Teams with Tom- 2023 Year Round-Up

2023. What a year for 微软 Teams Rooms and the channel. From all new licensing options to strong new partnerships, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. Let's take a look back through the year at everything we’ve achieved with our friends over at Microsoft Teams.

Vendor Partnerships

One of the standout moments for Maverick and TD SYNNEX this year has got to be getting Poly on board and rolling out their leading tech to the European market. This partnership is a game-changer, allowing us to back up our partners with custom offerings for different hybrid working needs, whether you’re working on projects where the team are clocking in at the office, doing hybrid work on the move, or going fully remote. The Poly portfolio is super versatile, tackling various scenarios with ease, thanks to their smooth compatibility with key Unified Communications (UC) platforms. It's all about having our partners covered for every situation.

Another great example of an incredibly successful Teams X Vendor relationship is Neat. Neat needs no explanation, they have made a name for themselves in the market with their innovative and high quality products that are now all Microsoft Teams certified! Take the Neat Frame for example,? the one-of-a-kind product is a dedicated personal video device with quick and easy access to Microsoft Teams features. Giving users the ability to enjoy functionalities such as Calendar, Contracts, Meetings and Team Chat, making collaboration on Microsoft Teams easier. Whether working from home or office, Neat Frame’s touchscreen is compatible with various software applications, and is the perfect partner for hot-desking and focus rooms.

2023 brought with it the introduction and then abundance of table top camera technology. Paving the way was Logitech for Business with Logitech Sight. The AI-powered meeting room camera that helps remote attendees feel like they’re actually seated at the table. Full compatibility with Microsoft Teams makes those meetings more inclusive for remote participants, which adds clearer audio and an excellent view for in-room and remote participants. Team Maverick caught up with the guys from Logitech at UC EXPO this year where we showed you how versatile and innovative their products truly are, watch the video here.

Strengthening our partnership

2023 was a landmark year for events, we connected with partners on more occasions than ever before. As well as Logitech we caught up with Michel Bouman from Microsoft at UC EXPO where he delivered an insightful talk all about the capabilities of the Teams Rooms Channel. Following this Michel then also led a discussion over Teams at the 8 Team Up events we ran and facilitated across EMEA which brought partners and vendors together to upskill knowledge around the capabilities of Microsoft Teams Rooms. Our Team Up event brought together industry professionals to showcase and share their expertise with one another and how they have leveraged Teams for their own success, showing our customers and partners some industry best practices and how Teams can be leveraged for your own success.

As always Microsoft focused on partner education by announcing their monthly webinar series: Empowering Partners for Success. These exclusive monthly webinars are designed to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the dynamic world of Microsoft Teams Rooms. Led by experienced hosts Michel Bouman , Jimmy Vaughan and Robert Karlsson , the sessions offer engaging discussions and practical knowledge-sharing.

You can still sign up for these, so get involved HERE

Microsoft Announcements

Throughout this year, Microsoft Teams Rooms made a multitude of announcements, notably the licensing changes introducing Basic and Pro options for Teams Rooms. These changes bring with it a whole range of new capabilities that are sure to enhance the online meeting experience for your customers.

In August, updates to the Teams Rooms Pro licence brought significant enhancements. These encompassed improvements to imagery via non-AI and intelligent cameras with IntelliFrame, a more immersive audio experience through spatial audio in Front Row, and unified backgrounds, creating a seamless environment for remote participants to feel present in the same room.

The recent Microsoft Ignite event in November marked yet another significant milestone for Microsoft. It was brimming with numerous announcements, particularly centred around Teams and Teams Rooms. Some of my stand out highlights this year include…??

• The Simplified deployment of Teams Rooms-?The integration of Windows Autopilot and Auto-login for Teams Rooms on Windows is set to significantly streamline the deployment process for IT admins.
• Ease-of-use with one-time passwords (OTPs)-?For devices ineligible for Windows Autopilot enrolment, a simplified deployment option is being introduced, utilising one-time passwords (OTPs). This option is particularly advantageous for those collaborating with system integrators.
• Easy access with Windows devices-?In 2024, remote access will be integrated into the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal, facilitating remote troubleshooting and proactive maintenance. This feature allows for the continuous monitoring of device health, pre-emptively addressing potential issues before they impact meetings.?

Looking towards ISE

As always Maverick is going to be pulling out all the stops at ISE next year when we all return to Barcelona. With the return of the IS-Ski chalet you can expect equitable meetings for our partners and customers, the opportunity to see some of the best emerging tech in the market, looking toward the future of the smart meetings space and as always some Maverick fun thrown in along the way. I’ll be at ISE all week so if you want to book a meeting, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.