Concurrent collaboration conference port management

A method for operating a collaboration conferencing system, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a collaboration conferencing system managing device, collaboration conferencing information from the plurality of conference bridges;
• calculating a total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for a customer group associated with the telecommunications network;
• receiving a request from a user communication device at the collaboration conferencing system managing device, the request generated to initiate a new collaboration conference from a user associated with the customer group;
• and
• processing the received request to initiate the new collaboration conference, wherein a number of participants for the new collaboration conference is limited based at least on the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group and a threshold value;
• further comprising:
• comparing the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group to the threshold value;
• wherein processing the received request to initiate the new collaboration conference comprises limiting a number of available ports for the new collaboration conference on one of the plurality of the conferencing bridges if the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group exceeds or equals threshold value.

A collaboration conferencing management device comprising:

• at least one communication port for communication with a network;
• a processing device;
• and
• a computer-readable medium connected to the processing device configured to store information and instructions that, when executed by the processing device, performs the operations of:
• receiving, at a collaboration conferencing system managing device, collaboration conferencing information from the plurality of conference bridges;
• calculating a total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group associated with the telecommunications network;
• receiving a request from a user communication device at the collaboration conferencing system managing device, the request generated to initiate a new collaboration conference from a user associated with the customer group;
• and
• processing the received request to initiate the new collaboration conference, wherein a number of participants for the new collaboration conference is limited based at least on the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group and a threshold value;
• wherein the instructions further cause the processing device to perform the operation of:
• comparing the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group to the threshold value;
• wherein processing the received request to initiate the new collaboration conference comprises limiting a number of available ports for the new collaboration conference on one of the plurality of the conferencing bridges if the calculated total number of utilized ports of the plurality of conference bridges for the customer group exceeds or equals threshold value.