In order to address the challenges of people working from home, in the office, or a blend of the two, Microsoft is updating Teams, Office 365, and more with a slew of new features.
A “front row” layout for Teams Rooms users and updates to Microsoft’s collaborative Whiteboard tool are among the slew of announcements Microsoft made Thursday to improve the tech giant’s hybrid work experience products and services.
In May this year, Microsoft circulated a video showing off how hybrid meetings might look and feel in the future, based on Microsoft’s own research. That video showed off how Teams Rooms capabilities could work in different sized and scaled spaces, like a focus room, medium space and large space when using intelligent speakers, cameras, and large-screen displays like Teams Panels and Surface Hubs.
Today, June 17, officials expanded on that vision with plans outlined during a “What’s Next for Hybrid Work” virtual event. In that set of announcements, Microsoft execs also shared more Teams Meetings and Teams Room features that will be rolled out over the course of calendar 2021.
Microsoft will roll out a new feature called front row in Teams Rooms, which is an immersive room layout. The company says that it makes interactions feel more natural and gives in-room participants a greater sense of connection to remote participants. The video gallery has been moved to the bottom of the screen, so participants are face to face with each other. The chat window has also been made visible on the main screen, so users can see the chat along with the video.
Microsoft officials also said they would be adding a new Teams chat feature that makes even more synchronized collaboration. Users will be able to pin messages that will be available to participants and reply to a specific chat message while maintaining context across and between meetings.
