Big News You May Have Missed

We’re almost in the middle of November, and though the temperatures are dropping, there’s still plenty of hot news in the Unified Communication, Collaboration, and Customer Experience markets. Fortunately for UC Today‘s subscribers, it’s easy to keep track of everything that’s happening with your favourite UC publication.

Over the last week, the biggest focus has been on the news revealed by Microsoft’s Ignite conference. However, we’ve also had some interesting stories to share from other companies too. For instance, Avaya and RingCentral closed their deal, and we listed our top-performing companies in UC for 2019.

Here are the stories you need to check out from the last week.

Introducing Microsoft 365 Business Voice

Microsoft has once again disrupted the communications market this week with the introduction of a brand-new offering for its UK customers. Microsoft’s new Microsoft 365 business phone system combines chat, calling, meetings, calendars, and emails to offer today’s users a complete package of communication and collaboration tools in one easy-to-use system.

Designed for up to 300 users, the Microsoft 365 Business Voice works across all devices, including smartphones, computers and desk phones. Although Microsoft’s new voice solution is initially only available in the UK and Canada as an add-on to the robust Microsoft 365 portfolio, the company does have plans to roll the offering out worldwide too. Check out what you can expect from Business Voice here.

New Updates for Microsoft Teams

Probably the most buzzworthy topic in the Unified Communication and Collaboration landscape from the last week is the arrival of “Microsoft Ignite” the annual event where Microsoft shares all of it’s latest innovations with the world. At this year’s Ignite Conference, Microsoft Teams got a huge upgrade, with dozens of solutions to help users customise their team’s experience, make the most of private channels, and more. You can even access a new Yammer app within the Teams dashboard.

Along with a host of other impressive upgrades, Microsoft also introduced a range of exciting hardware solutions for Microsoft Teams Meeting rooms. Whether you’re looking for an enhanced hardware or software experience, you’re sure to fine something to buzz about from the Microsoft Ignite conference. 

Bringing More Power to Microsoft Teams

There were so many incredible updates to Microsoft Teams announced at this year’s Ignite event that we couldn’t cover them in one article! In our second piece covering Ignite, you can learn more about the new solutions designed to empower first-line workers, such as the new option for SMS sign-in, off-shift access, and a global sign-out feature to make it easier to log out of every device you might have been using in the office at once.

Microsoft also introduced new focused industry-specific solutions for teams who have very unique requirements for their collaboration environment. What’s more, we saw the introduction of a variety of new tools for administration and planning too – including a new Microsoft Teams app catalogue.

Avaya and RingCentral Close the Deal

The last seven days weren’t all about Microsoft (even though it might seem that way). We also saw the closure of the biggest deal of the year last week too. Avaya and RingCentral announced the successful completion of their new strategic partnership. A new era is on the horizon for these two enormous brands, and we’re sure to notice some significant changes in the UC and collaboration marketplace as a result.

Avaya’s CEO and President, Jim Chirico, has already commented on how exciting it is to work with RingCentral on becoming a more cloud-centric company. Going forward, we’re excited to see how Avaya’s legacy standing in the communication space combines with RingCentral’s innovative tools to deliver something incredible.

The Top Performing Companies in 2019

Finally, as we come a little closer to the end of the year, the UC Today team is reflecting on what we’ve learned during 2019. We’re also looking into the growth of various high-performance businesses, and how those companies have evolved in the last year. Although revenue growth isn’t the only thing to consider when measuring a company’s success, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the companies that have achieved the biggest returns on their investments over the last year.

Check out our list of the top 10 high-performing companies in UC from the last year, including everyone from Unicorn tech company Zoom, to Twilio, and of course, RingCentral.

What were your favourite stories from this week? Make sure you join the conversation in the comments below on social media or on UC Advocates!