Intelligent shared space solutions with Microsoft Teams

[Guest KellyAJohnson]

In today's diverse work environment, we understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to shared spaces and devices. Each organization has its unique spectrum of needs, and at Microsoft, we believe in providing solutions that cater to this variety. Our offerings are designed to adapt to different settings, ensuring that whether it's a shared workspace or a large conference room, the technology enhances collaborative experiences.

 

 

 

Shared spaces are hubs for collaboration, creativity, and connectivity wherever you are. From traditional conference rooms and boardrooms to small focus or huddle rooms, and even work and meeting spaces to which you bring your own device, AI is already improving how we work. Thought leadership on space planning and utilization, innovation from our OEM partners, and Microsoft solutions have helped customers reimagine how to make the most out of their shared spaces to meet present and future needs.

 

 

 

By implementing best practices and strategic approaches to enhance your shared spaces with Teams and Teams Room Pro Management, you unlock a host of tangible benefits. Boost collaboration, get actionable insights, and streamline space management for better efficiency.

 

The array of shared spaces in today’s diverse work environment

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]Empower productivity and great meetings in every space[/HEADING]

 

Microsoft Teams Rooms, an integral component of the Teams platform, is leading the charge in this transformation, providing a hub for hybrid collaboration that seamlessly integrates with the digital workplace. It remains the ultimate solution for maximizing collaboration and productivity in your shared spaces. Seventy percent of Fortune 500 companies are already utilizing Teams Rooms, and Microsoft Teams has been recognized by Gartner as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service for the fifth consecutive year. Customers are choosing Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams Rooms to successfully position themselves for the future of work.

 

Intelligent speakers enable intelligent recap and Copilot, boosting meeting productivity in shared spaces

 

 

 

As we talk to customers and better understand their needs, we continue to find new ways to innovate and deliver on those needs, catering to diverse budgets and space types. Whether with new entry-level Teams Rooms systems, which offer lower-cost solutions for focus and huddle rooms, or bring your own device (BYOD) meeting rooms solutions, providing better content sharing and collaboration, Microsoft Teams is still finding new ways to serve our customers.

 

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide, Rafael Benitez, Megan Fernandez, Christopher Trueman, Pankil Sheth, 28 November 2023. This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document.

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]Find a solution that best fits your needs[/HEADING]

 

Customers often grapple with inconsistency, unpredictable meeting experiences, and a lack of visibility in shared spaces, posing significant challenges. Both end users and IT administrators seek solutions offering familiarity, ease-of-use, improved meeting experiences, and simplified inventory management.

 

 

 

Traditional and Signature Teams Rooms

 

Designed for the most inclusive hybrid meetings, Teams Rooms is the pinnacle of intelligence, inclusivity, and flexibility. These solutions boast audio and video (A/V) devices certified for Teams by an array of OEMs, delivering premium meeting experiences. Teams Rooms include compute with the benefits of one-touch join in the room, Front Row display, intelligent A/V processing power, and low-friction manageability for IT. With advanced A/V capabilities, and furniture and configurations that promote face-to-face engagement, your organization can engage in world-class meetings. We work closely with device partners to ensure seamless interactions no matter the OS or device type. Learn more about devices certified for Teams Rooms.

 

A large Signature Microsoft Teams Room

 

 

 

Entry-level Teams Rooms

 

Our customers tell us, “We love Teams Rooms, but some of our spaces need something more budget-friendly.” Entry-level Teams Rooms are the solution. Priced competitively at under $1,000 USD, they are perfect for upgrading bring your own device (BYOD) spaces and enhancing hybrid meeting experiences. These entry-level solutions come packed with Teams Rooms features like one-touch join and Front Row display, and offer great audio and video quality. Affordable and easy to deploy, they support user productivity while simplifying BYOD room upgrades. Installation is a breeze with a single USB cable, allowing organizations to seamlessly optimize shared spaces for enhanced collaboration.

 

An entry-level Microsoft Teams Room with a kit by MAXHUB

 

 

 

Bring your own device (BYOD) meeting rooms

 

BYOD rooms are often used for impromptu meetings with 2-4 participants, where the organizer brings their own computer to run the meeting. About half of these rooms lack essential display or A/V equipment, making them inadequate for hybrid meetings in the modern workplace. The other half typically have a mix of peripherals, such as a large screen display or speaker puck, but the user experience can be inconsistent. Additionally, IT admins lack data on peripheral usage, making it challenging to optimize and support these spaces effectively.

 

 

 

We are determined to make the experience in BYOD meeting rooms so much better.

 

 

 

Now, you can utilize laptops to connect quickly and easily to Teams meetings. Add peripherals to a room, like intelligent speakers, to boost audio and provide speaker recognition,1 which enables the meeting intelligence of Copilot. With Teams solutions, you can experience shared display mode, getting the privacy and meeting features you need to lead meetings confidently. IT teams also benefit from the automatic device discovery and inventory in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal, where they can track peripheral usage, including number of devices, call quantity, duration, and performance with the Teams Shared Devices license add-on for the room.2

 

Shared display mode in a BYOD meeting room

 

 

 

Bookable desks

 

Ever needed to grab a desk quickly? Bookable desks are shared work desks, also known as hot desks, touch down spaces, or hoteling environments. With Teams on their desktop, users can make a bookable desk their personal workspace by reserving it in advance or simply connecting to the monitor or other peripherals at the desk when they arrive. Voice isolation and noise cancellation in Teams enables crystal clear meetings even in busy, high-traffic spaces. Later this year, users will be able to automatically update their location, making it easier to connect with co-workers when in the office and find a meeting room with the Booking Assist feature, which makes smart recommendations based on locations of attendees. Later, with Microsoft Places (currently available for public preview), users can take advantage of enhanced room finding and intelligent booking experiences.

 

 

 

As with BYOD rooms, IT can keep a pulse on peripherals in these spaces with auto-device discovery and visibility in the Teams Rooms Pro Management inventory, a capability that is available now. IT admins will also benefit from the space and device usage data and insights for intelligent management and planning that are coming later this year.

 

Automatically booking a desk through Teams on desktop

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]Intelligence for IT across workspaces[/HEADING]

 

IT admins often lack holistic inventory and management approaches across shared workspaces, sacrificing visibility into room and device usage.

 

 

 

IT teams have a huge opportunity to add value for their organizations using holistic inventory views, space and device utilization data and insights, and AI for smarter planning. With Teams Rooms Pro Management, IT can prioritize investments intelligently to meet business needs and budgets. Microsoft Places can take intelligence to the next level for IT and real estate and facilities teams across their shared workspaces.

 

 

 

Gain insights and manage your spaces with Teams Room Pro Management

 

The best space and equipment planning starts with the holistic inventory, intelligence, and insights delivered in Teams Room Pro Management. Teams Rooms Pro Management provides comprehensive multi-OS, multi-brand device deployment, configuration, and proactive management capabilities for Teams Rooms. And, now with auto-discovery from the Teams desktop or bulk import for BYOD meeting rooms and bookable desks, devices in these spaces are visible and included in inventory in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal,3 providing unprecedented insight for planning and asset management.

 

With this data, you’ll have more intelligence into which BYOD rooms and desks are great as they are, and which spaces are ready for an upgrade.

 

• You’ll be able to track inventory data. Track the inventory data of BYOD rooms and desks and their peripherals in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal,3 enabling resource account configuration for rooms to make them visible and bookable.
  
• Room and device usage data provides insight for intelligent planning. Add a Teams Shared Devices license to your BYOD room or desk pool (coming later this year) to get analytics like space utilization, number of peripherals, call quantity, and performance via reports available in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal. These insights will help you target spaces that are ready for an upgrade.
  
• Make data-informed upgrades to equipment and licenses. With insights and data, you can make informed decisions for equipment and space planning. It may be time for a next-gen peripheral, like an intelligent speaker or integrated video bar. Or, you may find some rooms need more – a one-stop room solution that delivers the compute and ultimate meeting, intelligence, and IT features for the space. The competitively priced, entry-level Teams Rooms device kits and a Teams Rooms Pro license could be the answer.
  

 

A view of device inventory in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal

 

 

 

Easily associate devices with rooms or desk pools and make them bookable resources for users.

 

Adding a device to a resource account through the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal

 

 

 

Take advantage of usage and utilization data to make data-driven decisions and improve your space planning.2

 

A view of usage report on BYOD rooms in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal

 

 

 

You can learn more about Teams Room Pro Management and how to get started at Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro | Microsoft Teams.

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]Start planning solutions for all your shared meeting and collaboration spaces[/HEADING]

 

For BYOD rooms or desks with displays or other peripherals to connect laptops to, take advantage of the auto-discovery and inventory in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal that comes with the core Teams user license. To make manual collection of devices in a space easier, customers and partners can utilize a PowerShell script. From there, you can begin gathering insights and intelligently planning which rooms are ready for more advanced solutions, like the analytics and reports unlocked with a Teams Shared Devices license, or the enhanced end user and IT experiences you get from an entry-level Teams Room.

 

 

 

Each space has different considerations and criteria when planning the right solution to best fit the need. If you have meeting and collaboration spaces without any display or in-room devices for users to connect to, think about how you can elevate that experience for users and start getting the intelligence IT needs for smarter space and equipment planning. Consider:

 

• How the space will be used, in terms of the type of meetings (e.g., team collaboration or executives and board members)
  
• The number of people that typically gather for the meeting type
  
• The mix of in-person and remote attendees
  
• The richness of the audio, video, and collaboration experience needed
  
• Budgets
  
• Usage data from the Teams Rooms Pro Management service and Microsoft Places
  

 

 

 

An authorized, expert partner can help you design and deploy your Teams solutions. You can find a partner in your area at Modern Work for Partners - Microsoft Teams Rooms Partner Locator. You can find devices certified for Teams at aka.ms/teamsdevices.

 

 

 

Microsoft and devices certified for Teams can help you update your shared spaces for hybrid and flexible work, enabling your users to have productive and engaging meetings and collaborate more effectively. By choosing the right Teams solution for your space and using Teams Room Pro Management to gain insights and manage devices, you can optimize your shared spaces and deliver a consistent and seamless Teams experience.

 

 

 

Resources:

 

Get started with Teams Rooms: Microsoft Teams Rooms | Microsoft Teams

 

Set up bring your own device rooms in Teams Rooms Pro Management: Bring Your Own Device Rooms in Pro Management Portal - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

 

Set up bookable desk spaces: Setting up Bookable Desks in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams

 

 

 

 

 

1 Intelligent speaker support, via intelligent speakers or via cloud for existing devices, in a BYOD room requires the host to be licensed for Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot.

 

2 BYOD meeting rooms and bookable desk pools require a Teams Shared Devices license to enable analytics and reports in the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal. Learn more at Microsoft Teams Shared Devices licensing - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.

 

2 Access to the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal requires at least one Teams Rooms Pro or Teams Shared Devices license on the customer tenant.

 

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