2019 is coming to an end, but for experts in the communication, collaboration, and customer experience industries, that’s just an opportunity to reflect on the months past and predict the trends of the year ahead.
This last week, we’ve published a variety of exciting stories about the changing UC environment, with insights into Microsoft’s record-breaking year, news from the CPaaS world, and even reports from 8×8 on the complexity of knowledge-sharing in the modern world.
If you didn’t have time to check out all of our stories from the last 7 days, here are just some of the articles we think you shouldn’t miss out on.
Poly Introduces Purpose-Built Video Bars
Poly, the incredible technology company that emerged out of the merger of Polycom and Plantronics, recently introduced some new technology for the modern meeting room. The Poly range of new video endpoints has everything today’s company’s need to simplify and enhance the Zoom Room video conferencing experience, including state-of-the-art video streaming and exceptional audio quality.
The Poly Studio X50 and X30 don’t require an external PC or Mac to help you manage your Zoom Rooms experience. This means that there’s no complex technology to set up when you’re moving from one huddle room to the next. Simply plug in your bar, and you’re ready to go. The new Poly solutions also come with AI features to help deliver more immersive moments in the modern meeting space through devices that learn and evolve with your team. Check out the latest tech here.
Microsoft Celebrates Record-Breaking Year
Success is a pretty common occurrence for the Microsoft team. Over the last few years, Microsoft has been knocking communication and collaboration out of the park with the delivery of ever-more immersive experiences within Microsoft Teams. It’s little wonder then, that the company announced yet another record-breaking year this week.
Following the reveal of the Microsoft 2019 annual report, Microsoft announced that 2019 had been another incredible year for growth, with earnings of more than $125 billion in revenue, and $43 billion in operating income. The commercial cloud business that Microsoft runs is the largest in the world, and it also surpassed a revenue of $38 billion this year. You can find out more about Microsoft’s accomplishments here.
Talking CPaaS: Our Latest Roundtable
The Communications Platform as a Service industry has transformed the world of communications and collaboration as we know it. With CPaaS, today’s companies no longer have to settle for one-size-fits-all solutions for their UC&C strategies. Instead, companies of all sizes can experiment with customised stacks that work according to their individual needs and expectations.
So, how exactly has the CPaaS realm evolved in the last year, and where is it likely to go as we step into 2020? We caught up with some CPaaS experts from companies like Ribbon, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, and Voximplant to discuss their views on the CPaaS roadmap. Check out the full roundtable here.
Workers Can’t Find the Information They Need
Are your knowledge workers finding the data that they need to perform at their best? A recent report from 8×8 suggests that the answer could be a resounding “no”. 8×8’s new Workplace Productivity and Knowledge Management study has revealed that 57% of employees just can’t find the information they need in the workplace. This could be a problem caused by the digital environment, and the complexity of all the new tools that today’s employees need to navigate.
According to 8×8’s report, 49% of employees spend anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours each day trying to track down the data that they need to perform crucial tasks. Clearly, the inability to find information is a serious source of stress for today’s team members. Check out the findings of the study here.
Cisco and Microsoft Join Forces
By far one of the biggest events that happened this week was the start of Microsoft Ignite – one of the most significant conferences in the Microsoft roadmap. Every year, Microsoft uses Ignite as a platform to make exciting announcements about its latest products, and the growth of its various platforms. This year was no exception. As well as revealing a host of exciting updates to Microsoft Teams, Microsoft also announced a collaboration between the Microsoft Teams experience and Cisco Webex.
According to Microsoft, the new partnership with Cisco will allow Webex video devices to connect seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. This will allow users to create custom best-in-class environments for their meetings using both Microsoft and Cisco. Find out more here.
What were your favourite stories from this week? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
