Microsoft Teams Rooms in a Global Digital Workplace
Feb 8, 2024
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Tom Arbuthnot and Mark Licinio discuss transitioning to Microsoft Teams, managing multiple OEMs, selecting equipment, and the significance of community engagement. They also talk about the deployment of Microsoft Teams rooms, defining blueprints for meeting rooms, supporting different hardware and operating systems, reducing risk and supply chain issues, and the collaboration between AV and IT vendors in the digital workplace.
BP is gradually replacing 1,600 video conferencing rooms with Microsoft Teams native solutions.
BP emphasizes consistent user experience by testing and experimenting with different OEMs and hardware options for their meeting rooms.
Deep dives
Journey to Microsoft Teams rooms
The podcast episode features Mark Lucino from BP who discusses their journey to Microsoft Teams rooms. They initially deployed PolyKit devices for Skype for Business, knowing that they would transition to Teams in the future. With the COVID-19 lockdown, their meeting rooms were equipped with Polyreal clarity suite, but with limited usage. The leadership team recognized the need to improve the meeting room experience to entice employees back to the office. They decided to transition to Teams native meeting rooms, replacing their legacy Poly estate. They are gradually replacing 1,600 video conferencing rooms with new Teams native solutions.
Standards, vendor diversity, and simplicity
BP has defined blueprints for their meeting rooms based on room size. They have different hardware options, including Android and Windows, while maintaining a consistent user experience. They communicate these standards to stakeholders and have chosen not to rely on a single vendor to ensure supply chain flexibility. They focus on simplicity and scalability, and while AV skills are necessary, they also test and experiment with different OEMs to find the best solution for their rooms. They aim to provide a uniform and high-quality audio experience as it is often overlooked in meeting room design.
Future of large conference rooms and AI direction
BP is seeking solutions for larger conference rooms that can provide good video camera quality. They are exploring options from Crestron, Beyond, Q-SYS, and Huddly Crew. Additionally, they discuss the importance of AI-driven systems that can dynamically adjust camera angles and audio for optimal meeting experiences. They hope to achieve the same user experience as when everyone had their own square in lockdown. They also touch upon the topic of facial enrollment and the potential of co-pilot features in meetings. They strive for a price point that makes these solutions accessible for mass deployment.
Tom Arbuthnot and Mark Licinio, Service Owner of Video Conferencing & Teams devices at BP dive deep into Marks' experience with Microsoft Teams Rooms and Digital Workplace.
Discussion of transitioning to Microsoft Teams from Skype for business
The journey to enabling Microsoft Teams in the meeting room
Mark speaks about managing and operating multiple OEMs, BYOD, Android, and Windows.
BP's approach to testing, operations and deployment
How their teams evaluate and select equipment and OEMs
The significance of community engagement and networking which eases their decision-making process in the UC realm.
Thanks to Neat, this episode's sponsor, for your continued support of the Empowering.Cloud community.
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