Zoom’s Big Enterprise Connect: Launches Workplace, Its Groundbreaking Collaboration Platform, Announces ‘Ask AI Companion’, Reveals Avaya Partnership
Zoom has announced Zoom Workplace, a new AI-powered collaboration platform that brings several critical solutions into one unified hub.
Announced at this week’s Enterprise Connect, Zoom Workplace will introduce new innovations intending to support businesses reimagine teamwork, facilitate connections, improve productivity, and optimise flexible work experiences. With Zoom AI Companion, all employees within a company can bolster productivity, collaborate more effectively, and improve their skill set.
Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer at Zoom, commented:
We have seen the positive impact that Zoom AI Companion has had on our business and our customers, transforming how we work by freeing up precious time for collaborative teamwork. Zoom Workplace with AI Companion will help solve real customer problems by bringing the core collaboration solutions into a single AI-powered platform to help improve productivity, efficiency, and the overall workday, all within the Zoom experience users trust and love.”
In other Zoom news, the vendor announced “Ask AI Companion”, a new conversational interactivity with its flagship AI service.
The capability is built into the Zoom platform and integrated with supported third-party apps, users can streamline their workday, instantly access critical information, automate routine tasks, and stay informed by consolidating data from Zoom Meetings, Mail & Calendar, Team Chat, Notes, Docs, and other sources.
Lastly, Zoom and Avaya have partnered to deliver advanced collaboration to global businesses.
Integral to the strategic partnership, Avaya has chosen Zoom Workplace, its newly announced AI-powered collaboration platform, to integrate with its Communication & Collaboration Suite. This integration will offer customers a streamlined solution for managing their communications environments and workflows.
- Read more about Zoom Workplace
- Read more about Ask AI Companion
- Read more about Zoom and Avaya’s partnership
Cisco Webex Unveils New Collaboration Devices For Seamless Hybrid Working
Cisco Webex has announced two new collaboration devices to enable seamless hybrid working.
Announced at Enterprise Connect this week, the Cisco Board Pro G2 is an AI-powered and touch-enabled collaboration device, while the Cisco Desk Phone Series 9800 is tailored to deliver a customisable productivity hub for modern desks. These multifunctional devices deliver advanced collaboration experiences for hybrid workforces in 2024.
“Cisco is expanding our portfolio of collaboration devices to deliver modern experiences to every corner of the office — from individual workspaces to meeting rooms of all sizes and configurations,” said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Cisco Security and Collaboration. “With AI built in from the ground up, our voice and video devices are changing what’s possible for hybrid workers, delivering tangible outcomes that matter.”
The Cisco Board Pro G2 and Cisco Desk Phone 9800 series represent Cisco’s latest innovations to support organisations during their transition to permanent hybrid models. These solutions are designed to facilitate seamless collaboration and adaptability in reconfigured workspaces.
Both Board Pro G2 and Desk Phone Series 9800 seamlessly integrate with Cisco Spaces and Control Hub.
Global UCaaS Market To Surpass 131M Users By 2028, Cavell Research Suggests
The global UCaaS market is expected to surpass 131 million users by 2028, new research by Cavell suggests.
Cavell’s 2024 Cloud Comms Market Reports canvassed over 100 service providers across the UK, Europe and the US, informing its estimate that the UCaaS market will grow to over 131 million users by the end of 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3 percent over the next five years.
However, Cavell indicated that the total available market is shrinking as fewer on-premises PBX users transition to cloud PBX. Many enterprises are opting for collaboration-only licenses without external PSTN functionality for their employees.
Cavell also observed declining margins and revenue streams in traditional cloud communication and UCaaS services for over 36 months, with over 40 percent of surveyants reporting a decrease in UCaaS revenue.
Dominic Black, Director of Research Services at Cavell, said:
Historically, providers won new users by migrating from on-premise solutions. However, as the market has matured, this has changed as there are fewer on-premise deployments to migrate. This will drive more competition and the need for providers to differentiate whilst also potentially starting pricing consolidation.”
Black continued by noting Cavell had inferred from its research that the proportion of customers being won from a competitor’s UCaaS solutions had been increasing steadily over the last few quarters.
Microsoft Brings Copilot Recap to VoIP and PSTN Teams Calls
Microsoft is introducing Copilot’s intelligent meeting recap capability to VoIP and PSTN calls in Teams.
The feature counts among a variety of new Copilot capabilities announced during Enterprise Connect week, including an expanded Teams chat compose box, improved meeting insights for Copilot in meetings, and automatic camera switching for Intelliframe.
Similar to its functionality across Teams video meetings, intelligent call recap offers AI-powered insights, summaries, recaps, and recommendations for users’ VoIP and PSTN calls in Teams.
“Intelligent call recap brings one of the best meetings AI features to calling,” Nicole Herskowitz, Vice President at Microsoft Teams, wrote in an accompanying blog. “Intelligent call recap can provide AI-powered insights and recaps of your VoIP and Public Switched Telephone Network calls in Teams.”
This feature will be generally available in June with Teams Premium and Copilot.
