MS-721: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate Exam Resource Guide (November 2025 Update)

MS-721 just received a minor update, after recently receiving a major update earlier in the year. Here are the changes.

New or updated items

• Plan and design SMS in Teams with Microsoft Calling Plan numbers
• Evaluate Teams Premium by using the Teams admin center
• Choose an appropriate call queue routing method, including call priorities
• Configure business hours and holidays for auto attendants

Plan and design collaboration communications systems (30–35%)

Plan and design Teams meetings

• Plan for Teams meetings, webinars, and town halls
  • Overview of meetings, webinars, and town halls
• Plan and design Teams meeting policies and settings
  • Policies overview
• Plan for PSTN audio conferencing
  • Plan your deployment
• Recommend when to use Teams Premium, including Microsoft 365 Copilot
  • Teams Premium overview
  • Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot for Teams meetings and event
• Recommend meeting types based on business requirements, including virtual appointments, webinars, town halls, and meetings
  • Overview of meetings, webinars, and town halls
• Recommend methods for assigning policies
  • Manage meeting and event policies in Microsoft Teams
• Plan and design Teams policy packages
  • Manage policy packages in Teams

Plan and design Teams Phone and PSTN connectivity

• Identify licensing requirements to enable Teams Phone for users, shared devices, and Teams resource accounts
  • Teams add-on license options
• Identify PSTN connectivity requirements
  • PSTN connectivity options
• Recommend when to use Teams Phone Mobile
  • Plan for Teams Phone Mobile
• Plan for Operator Connect
  • Plan for Operator Connect
• Plan and design SMS in Teams with Microsoft Calling Plan numbers
  • Plan for SMS in Teams with Microsoft Calling Plan numbers
• Recommend an appropriate billing method for communications consumption, including domestic, international, and pay-as-you-go (PAYG)
  • Add funds and manage Communications Credit
• Plan for Shared Calling
  • Plan for Shared Calling
• Plan usage scenarios for service and user phone numbers
  • Manage the usage of a phone number
• Plan for porting and/or acquiring phone numbers
  • Transfer phone numbers to Teams
• Design call flows for auto attendants and call queues
  • Routing calls with Auto attendants and Call queues
• Design a solution for dynamic emergency calling
  • Plan and manage emergency calling
• Recommend devices for Teams Phone
  • Choose the right devices
• Plan for and recommend analog devices, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) handsets, and SIP devices
  • How to use analog devices with Direct Routing
  • Plan for SIP Gateway
• Recommend when to use Survivable Branch Appliances (SBAs)
  • Direct Routing Survivable Branch Appliance
• Plan and design Direct Routing
  • Microsoft Teams call flows
• Recommend a Session Border Controller (SBC) solution based on PSTN connectivity
  • Session Border Controllers certified for Direct Routing
• Identify an appropriate compliance recording solution
  • Manage recording options
• Identify use cases for certified contact center solutions
  • Contact Center integrations
• Identify use cases for the Queues App
  • Overview of Queues app

Plan and design Teams-certified device solutions

• Recommend a room configuration based on the meeting space, including Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
  • Meeting room design guidance
  • BYOD rooms
• Recommend a room configuration based on customer and business requirements
  • Planning for Teams Rooms
• Choose between Teams Rooms Basic and Teams Rooms Pro
  • Overview of Teams Rooms licensing
• Recommend a Teams Rooms device platform, including Windows and Android
  • Teams Rooms and panels feature comparison
• Recommend Teams-certified devices
  • Certified devices
• Recommend Teams Rooms certified components
  • Teams Rooms on Windows certified devices
  • Teams Rooms on Android certified devices
  • Teams panels certified devices
  • Teams phones certified devices
  • Teams displays certified devices
  • Personal peripherals
• Recommend an interoperability solution for Microsoft Teams Rooms, including Cloud Video Interop (CVI), Direct Guest Join, and SIP Join via CVI
  • Cloud Video Interop
  • Determine which third-party meeting join solution is right for your Teams Rooms
• Identify the requirements for a Microsoft Teams Rooms resource account
  • How to create and configure resource accounts for Teams Rooms and panels
• Identify the enrollment requirements for Microsoft Intune
  • Device administration
  • Setting up Microsoft Teams phones and Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android in Microsoft Intune
• Identify the enrollment requirements for Android Open Source Project (AOSP) device management
  • AOSP device management
• Plan for advanced features on shared devices
  • Microsoft Teams Shared Devices

Prepare the network for Teams

• Evaluate network readiness by using the Microsoft Teams Network Assessment Tool
  • Network Assessment
  • Prepare your organization’s network for Teams
• Recommend when to use Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN)
  • eCDN
• Specify the network configuration for certified devices
  • Plan your network environment for Teams Phones
• Determine network requirements by using the Network planner for Teams
  • Network Planner 
• Specify the optimal network architecture for Teams
  • Enterprise setup overview
• Specify Teams Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and policies
  • Implement QoS in Teams
• Configure Teams for QoS
  • Configure QoS in the Teams admin center
• Configure Media Bit Rate (MBR)
  • Media bit rate
• Create and assign a network roaming policy
  • Manage video and media settings with the network roaming policy
• Configure the network topology
  • Manage your network topology for cloud voice features
• Configure tenant data upload for the Microsoft Call Quality Dashboard
  • Upload tenant and building data
• Configure reporting labels for Call Analytics
  • Add and update

Configure and manage Teams meetings, webinars, and town halls (20–25%)

Configure and manage Teams meetings

• Create and manage meeting policies
  • Policies overview
  • Manage policy packages in Teams
• Configure meeting settings
  • Teams settings and policies reference
• Configure avatars for Teams meetings
  • Manage the Avatars app
• Configure and manage meeting features, including meeting apps, polls and forms, Q&A, breakout rooms, and Teams Premium features
  • Teams meeting features
• Create and manage Teams meeting templates and meeting template policies
  • Manage meeting templates
• Configure controlled-content meeting policies
  • Content sharing
• Configure Cloud Video Interop policies
  • Cloud Video Interop
• Configure meeting recording and transcription to support Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Teams Premium
  • Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot for Teams meetings and events
• Configure virtual appointments and advanced virtual appointment policies
  • Virtual Appointments with Microsoft Teams
• Evaluate Teams Premium by using the Teams admin center
  • Teams Premium discovery trial

Configure and manage audio conferencing

• Configure audio conferencing for Teams
  • Plan Audio Conferencing for Microsoft Teams meetings
• Configure a default audio conferencing bridge
  • Set up Audio Conferencing
• Configure an audio conference bridge number
  • Get service numbers for your conferencing bridges
• Configure a toll-free conference bridge number
  • Policy settings for toll and toll-free numbers
• Assign a specific audio conferencing number to a user
  • Set the phone numbers included on invites
• Configure toll-free audio conferencing
  • Policy settings for toll and toll-free numbers
• Configure the audio conferencing numbers included in meeting invitations
  • Set up meeting invitations

Configure and manage Teams webinars

• Configure webinar roles and presenter and attendee experience
  • Webinar control comparison
• Manage access to scheduling Teams webinars
  • Manage who can schedule webinars
• Configure policies for Teams webinars
  • Manage webinars using the Teams admin center
  • Manage webinars using PowerShell
• Configure in-org vs public webinars
  • Decide the types of webinars that organizers can create
• Configure advanced webinar features
  • Premium webinars
• Configure attendee interaction for webinars
  • Webinar attendee interaction

Configure and manage Teams Town halls

• Configure Town Hall settings
  • Town halls
• Configure a Microsoft eCDN for Town halls
  • Get your network ready for town halls
• Configure advanced Town hall features
  • Live events and Premium town halls
• Configure Town halls with Teams, Viva Engage, and Microsoft Stream
  • Hold a town hall using Viva Engage

Implement and configure Teams Phone (25–30%)

Create and configure Teams Phone policies

• Create and configure dial plans
  • Create and manage dial plans
• Create and configure calling policies
  • Configure calling policies
• Create and configure call park policies
  • Configure call park and retrieve
• Create and configure caller ID policies
  • Manage caller ID for users
• Create and configure IP Phone policies
  • Set up common area phones
• Create and configure mobility policies
  • Configure Teams Phone Mobile
• Create and configure voicemail policies
  • Manage Voicemail policies
• Create and configure call hold policies
  • Assign policies in Teams
  • Set-CsTeamsCallHoldPolicy
• Create and configure outbound call restrictions
  • Outbound calling restriction policies for Audio Conferencing and user PSTN call
• Create and configure inbound call blocking
  • Block inbound calls
• Create and configure routing of unassigned numbers
  • Route calls to unassigned numbers
• Create and configure compliance recording policies
  • Recording policies for meetings and events
• Create and configure Shared Calling policies
  • Configure Shared Calling
  • Assign the Shared Calling policy to users

Configure auto attendants and call queues

• Create and configure Teams Phone resource accounts
  • Manage Teams resource accounts
• Assign licenses to resource accounts
  • Assign a license
• Assign phone numbers to resource accounts, including toll-free phone numbers
  • Assign a phone number
• Assign a resource account to an auto attendant or call queue
  • Manage resource accounts for service numbers
• Choose an appropriate call queue routing method, including call priorities
  • Plan Auto attendants and Call queues
• Configure business hours and holidays for auto attendants
  • Set up holidays
• Configure custom Music on Hold (MoH)
  • Configure Music on Hol
• Assign a dynamic caller ID policy for call queues
  • Manage caller ID for users
• Create and configure voice applications policies for auto attendants and call queues
  • Manage voice applications policies
• Implement callback for call queues
  • Set up Call queue
• Configure the Queues App
  • Manage Queues app for Microsoft Teams in your organization

Configure emergency calling

• Create and configure emergency calling locations
  • Configure dynamic emergency calling
• Configure emergency call routing policies
  • Manage emergency call routing policies for Direct Routing
• Configure emergency calling policies
  • Create a custom emergency calling policy
• Configure networks and locations (Location Information Service (LIS))
  • Configure Location Information Service
• Assign a verified emergency address location
  • Emergency address validation
  • Assign an emergency location
• Troubleshoot dynamic emergency address
  • Test emergency calling

Assign Teams Phone licenses, phone numbers, and policies

• Assign a Teams Phone Standard license
  • Buy and assign a Teams Phone license
• Assign a Teams Calling Plan
  • Buy and assign licenses
  • Assign a dial plan to users
• Assign phone numbers to users by using the Microsoft Teams admin center
  • Assign a phone number to a user
• Assign phone numbers in bulk by using PowerShell
  • Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment
• Assign Teams Phone policies to a specific user
  • Assign a custom calling policy to users
• Create and assign policy packages
  • Manage policy packages in Teams
• Configure and assign Teams Phone policies by using group policy
  • Policies overview

Configure and manage calling features for Teams Phone

• Configure voicemail
  • Manage Voicemail settings
• Configure group call pickup
  • Configure call sharing and group call pickup
• Configure Call Forwarding
  • Configure call forwarding and delegation settings
• Configure Simultaneous Ring
  • Configure call forwarding and delegation settings
• Configure call delegation
  • Configure call forwarding and delegation settings
• Configure audio conferencing
  • Set up Audio Conferencing
• Configure private lines
  • Configure private lines

Configure and manage Direct Routing for Teams Phone

• Configure connectivity for Teams Phone to a SBC
  • Connect your Session Border Controller (SBC) to Direct Routing
• Create and configure a PSTN gateway
  • Configure call routing
• Create PSTN usage records
  •  Voice routing with one PSTN usage
• Create and configure voice routes
  • Configure call routing
• Create and configure voice routing policies
  • Manage call routing policies
• Validate Direct Routing SBC connectivity
  • Check whether the SBC is on the list of paired SBCs
  • Validate SIP options.
• Identify use cases for Location-Based Routing (LBR)
  • Plan Location-Based Routing for Direct Routing
• Identify use cases for Local Media Optimization (LMO)
  • Plan for Local Media Optimization
  • Configure Local Media Optimization
• Configure trunk translation rules
  • Translate phone numbers
• Configure on-network conferencing for Direct Routing
  • On-network Conferencing for Audio Conferencing
• Configure SBA policies
  • Direct Routing Survivable Branch Appliance
• Manage emergency call routing policies for Direct Routing
  • Manage emergency call routing policies for Direct Routing
• Configure phone number inventory for Direct Routing
  • Manage phone numbers for your organization
• Troubleshoot Direct Routing by using the Teams admin center
  • Issues with SBC connectivity

Configure and manage Teams Rooms and devices (20–25%)

Manage and maintain Teams Rooms and devices

• Configure device settings
  • Manage your devices
• Configure local network settings
  • Manage Teams phones
• Configure device updates
  • Update your devices remotely
  • Managed updates
  • Manually update Teams Rooms on Windows
  • Update management
• Recommend Conditional Access Policy MFA exceptions for Resource accounts
  • Best practices for Conditional Access and Intune compliance
  • Supported Conditional Access and Intune compliance policies
• Configure meeting room settings by using the Microsoft Teams admin center or the local Teams application settings
  • Manage settings with an XML file
  • Remotely configure layout, scale, and resolution
  • Remotely configure front row layout
• Manage Teams Rooms from the Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro Management portal
  • Accessing the Pro Management porta
• Specify Intune configuration requirements for Teams devices
  • Best practices for Conditional Access and Intune compliance
  • Supported Conditional Access and Intune compliance policies
  • Setting up Microsoft Teams phones and Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android in Microsoft Intune
• Deploy common area phones, user phones, conference phones
  • Set up common area phones
  • Set up a common area mobile phones
• Create and manage Teams device tags
  • Manage Teams device tags
• Configure SIP Gateway and provision SIP devices
  • Configure SIP Gateway
  • Remote provisioning and sign-in
• Monitor Teams device health
  • Teams device health monitoring
• Troubleshoot authentication issues
  • Resolve Teams Rooms resource account sign-in issues
  • Conditional Access-related issues on Teams Android devices
  • Known issues with Teams Rooms on Android
  • Known issues with Teams Rooms on Windows
• Troubleshoot update issues
  • Resolve Windows Update issues on Teams Rooms Pro devices
• Troubleshoot remote provisioning issues
  • Remote provisioning
• Troubleshoot proximity join issues
  • Join a meeting using Proximity Join
  • Bluetooth disabled status is Unhealthy

Configure and manage Teams Android devices

• Configure IP phone policies
  • Set up common area phones
• Create and configure device configuration profiles for Android based devices
  • Manage phones, Teams Rooms on Android, Teams displays, and Teams panels
• Enable hotline for shared space devices
  • Set up Hotline on common area phones
• Deploy Android devices remotely
  • Remote provisioning and sign-in
• Configure custom displays for Teams Rooms on Android and Teams panels
  • Set up and manage Teams Rooms on Android custom backgrounds
• Specify Intune configuration requirements for AOSP and Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) devices
  • Enroll corporate-owned, userless devices
  • Enroll AOSP with Microsoft Intune app
  • Platform Information

Configure and manage Teams Windows devices

• Specify domain group policy exclusions for Teams Rooms on Windows
  • Configuring Group Policy for Microsoft Teams Rooms
• Configure custom displays for Teams Rooms on Windows
  • Custom backgrounds on Windows
• Customize meeting room settings by using XML files on Windows
  • Manage settings with an XML file
• Configure settings for peripherals for Teams Room on Windows
  • Microsoft Teams Rooms application and peripheral device configuration

Configure optional features for Teams Rooms and devices

• Configure HDMI ingest and options
  • HDMI input
• Configure a content camera
  • Content camera
• Configure Teams casting
  • Teams cast
• Configure proximity join
  • Join a meeting using Proximity Join
• Configure room remote
  • Remotely access a Teams Room console
• Configure Direct Guest Join
  • Join third-party meetings
• Configure hot desking on Teams shared devices
  • Hot desking Teams displays
• Configure AI-enabled voice and video capabilities for shared space devices
  • What is Microsoft Multi-Stream IntelliFrame and Intelligent Camera?

Configure BYOD spaces and bookable desks

• Create and publish room types
  • BYOD rooms
• Manage inventory, including discovery of or import of hardware
  • Set up your BYOD inventory
• Assign devices to room types
  • BYOD powershell script for en-masse association
• Set up and configure bookable desks
  • Bookable desks
• Manage and monitor shared space rooms that include bring-your-own devices
  • Usage and Quality Reports