A little variety can go a long way, as Cisco and Microsoft have announced a partnership to allow the popular Teams platform to run on Cisco Meeting Devices.
The remote work boom has made platforms like Microsoft Teams that much more valuable for staying connected with team members. From comprehensive video conferencing tools to conduct meetings to collaboration features designed to improve communication, these platforms are designed to make the shift to hybrid work that much easier.
Now, your video conferencing setup could allow for even more functionality, as Cisco Meeting devices will be able to natively run Microsoft Teams right out of the box.
Microsoft Teams Now Works on Cisco Meeting Devices
The partnership between Cisco and Microsoft was announced in a company blog post outlining how users can “run Microsoft Teams natively on Cisco Room and Desk devices Certified for Microsoft Teams,” so the popular collaboration platform can be your default service on the platform rather than Cisco Webex.
“Interoperability has always been at the forefront of our hybrid work strategy, understanding that customers want collaboration to happen on their terms — regardless of device or meeting platform. Our partnership with Microsoft brings together two collaboration leaders to completely reimagine the hybrid work experience.” – Jeetu Patel, EVP and GM of Security & Collaboration at Cisco.
The partnership will begin in 2023 and will allow Microsoft Teams to run natively on the Cisco Room Bar, the Cisco Board Pro 55-inch and 75-inch, and the Cisco Room Kit Pro. Later on in the year, the Cisco Desk Pro and Cisco Room Navigator will also be able to run the platform natively, but it will take a bit longer.
Should My Business Use Microsoft Teams?
All this talk about Microsoft Teams and you don’t even know if it’s right for your business. Well, we’ve got some good news for you; Microsoft Teams is a stellar option for businesses of all sizes, particularly if you’re already using the Microsoft 365 system to run your day-to-day operations.
One of the best parts of Microsoft Teams is that it’s frequently receiving updates, like this one, to improve the platform for users. The regularly take feedback and turn it into an improved experience, so if there’s something you don’t like, it’s likely going to change in the coming months.
“Our vision to make Teams the best collaboration experience for physical spaces is brought to life by our incredible ecosystem of hardware partners. By welcoming Cisco as our newest partner building devices Certified for Microsoft Teams, we are excited to bring leading collaboration hardware and software to market together for our joint customers.” – Jeff Teper, president, collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft
Overall, we’d definitely recommend checking out Microsoft Teams for your business if you’re in the market for a hybrid work solution. Still, options like Google Meet and Zoom are also quite impressive, and our research found they can be a better option due to their overall ease of use.
