The year is officially almost halfway over.
With the arrival of July, companies are beginning to look forward to potentially making their way back into office environments – albeit at a slow pace.
Governments around the world are cautiously moving forward, trying to give communities a sense of normalcy, while remaining careful about COVID.
As we continue forward in a year that’s been truly transformational for most of us, trends are beginning to settle into place for the months to come. Things like video and remote work have already transformed out teams. Now, we’re waiting to see what comes next.
If you haven’t been able to read all of our news reports here at UC Today, here are some of the latest stories we think you should check out.
Microsoft Teams and Breakout Rooms
Over the last few months, Microsoft has been working hard to make Teams the go-to place for team collaboration in the world of remote work. We’ve seen the arrival of virtual backgrounds for people who wanted to hide their messy living rooms from team members. Microsoft also promised that it would soon support up to 49 on-screen participants in Gallery view.
However, while Microsoft Teams does keep getting better, it still hasn’t quite caught up with all the features available from video-first solutions like Zoom. For instance, we’re still awaiting the arrival of breakout rooms, where teams can split video and audio into corresponding sessions. The good news? There might be a workaround. Check out our latest article here to find out more.
Transform Your Zoom and Teams Backgrounds
One of the most exciting parts of video conferencing right now has to be the ability to change your background to anything you like. On both Zoom and Microsoft Teams, users have the option to either blur their backgrounds, or replace them with a different image.
So, what if you want to spruce your background up with something a little different? We’ve got you covered. We tracked down some of the most impressive background options for Zoom and Microsoft Teams from around the web. All of these options, from the Death Star control room to the Tardis, are free to use and legit. See them here.
Google Snaps Up Some New C-Suite Execs
Google, one of the market leaders in the tech and cloud landscape, has been collecting some new talent lately. Senior Vice President for Salesforce, Pip White, will be responsible for the sales efforts of Google Cloud throughout the UK and Ireland soon. With more than 2 decades of experience in her field, Pip has had various leadership roles over the years.
She’ll be joining another major addition to the Google roster in the form of Chief Product Officer for SAP, Abdul Razack. Abdul will be acting as the newest Google Cloud VP of Tech Solutions for the US. Razack was head of technology and architecture at SAP for more than a year. He also has 25 years of tech experience to bring to the table. He’ll be coming to Google from SAP with Lori Mitchell-Keller and George Nazi. See the facts here.
Google Meet Adds New Backgrounds
Google Meet is the video conferencing option available as part of the G Suite from Google. In recent months, the solution has had a tough time keeping up with leaders like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. However, as the world continues to shift into the remote work era, Google is working harder to catch up. Lately, the G Suite team shared the arrival of background blur and background replacement features in a document about upcoming features.
One slight downside is that the Google team hasn’t fully confirmed the arrival of these features or when they’ll be available yet. They’re listed alongside a selection of other potential upgrades to the service that may or may not happen. See the story here.
What’s New in Cisco Collaboration?
Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google aren’t the only companies making significant changes to their collaboration tools lately. Cisco, with the Webex portfolio, is also taking steps to ensure that the new remote workforce can be as productive as possible. After tripling its usage in the last few months, the Webex portfolio has begun some major upgrades, including the arrival of new Webex assistant integrations, and Cisco Webex Desk Pro.
In our latest Cisco Live Roundup video, Dave Michels, the Lead Analyst of TalkingPointz, discusses what’s coming next for Cisco Webex and collaboration in the years ahead. Points covered include everything from the arrival of new AI features, to contact centre enhancements.
What was your favourite story from this week? Let us know in the comments, or join the conversation on social media!
