Microsoft Teams Insider

Andrew Liptrot, Service Owner for AV and Workplace Technology at Haleon, shares insights on transitioning from traditional video rooms to Microsoft Teams Rooms. He discusses the development of four room archetypes—Meet, Create, Engage, and Influence—tailored to specific business needs. Emphasizing reliability and supportability, Andrew highlights the consolidation of components to streamline operations. He stresses the importance of user engagement and proactive monitoring to enhance digital employee experience across global standards.

Tormod Ree, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Neat, discusses the future of meeting room technology and the challenges of hybrid work. He highlights the role of AI in enhancing meeting experiences through device intelligence. Ree explains how Neat is innovating with multi-device architectures and companion devices to create more flexible collaboration spaces. He also shares insights on the importance of equal presence for remote participants and how Neat's partnership with Microsoft aligns with their vision while maintaining unique innovations.

Wesley Budd, a Partner Solutions Architect at Microsoft, focuses on driving success with Microsoft 365 Copilot through the Copilot Jumpstart program. He discusses the importance of partners in ensuring readiness and security, emphasizing the need for effective adoption programs. Wesley highlights the growing relevance of ‘agents’ in business transformation, and how tools like AI Builder and Copilot Studio are shaping tailored solutions. He advocates for collaborative sessions to scale innovative ideas and shows how organizations can become AI-first firms.

Microsoft Teams Monthly Update - October 2025Copilot Chat (free) in Office AppsUnified Copilot Chat in TeamsAgent Mode in Excel and WordTeams Channel AgentsAnthropic Claude Models Come to CopilotOffice Agent (Anthropic)Bring Consumer Copilot to Work?New Teams FeaturesTeams Devices NewsEventsThanks to Neat, this month's benefactor, for your support of Empowering.Cloud and the community.Note that this is an audio-only version of the update, so if you would like to see the accompanying slides, please watch the video version on Empowering.Cloud

Andre Razzuri, Associate Director at IQVIA, explains how IQVIA rolled out Microsoft Teams Rooms to 650 rooms globally, creating standards and managing a global environment.Why IQVIA standardised on Lenovo Windows 11 MTRs for cost, supportability, remote management and user experienceDeploying 200 rooms per year with a small core team through strict global standards and robust remote toolingWhere they partnered with AVI-SPL for boardrooms and global rollouts, and how responsibilities are sharedGetting leadership buy-in using usage data and trusted internal championsThanks to AVI-SPL, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Simon Dudley, an independent consultant with a rich 30-year history in video conferencing, shares insights into the commoditized market. He discusses why many video bars are 'good enough' and how customers should prioritize reliability and support over specs. Dudley emphasizes the importance of financial stability and ESG credentials in vendor selection. He draws parallels with the PC industry, highlighting factors that drive vendor choice and the significance of understanding brand positioning in today's competitive landscape.

Irena Andonova, Head of Product for Teams Devices at Microsoft, discusses the evolution of Teams Rooms, Phones and DevicesAI is transforming physical meeting spaces—supporting speaker attribution, voice isolation, and real-time summarisation, even in unscheduled in-person meetings.Voice and face enrolment enables accurate transcript attribution across Windows and Android platforms.AI-powered features in Teams PhonesHow AI is being embedded into the Pro Management Portal to support large-scale operations, automate issue resolution, and deliver actionable insights.The importance of usage analytics for facilities planning—e.g. identifying underused or overbooked rooms by floor and day.Ongoing investment in cross-platform scalability, including Autopilot for Windows and Android, and integration with MDEP (Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform).

Microsoft Teams Monthly Update - September 2025Malicious URL Protection for TeamsImproved Organization Chart in Profile CardControl External Access by Domain for Specific Users and Groups5 Unify Certified Contact CentersNew Teams Desk Phone Transfer UITouch Console Support for MTRoW BoardsBrowser Support for MTRoW BoardsSales, Service, and Finance Copilots now included with Microsoft 365 Copilot LicenseImproved Copilot Chat in Office AppsEventsThanks to Ribbon, this month's benefactor, for your support of Empowering.Cloud and the community.Note that this is an audio-only version of the update, so if you would like to see the accompanying slides, please watch the video version on Empowering.Cloud

Matt Hurst, Senior Director of Strategic Business Architecture at Ribbon, joins Tom Arbuthnot to discuss the significant changes occurring in telco infrastructure with AI, analytics, and automation. Matt clearly explains how Automation, Containerisation and AI work and apply in telco and also large enterprise infrastructure.The telecommunications industry is embracing containerisation and automation to address competitive pressures, security requirements, and operational efficiency challenges. Traditional hardware deployment models are being replaced by flexible, cloud-native approaches that enable rapid scaling and automated management.Containerisation breaks network functions into modular components that scale dynamically based on demandAutomation reduces manual patching, testing, and configuration whilst improving security complianceAI-powered chatbots guide junior engineers through complex troubleshooting using integrated documentationInfrastructure as code creates single source of truth for network configurations across multiple sitesAdoption is being driven by security operations requirements and specialised skills shortagesThanks to Ribbon, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support. 

Tom Arbuthnot discusses Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption with Karoliina Kettukari, Head of Modern Work at OP Financial Group in Finland.OP Financial Group has licensed approximately half their workforce for M365 Copilot, with strong support from senior management and eager employee adoption. The organisation also utilises Copilot Chat for an additional 50% of their licensed user base, particularly for roles working primarily in customer systems rather than M365 applications.Meeting summaries and note-taking represent the primary use case, delivering immediate time savingsOrganisation uses a tiered approach with basic training for general users and advanced documentation for power usersTeams-based sharing of use cases within departments proves more effective than organisation-wide librariesAgent development shows promise but faces technical barriers requiring Copilot Studio expertiseRegulatory compliance creates additional approval processes for new AI features in financial servicesSupport delivered through Teams channels and Viva Engage communities rather than traditional training methodsThe transition from personal productivity use cases to team-based and process automation represents the next phase of their adoption journey.Thanks to Neat, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support.