New Microsoft Teams App is Now Available, Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered Skills Service in Viva
The new Microsoft Teams app is now generally available for Windows and Mac, providing users with the best client performance yet.
It now has full feature parity for almost all features, including call queues, PSTN calling, and contextual search in chats and channels. General availability also introduces new features and enhancements, including seamless cross-tenant communication and collaboration across multiple tenants and accounts.
Anupam Pattnaik, Product Lead, Microsoft Teams at Microsoft, wrote on Microsoft’s blog announcing the availability of the new Teams app:
Our goal was to reimagine Teams from the ground up to deliver a faster, simpler, smarter, and more flexible app to help you stay productive and collaborate more effectively. We have focused on providing high-quality performance and enhancing the basics in areas such as reliability, security, and IT management to make sure that new Teams meets the evolving requirements of your organization.”
In March, Microsoft launched the new Teams app in public preview, and it inspired attention for being twice as fast with 50 percent less memory usage on Windows than its previous iteration.
In other Microsoft news this week, the tech giant launched a new AI-powered skills service in Microsoft Viva. It also announced the general availability of Viva Amplify.
Skills in Viva enters private preview by the end of this year and provides organisations with insights into workforce skills and gaps and personalised skills-based experiences for employees, HR, and business leaders through Microsoft 365 and Viva applications.
Viva Amplify is now available and is a multichannel workforce communications hub. Amplify centralises campaign management, publishing, and analytics, enabling business leaders to connect with their employees more efficiently.
Momentum Acquires G12 Communications to Boost UC Offerings
Managed services and network solutions provider Momentum has acquired G12 Communications to bolster its UC offerings.
Momentum’s acquisition of G12’s services as a Seattle-based provider of voice-enabled and Operator Connect Microsoft Teams solutions will strengthen its communications portfolio. The process will include integrating G12’s leading executive talent while boosting its position as a prominent voice-enablement platform for Teams.
“This acquisition aligns perfectly with our vision of enabling businesses to thrive by communicating and collaborating more effectively,” said Todd Zittrouer, CEO of Momentum. “Microsoft Teams has become a vital tool for the modern workplace, and by enhancing our capabilities with the expertise of the G12 team, we are helping our customers optimize their hybrid work environments.”
By introducing G12’s expertise in voice-enabled Microsoft Teams and Operator Connect solutions to Momentum’s suite, Momentum states that it is prepared to deliver an “unparalleled suite of services to customers”.
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Takes Rainbow Hub Global
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) is ready to distribute its Rainbow Hub solution around the world via its global partner network.
The Rainbow Hub communications cloud platform is suitable for businesses of all sizes and enables teams to communicate and collaborate from any location and device. As an application services platform, Rainbow Hub benefits from end-to-end services, including carrier services, via telecom operator partners in the Rainbow Carrier Connect program.
Moussa Zaghdoud, EVP of Cloud Communications Business Division at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, commented:
This benefits our partners, who can leverage their investment in operator services, and customers, who can choose their preferred carrier services. With more than 20 certified operators in Europe, ALE looks forward to continued expansion of its certified partners, extending the Rainbow Hub reach.”
To access full cloud services, a partner must add connectivity to the Public Switch Telephony Network (PSTN), which allows call routing and phone number assignment to users or businesses. This approach means Rainbow Hub can help partners to offer their own cloud communications services and customers to migrate seamlessly to the cloud.
How AI Is ‘Energizing’ This Wedding Vendor Business
UC Today spoke to Zohar Yardeni, Chief Product Officer (CPO) at global wedding vendor business The Knot Worldwide, this week about how AI is stimulating its internal workflows and improving its customer experience capabilities.
“I’m energised by the latest developments in AI and honestly blown away by the rapid rise of these capabilities,” Yardeni said. “I’m bullish on the opportunity ahead for us.”
The Knot Worldwide comprises multiple individual brands which specialise in the celebratory wedding experience, including The Knot, The Bump, The Bash, Hitched, Bodas, and WeddingWire. As a wedding vendor marketplace, The Knot Worldwide connects happy couples with wedding professionals of different specialisms to empower them in realising their dream wedding.
“Tech is at the heart of all we do at The Knot Worldwide,” Yardeni explained. “We support nearly 35 million users across more than 16 countries with an ecosystem of apps and sites powering every kind of celebration, from planning a wedding to booking a birthday party to preparing to become a parent.”
