A lot of uncertainties are plaguing countries and companies as they try and respond to the implications of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
Restricted travel and working-from-home are just a couple of tactics increasingly being put into place to combat the situation.
But this isn’t the first time such measures have been taken. And most likely, unfortunately, it won’t be the last.
With this in mind, now could be as good a time as ever to look at solidifying your company’s unified communications and videoconferencing strategies and infrastructure to help reduce your reliance on face-to-face meetings and people-at-their-desk work environments.
Having these communication capabilities nailed can help your company maintain during challenges like we’re facing today, while greatly accelerating your business when times are better.
To get started, below is a look at unified communications. If you’d like to get some ideas on video conferencing, take a look at our blog – Video Conferencing as Easy as a Phone Call.
It has only taken about 25 years, but the concept of unified communications may finally be reaching the tipping point of mass adoption. While we have seen a continual evolution of technologies attempting to unify human and device communications in a common experience…nothing has been as unifying in the corporate sphere as Microsoft’s hub for teamwork – Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft has made a strategic decision on Teams as the application for intelligent communication, an evolution from their investments in Skype for Business.
Microsoft Teams allows workgroups to securely collaborate and communicate from a single device (Windows, Mac, iOS or Android) using a traditional software application, purpose-built conferencing appliances, or a web browser. Users can seamlessly switch between editing documents, shared dashboards and planners, group chat, video and voice calls. Along with Office 365 applications, a wide range of third-party apps play well with Teams. Using office solutions can help you navigate Office 365 and SharePoint software to help better connect with unified communications.
If you have 15 minutes, here’s a good overview of the Microsoft Teams service.
Early on, E1 saw Microsoft Teams as one of the services that would take unified communications to the next level. We have adopted it as our intra-company collaboration tool and have converted our two main conference rooms to “Team Rooms.” In fact, we are so excited about the concept of Team Rooms, in partnership with Crestron, Biamp and StarLeaf, we recently hosted a live event to showcase their value in producing productivity gains and enriching communications.
Here’s why.
You are probably familiar with the drill – when group communications are relying on the conference room’s audiovisual system, the meeting either starts late, doesn’t start at all or is of such low quality, the efficacy of the meeting is materially compromised.
Team Rooms, when powered by Teams-certified solutions, ensure a consistently simple user experience with a consistent Teams interface. Video conferencing can start with a click. Sharing content – the same. All activities – messaging, calling, scheduling etc., use a common interface.
Crestron and Biamp are early to the party in offering solutions that ensure their hardware and software work well across a Team-enabled enterprise.
During E1’s showcase event, we not only had leaders from top companies in the Valley at our headquarters, but we had dozens of others join us remotely via a StarLeaf livestream. Everyone had a chance to see the new Crestron Flex solution that drives our business development huddle space and our Biamp-enabled main conference room that is optimized for Teams.
Just like it was for those attending our event, understanding the business value of a Microsoft Teams-enabled work environment becomes immediately apparent when you see it at work in a real-life setting. If you missed our event, we’d still love to show you how E1 Audiovisual Technologies can help you leverage the power of Microsoft Teams for your business by integrating Teams-certified solutions into your meeting spaces. Send us a quick email and we can schedule a quick remote demo so you can see for yourself.
