This week has been the biggest of the year so far in the UC and collaboration arena, with big news and announcements coming from some of the most prominent players in the space.
Microsoft announced yet more game-changing features for Teams; Zoom rounded off a stunning year with yet another quadrupling of sales; Slack hit a $1bn revenue run rate; and Cisco announced real-time translation from English into 100 languages for Webex.
The Ignite show was stolen by Microsoft’s new mixed reality platform, Mesh, which showcased how people can collaborate via 3D holograms.
Microsoft has had similar technology in its arsenal for a few years in the form of HoloLens but many have been priced out of the market (the headset costs over £3,000).
Mesh is set to make the technology far more accessible, providing a platform for third-party developers and offering compatibility with cheaper headsets such as Oculus’ Quest 2.
Microsoft has also quietly revealed that some form of integration between Teams and Mesh is in the pipeline, which makes sense given the emphasis both place on collaboration. Not much was said about this so it will be interesting to see how it develops over time.
Away from the Star Wars-like holograms, a far less glamorous announcement will likely have a far greater impact on the comms market – at least in the short term.
Operator Connect allows an organisation to plug their existing PSTN calling set-up directly into Teams.
Microsoft said it activated from the Teams Admin Center with a few clicks of the mouse – no PowerShell coding required. It claims that service can be implemented from start to finish in a matter of minutes or hours.
The service is managed fully by the carrier – with a handful already selected by Microsoft for the private preview, which will take place next quarter.
It will be interesting to see what impact this has on channel partners that provide both direct routing and professional services around the provision of calling.
Earlier this week I spoke to a senior employee from one of the certified carriers who was stunned at how simple and quick the process is.
He added that the need for professional services will be greatly reduced, which could be a concern for some partners, but said that there will always be added complexities that require well-skilled service providers.
I am looking forward to finding out how demand for Operator Connect stacks up against Teams Calling Plan and Direct Routing when it’s publicly available.
Zoom
Zoom reported another three months of phenomenal growth on Monday, completing a year that saw it more than quadruple its revenue.
There are still doubts over Zoom’s long-term growth potential in some quarters, particularly parts of Wall Street, despite its relentless sales surge – with many tying its success to the pandemic and expecting its performance to drop off when social distancing rules are eased around the world.
To illustrate this point – Zoom’s valuation has tumbled by over one-third since its peak in October and regularly dips when positive news about vaccines is released.
Maybe some of the people doubting Zoom are not aware of its credentials in areas outside of video conferencing. Zoom Phone, for example, featured prominently on Monday’s earnings call and has seen tremendous growth since launching just two years ago and will surely continue to deliver value post-pandemic.
And then there is Zoom Rooms, which is only going to become more important as distancing rules are eased and offices reopen.
Zoom’s share price rose in the region of 10 per cent after the results were released (although it has since dipped again), so it’s possible the vendor is starting to convince people that it won’t drop off when we’re past the pandemic.
