised after launch.
This is also the time to confirm compliance requirements. For organizations subject to HIPAA, PCI, or other data-handling regulations, requirements for call recording, storage, and failover paths must be established at this stage. Sangoma's platforms support both, but building compliance into an already completed BV+ and StarBox® configuration creates unnecessary extra work. Confirming them now means they are integrated from the start.
Phase 2: Business Voice Plus build
With the requirements in hand, Sangoma builds the BV+ configuration. This includes creating all sites, users, extensions, call flows, auto attendants, and any queue or hunt group identified in Phase 1. The work is done in the portal before any on-site installation.
Once the build is complete, the customer’s project manager reviews the configuration. This review is the checkpoint before the system progresses. Changes at this stage are much simpler than those made after installation, which is why Sangoma recommends a thorough review and sign-off before Phase 3 begins. The BV+ build is the foundation on which everything else operates.
Phase 3: StarBox® shipping and site preparation
Sangoma ships the preconfigured StarBox® device to the site. Because it arrives already provisioned, local preparation is mainly physical: clearing rack space, confirming a network outlet, and checking that the PoE switch is ready for the phones.
Before the technician arrives, Sangoma verifies that site preparation is complete. This check reduces on-site delays and keeps the installation on schedule.
Phase 4: On-site StarBox® installation
A Sangoma technician installs the device, connects it to the network, and registers it with the BV+ portal. This is when the cloud and on-site layers come together for the first time.
Phone provisioning follows installation. Desk phones are connected to the PoE switch, receive their configuration automatically from the portal, and are tested for extension registration and audio quality. Internal calling, paging, and failover are all verified before the technician leaves. Routing behavior is confirmed against the call flows built in Phase 2.
Phase 5: User and device activation
With the system installed and phones operational, Sangoma activates the remaining user-facing features: softphone clients, TeamHub, Sangoma Meet, voicemail, SMS, and presence. Users can access the system from desktop applications and mobile devices as soon as activation is complete.
Training is coordinated during this phase in small groups rather than general sessions. Small groups allow users to ask questions and walk through their specific workflows, supporting faster adoption than a broad overview. Administrators receive separate instruction on the BV+ portal so they can manage the system without having to contact support for routine changes.
Phase 6: Transition and final validation
Sangoma manages number porting and the transition away from the legacy system. Final routing tests confirm that inbound and outbound calls behave as expected across all call flows. Failover is tested against the selected backup option.
After launch, Sangoma monitors the system for a short stabilization period. Any routing irregularities, audio quality issues, or unexpected failover behavior are resolved during this window. Once the monitoring period ends, the system moves to standard 24/7 support.
Multi-site deployments
Each site in a multi-site deployment receives its own StarBox® device, shipped preconfigured for that site. The six-phase workflow applies to each site, not each company, so the process remains identical whether the organization has two sites or twenty.
All sites are managed from a single BV+ portal regardless of the number of active sites. Call routing, user management, and reporting remain centralized. An administrator making a change for a specific site does not need to log in separately or manage separate configurations.
For organizations with multiple sites, Sangoma staggers the deployment in waves. A pilot site is deployed first, and lessons from that installation are incorporated before the next wave begins. The 3–4-week timeline applies per wave, not per site within a wave. Multi-site deployments of this type are covered in more depth in Sangoma’s article on unified communications for franchises.
How Sangoma support handoffs work
Support during a hybrid UCaaS deployment is not a single team handing a ticket to the provisioning team. It passes through distinct stages as the deployment progresses.
During provisioning, the team responsible for BV+ configuration and StarBox® setup is the primary point of contact. At transition, responsibility passes to a deployment support team that monitors the system during the stabilization window. After that period, the account moves to Sangoma’s 24/7 support based in the United States, with teams in Sarasota, Atlanta, and Huntsville. Each stage overlaps with the next so there is no gap during the transition.
Day-to-day operations after launch are largely self-service through BV+. Administrators add users, adjust call flows, change extensions, and pull call reports from the portal without opening a support ticket. StarBox® runs survivability and failover functions in the background without intervention: if a WAN outage occurs, calls automatically switch to the backup path and return to the primary path as soon as connectivity is restored. TeamHub and Sangoma Meet are accessible using the same credentials created during activation, and are available on any device.
Start your hybrid UCaaS deployment
Sangoma handles the technical side: network assessment, BV+ configuration, StarBox® provisioning, on-site installation, phone configuration, and transition. Your team handles the business side: reviewing configurations, coordinating access, and confirming that call flows truly reflect how your organization operates.
To learn more about how hybrid UCaaS compares with a fully cloud deployment, see Hybrid UC: The Best of Both Worlds and the cloud UCaaS deployment overview.
Ready to get started? Book a discovery call with Sangoma to review your site requirements and get a deployment timeline.
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