Jabra, leading communications hardware company, recently announced that its innovative Evolve Series is now fully certified with Microsoft Teams. Devices across the entire Jabra business portfolio are now available for an upgrade to access a new level of integration for improved user experience, productivity, and collaboration opportunities.
Jabra will support existing Evolve Series users with free and flexible upgrades via firmware. The upgrade isn’t just limited to the Jabra headset Series. Select call-centric and collaboration products like the Jabra PanaCast have also achieved Microsoft Teams certification.
At a time when collaboration tools are an essential component of the workforce, the Microsoft Teams certification is a valuable feature for Jabra’s Evolve Series and surrounding products. Around 80% of the time we spend at work today focuses on collaboration, with around 1 in 3 meetings happening virtually. Microsoft Teams is now a hub for communication and teamwork.
Updating Jabra Tech for Microsoft Teams
Devices from Jabra, such as the Evolve Series, Panacast, Speak 750, and Engage 50 are all certified for use with Microsoft Teams. This ensures that you can rely on a fantastic plug and play audio experience, with excellent call control functionality. The devices provide next-level integrations with Teams to bring the tech to the foreground of a conversation at one touch of a button. Users can even get notifications when meetings are starting and take action to join from their headset.
Jabra is leveraging its extensive relationship with Microsoft lasting more than a decade, to help customers seamlessly transition to Teams. Jabra’s legacy certified products will have access to a flexible upgrade when they’re moving to Teams, which will happen via a firmware enhancement that automatically launches when a user connects a headset to Jabra Xpress or Direct.
Newly purchased Evolve Series technology will come with access to Teams certification already, while maintaining the same feel and look of the rest of the range. Models that are upgraded to provide Teams functionality might not have the same button icon however, and may have a different notification colour on the LED.
Connecting Hardware and Software
The certification for Microsoft Teams is rolling out across the full Jabra Evolve Series, including devices like Evolve 80 (pictured, above), 75, 65T, 65, 40, 30 II and 20. The Evolve Series from Jabra is extremely popular. The company has sold millions of professional headsets to become the leading UC series for noise cancellation to aid with better concentration in open office environments. Since the first headset launched in 2014, the Series comprises of 9 different models.
Featuring an iconic busy-light notification and premium noise management functionality, the Evolve Series is a crucial component in many office environments worldwide. The latest Evolve2 Series is already certified for use with Microsoft Teams, with a dedicated button that infuses interaction with the app with one-touch simplicity. Remaining Evolve products like the 75e and 65e will follow with certification before the end of 2020.
A selection of Jabra products also meet with the additional Open Office requirement, which tests how effective headset microphones can be at suppressing surrounding office talk and noise. The requirement is only afforded to companies that can prove top audio engineering skill.
The Jabra Evolve 75 was the first headset with Open Office certification when it appeared in 2019. Now, all of the Evolve 2 models, Evolve 2 85, 65, and 40, along with the Engage 50 also meet these stringent requirements.
Equipping the New Workforce
SVP of Jabra, Holger Reisinger, said that this next step forward in the Microsoft and Jabra relationship is a powerful one for the customers of both companies. Jabra believes in maintaining crucial partnerships with leading brands for a lifetime. However, the company is also committed to supporting its customers consistently too. That’s why Jabra is making sure existing customers of the Evolve Series have the support they need every step of the way on their journey to Teams.
Jabra is thrilled to once again be working alongside the Microsoft innovators to ensure that shared customers can get the most out of their investments in communication and collaboration technology. Holger said that Jabra believes the transition with Microsoft will help to elevate the collaboration and productivity experiences for business and everyday users alike.
Director of Microsoft Teams Devices Partner Certification and Engineering, Albert Kooiman, went on to say that Microsoft is pleased to see Jabra expanding its portfolio of devices that are certified for Microsoft Teams. This new step forward means customers can benefit from convenient tools like dedicated buttons for Teams that make joining a meeting simple.
