Facebook has been rapidly investing in new solutions for enterprise collaboration and communication lately. The Workplace from Facebook environment for team work is becoming increasingly immersive, with live video streaming and translation features, alongside file sharing and news feeds. At the same time, Facebook is simplifying the way that people can collaborate remotely through its Portal device – a home smart-screen for video calls.
Demand for Portal solutions has dramatically spiked in recent months thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many home workers needed a convenient way to reach their colleagues, and people wanted opportunities to stay in touch with friends and family. Recently, Facebook added new capabilities that would strengthen its position as a remote working tool.
In August, the company announced that it would be integrating with four major services for video conferencing: GoToMeeting, BlueJeans, Zoom and Webex.
So, where’s Microsoft Teams?
Why Not Support Microsoft Teams?
The decision not to support Microsoft Teams as a video conferencing solution seems like an odd one. Currently, Microsoft Teams has over 115 million daily active users, making it one of the most valuable collaboration tools on the market. Yet, Facebook has ignored this solution entirely with its portal devices. The choice has prompted comments from experts like Tim Banting, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia.
In a tweet, Tim questioned whether it was a deliberate move from Facebook not to include Microsoft Teams in their devices. In a time when we’re moving towards the era of the “universal endpoint” according to Tim, it seems unusual to ignore a solution as big as Microsoft Teams.
Portal could be an intriguing solution for a lot of business owners. It’s an opportunity to free up your computer so you can take notes and view documents during a meeting. It’s also a chance to access advanced features, like smart camera AI functionality to keep people properly framed. However, without access to Microsoft Teams, Facebook could be limiting the number of customers it can reasonably reach.
Trouble with Microsoft Teams
You could argue that the decision not to include Microsoft Teams comes from the fact that Microsoft already has a lot of its own video technology available. Microsoft Teams Displays emerged in August and promise a similar experience to the Portal solution. The Teams displays create a more immersive experience for people on Microsoft Teams.
With a display, remote and home workers can get access to a high-quality camera, microphone, and a set of speakers, or Bluetooth headset. You also get to keep your laptop or PC separate, so you can access other forms of information or browse through chat feeds when you’re in a meeting.
Microsoft Teams Displays come with always-on ambient settings that you can adjust according to your needs. You can change the wallpaper on your display and decide what kind of notifications and messages you want to see. There’s also support for hands-free assistance through Cortana. This means that you can naturally collaborate with nothing but a voice command, saying something like “Join my next meeting”.
The Microsoft Teams Displays integrate seamlessly with your PC or laptop, allowing with a cross-functional device interaction that’s very similar to what Facebook can offer with Portal. You can also easily lock and unlock the device from your connected PC. There are options to open files and transition from your PC to the device for meetings.
What’s Next for Portal? And Teams?
The main reason that Facebook could be ignoring Microsoft Teams as a potential addition to the Portal experience, is that an existing service is already available from Microsoft. Although Zoom and other providers have similar display options, perhaps Facebook feels that the Microsoft Teams display is more of a direct competitor to what Portal has to offer.
Microsoft’s Teams Displays are quite advanced, with access to things like a camera shutter for privacy and a microphone mute switch so you don’t feel watched in your home. There’s also the benefits of voice-assisted experiences to uncover with Microsoft. Lenovo and Yealink are responsible for two of the first displays from Microsoft to hit the market, so you know you’re getting quality there too.
We can only wait and see what happens with the Portal solution going forward. Perhaps Facebook and Microsoft will continue to square off against each other. If so, will people go for a more device agnostic experience from Facebook? Or will the promises of Teams be too great?
We reached out to Facebook for comment on this piece and they provided this statement:
Portal can help you connect with your co-workers when you’re working from home in a number of ways including Workplace on Portal and Zoom. Through these apps, people can collaborate more effectively and building strong relationships with co-workers, regardless of distance. Portal is always looking to add new apps and updates to help users get the most out of their device. You can read more on the recent Portal updates on this blog.
