Discover why VPN split tunneling is the optimal solution for resolving poor Teams audio quality in remote work scenarios, aligning with Microsoft 365 certification best practices.
Table of Contents
Question
You have a Microsoft Teams Phone deployment.
Remote users have a company-issued laptop that uses a VPN to access corporate network resources and the internet.
Users report that when using the laptops to connect to Teams meetings or calls, there is a significant decrease in audio quality. The issue does NOT affect users on the corporate network.
You need to implement a solution to improve audio quality for the remote users.
What should you configure?
Select only one answer.
A. a network roaming policy
B. an Enhanced encryption policy
C. the Teams network topology
D. VPN split tunneling
Answer
To resolve the audio quality issues for remote users in a Microsoft Teams Phone deployment, VPN split tunneling (Option D) is the correct configuration.
D. VPN split tunneling
Explanation
VPN split tunnelling is the correct answer given that the issue only affects company laptops. Splitting Teams traffic is recommended. Full tunneling is likely what is happening. Network roaming policies and the Teams network topology are only used at a company’s local sites.
Key Issue: VPN Bottlenecks
When remote users connect via a full-tunnel VPN, all traffic (including Teams real-time media) is routed through the corporate network. This adds latency, jitter, and packet loss due to:
- Encryption overhead from VPNs, which slows real-time audio/video transmission.
- Suboptimal routing (e.g., “hairpinning” traffic through the VPN server instead of directly to Microsoft’s cloud).
- Bandwidth congestion on the VPN, which lacks capacity for Teams’ UDP-based media streams.
How Split Tunneling Works
Split tunneling allows Teams media traffic to bypass the VPN and connect directly to Microsoft’s servers via the user’s local internet. This:
- Reduces latency by eliminating unnecessary VPN hops.
- Prioritizes UDP traffic for real-time audio/video, improving stability.
- Aligns with Microsoft’s guidance to exclude Teams traffic from VPNs.
Why Other Options Fail
A. Network roaming policy: Manages network transitions (e.g., Wi-Fi to cellular) but doesn’t address VPN routing issues.
B. Enhanced encryption policy: Increases security but exacerbates latency by adding encryption layers.
C. Teams network topology: Refers to internal QoS configurations, irrelevant to VPN-related bottlenecks.
Implementation Steps
- Exclude Teams endpoints (IPs/URLs) from the VPN tunnel using Microsoft’s published lists.
- Verify routing with tools like tracert or the Microsoft 365 connectivity test.
- Update VPN clients to ensure compatibility with split tunneling.
By configuring split tunneling, remote users’ Teams traffic takes the shortest path to Microsoft’s servers, resolving audio degradation caused by VPN constraints.
Microsoft 365 Certified Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate MS-721 certification exam assessment practice question and answer (Q&A) dump including multiple choice questions (MCQ) and objective type questions, with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Microsoft Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer MS-721 exam and earn Microsoft 365 Certified Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate certification.