Microsoft Teams Rooms - How to Choose Beyond the Specs
Simon Dudley, independent consultant and with extensive former experience at Polycom, Lifesize, and Logitech, examines how customers, OEMs and resellers can navigate the increasingly commoditised video conferencing market.Simon and tom discuss:• Why most video bars are “good enough” and what that means for differentiation• How ESG, financial transparency, and global distribution are becoming key buying factors• The importance of understanding your A/B/C brand status as a vendor or reseller• Why customers should look beyond specs and prioritise reliability, support, and management tools• Lessons from the PC industry and how they could apply to the future of MTR devicesThanks to Pure-IP, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support. Find Simon’s website here: Excession Events
--------
43:55
--------
43:55
AI in Teams Devices: What’s New and What’s Next? Irena Andonova, Head of Product for Teams Devices
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).
--------
22:25
--------
22:25
Microsoft Teams Monthly Update - September
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
--------
12:54
--------
12:54
Telco Infrastructure Evolution - Automation, AI and Containerisation Explained
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.
--------
27:11
--------
27:11
Scaling M365 Copilot Adoption Across 20,000 Users
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.
Microsoft Teams discussions with industry experts sharing their thoughts and insights with Tom Arbuthnot of Empowering.Cloud. Podcast not affiliated, associated with, or endorsed by Microsoft.
Ireland