Teams, Telephone, Creating a role-based account for Teams telephone

The first step in creating a role-based account is to create an Active Directory (AD) user in the department's Organizational Unit (OU). This will have to be done by someone who has been delegated OU Admin authority, typically the unit's IT Professional.

Creating the Account in AD

The following steps outline the process an IT Pro can follow to setup an account. There are other methods, such as using PowerShell, which are beyond the scope of this article.

1. 1. Start Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC).
   2. Make sure you are connected to ad.uillinois.edu domain.
   3. Navigate to the Organizational Unit (OU) that you manage or sub-OU where you want to create the account. (Note: OU names should not contain protected characters such as "/" or "\")
   4. Right click in right hand window, choose New, then User
   5. Fill out the "New Object - User" window using the following guidelines: 
      • When choosing a User logon name, be sure to use something that cannot be used as a person's NetID. The user login name for a role-based account should be longer than 8 and less then 20 characters long. Follow your department's naming conventions for naming, pick a naming scheme that is consistent and helps identify the purpose of the account.
      • First name, Initials, and Last name are unimportant for this process, skip these if you don't have a good understanding of AD or how to edit the details later, the following details need to be set correctly and these setting might manipulate them (otherwise, set them to whatever makes sense).
      • Full name becomes the account's Common-Name CN (object name displayed in ADUC).  This should be the same as the User logon name and User logon name (pre-Windows 2000).
      • User logon name is important.  This is used as the login name for the account in Teams.  The domain following User login name should be @illinois.edu (or @uillinois.edu for UA units).  This will become the account's UserPrincipleName (UPN) in AD.
      • User logon name (pre-Windows 2000) is also important.  It MUST match the CN and User Logon Name.  This will become the account's SAMAccountName.
   6. Click next
   7. Create a strong password and choose the password options appropriate to your unit.
   8. Click next
   9. Click Finish
   10. After the account is created, open it (double-click; or right-click and choose Properties), and change the Display Name, which is what will be shown in Teams Contacts or Exchange Address Book.  Set this to something descriptive.

Exchange Enabling Accounts for Voicemail

Send a request to consult@illinois.edu listing the User Logon Name created for the account and asking to have the account Exchange enabled. 

All voicemail targets must be both Exchange and Teams Voice enabled.  A Teams account cannot receive voicemail without an Exchange mailbox; and an Exchange mailbox cannot receive voicemail without being enabled in Teams.

Licensing the Account for Phone Service

Role-based accounts require additional licensing in order to be enabled with telephone service. This is because the Office A1 license they get when being Exchange enabled does not provide for phone services. This license can be purchased on the University Webstore and is renewed annually.

There are thee primary licenses to consider, depending on the account's use. You only need one of these licenses per account.

1. 1. Microsoft M365 Phone System license - This is the standard license that allows an account to be eligible for Teams phone services.
   2. Microsoft Teams Shared Device license - This is the license you would want if your account is being used for a common area phone (CAP).
   3. Microsoft M365 A5 for Faculty, Staff, and Resource accounts - This license includes the Teams phone license in it, but also has other perks, like being able to use the desktop version of apps.

Submitting the Request to Activate the Account in Teams

After this account is created, mail enabled and licensed, the unit's Pinnacle Department Manager (PDM) needs to submit a pinnacle request to finish activating this account. Instructions on how Pinnacle Department Managers can request a role-based account can be found in this document:  Pinnacle, Quick Start Guide for Submitting Service Requests