Choosing Intelligent Communications Devices for Microsoft Teams

Customers often ask me how they can be sure their #IntelligentCommunications device investments will be fully supported by Microsoft, and give them a confident path to future experiences, such as migrating to Microsoft Teams meetings and calling. The answer is always the same; only devices which are Certified by us are also fully supported by us. We will have a lot of exciting announcements around this area at #MicrosoftIgnite2018, including new ways to easily find Certified devices for every use case, and new capabilities in devices Certified specifically for #MicrosoftTeams.

For room systems devices, the simplest way to be sure a room system is Certified is to ask if it runs our Skype Room Systems application. Only devices running our native rooms application can be Certified as Skype Room Systems. Also, only Skype Room Systems solutions will provide the native Microsoft Teams experience and deliver on our full Microsoft Teams room systems roadmap. Our Certified Skype Room Systems today are the #Logitech SmartDock, the #Polycom MSR, the #Crestron SR, the #Lenovo ThinkSmart Hub 500, and the #HP Elite Slice G2 Skype Room System.

You can learn more about Microsoft Teams devices and our Certified device partners here: https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/across-devices

We also realize that many of our customers have legacy (ie. Cisco, etc.) room systems already installed in some rooms, which is why we have partnered with #Pexip, #Polycom, and #BlueJeans to deliver Cloud Video Interop (CVI) services. These cloud services enable VTCs not running our Skype Room Systems application to connect to Microsoft Teams meetings with a basic video, audio, and screen sharing experience. Any room system not running the Skype Room Systems application should only connect to Teams Meetings through a CVI service.

In the meantime, it’s unfortunate that some companies with whom we do not partner on devices have chosen to put out confusing marketing around their devices and Microsoft Teams. Imitation is of course the sincerest form of flattery, and suddenly many communications devices seem to have Team in their names.  But please don't confuse marketing messaging for Certification; if you’re looking for room systems for Microsoft Teams please remember, if it’s not running the Skype Room Systems application, it’s not Certified for Microsoft Teams.