Microsoft announced a raft of updates for Teams Rooms and devices at Microsoft Ignite.
With the evolution of meeting rooms set to become more and more important as offices awaken from their pandemic slumber, we’ve rounded up the key news.
Device as a Service Now in the UK
The device as a service (DaaS) financing plan has been extended to new regions after initially launching in December.
The new markets – the UK, Australia, Ireland and Canada – will have access to the offering by the end of March 2021.
Customers still have the option to purchase Teams Rooms hardware as usual, but the DaaS option lets them lease it instead – thereby reducing capital expenditure. Other benefits include continuous warranties and level 1 support from Microsoft.
All hardware in the Teams store will be available for the service, with potential customers needed to undergo a credit check before a purchase can be completed.
Vendors to feature in the store include Bose, HP, Yealink, Shure and Poly.
New Gallery Views for Teams Rooms
New video gallery views have now been added to Teams Rooms, including together mode and large gallery.
Microsoft said that participants will be able to see meeting content and people joining remotely at the same time, regardless of whether the conference room only has one screen.
The vendor added that the move is designed to make meetings feel more inclusive to people that aren’t in the room, with conference spaces traditionally only designed to cater for people that are physically present.
Together mode, which was introduced last year, pulls together the faces of everyone in the meeting and presents them in a virtual venue such as an auditorium – making it appear as if they are in the same place.
New Intelligent Speakers for Teams Rooms
Two new intelligent speakers have been revealed, created in partnership by Microsoft with Yealink and EPOS respectively.
Microsoft said the speakers can differentiate the voices of up to 10 people talking in a Microsoft Teams room – which makes them compatible with live transcription.
Users have the ability to turn the speech recognition off for privacy and security purposes.
Intelligent speakers were first announced at Ignite 2020, with Yealink and EPOS then revealed as the first vendors to manufacturer the product.
Teams Panels
Teams panels were announced at Ignite last year as a new device category, designed to optimise the time and space management of meeting spaces.
The devices are built in partnership with Creston and Yealink and come with a light ring around the edge which is green when a space is available and red when it’s not.
Microsoft said that four new features are set to be rolled out over the coming months:
- Room capacity Warning leverages select in-room cameras to detect when the maximum people allowed per room is reached.
- Nearby Rooms lets employees view the building floor plan and book another room when a space is unavailable.
- Room Check-in Notification sends a message to the in-room display that people in the next meeting are waiting outside.
- Remove Unused Scheduled Room identifies and allows for the removal of ‘ghost’ meetings to free up unused meeting space time slots.
Updates to Teams Display
Another new device category launched by Microsoft last year was the Teams display – an all-in-one device dedicated to Microsoft Teams.
New functionality includes the ability for a user to change their virtual background to any of the Teams-supplied images.
Live reactions – such as applause, humour and appreciation – can now also be displayed, while quick replies and reactions can be used for incoming messages.
Certification for New Devices
Microsoft announced the first monitors certified for Teams – the Dell Video conferencing monitor and the Poly 21.
Both monitors integrate “critical conferencing hardware like a microphone, speaker, camera, and light right into the monitor”, the vendor said, meaning users don’t need any additional hardware.
Dell said its monitor has a dedicated Teams button which allows users to open the app, join meetings and respond to messages.
