Microsoft Teams continues to evolve and provide innovation to the corporate collaboration workspace, most recently by announcing a premium service for its prolific Teams platform. The platform is midway through a phased rollout which is expected to be completed in 2023, and these new premium features are the latest addition to the program.
At this year’s Microsoft Ignite conference event, the tech giant revealed that the optional add-on premium features for its video conferencing platform are designed to allow more secure, personalized, and intelligent meetings.
Although the premium features were announced at the event, the official Teams Premium preview will not be available for a couple more months – expected in December 2022. General availability for company usage is slated for February 2023. However, the most groundbreaking and impressive premium features – those utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology – will not be unveiled for public use during the first six months of next year.
Teams Premium Features
- “Intelligent recap” will empower AI to transcribe meetings, utilize recordings to capture strategic moments, and playback of relevant sections as needed.
- AI will also enable meeting transcriptions in 40 languages in real-time, a move designed to elevate inclusivity in company meetings, according to Microsoft. While most experts agree that this feature can be invaluable for multi-national teams, they regret that the useful feature, once included in the documentation for general release, will now be locked behind a paywall for premium features.
- The premium features include advanced security capabilities, such as document watermarking and monitoring recording permissions, designed to protect companies from leaks. Microsoft 365 E5 subscribers will also have the ability to apply their current Microsoft Purview Information Protection labels to meetings and associate the proper restrictions.
- Organizing and setting up meetings will be more intuitive, with Teams users given the ability to make a selection from a menu of meeting types – customizable by their IT department to more quickly access meetings via appropriate settings.
- Users can already organize webinars using Microsoft 365, and the capability is upgraded in Teams Premium. Users will have the ability to access the registration waitlist and approval process, automated email reminders, a virtual “green room,” and complete control over what meeting attendees see and experience.
- Business-to-consumer (B2C) communications also benefit from premium features, thanks to a more advanced appointment system that will enable sending text reminders for meetings, provide a “branded lobby,” and manage scheduled as well as impromptu, on-demand appointments.
Microsoft has endeavored to make Teams Premium an effective value for companies of all industries, verticals, and sizes. How valuable these features will turn out to be is unknown, especially as Microsoft has not yet revealed any pricing expectations. It is likely that the true value of these premium features will rely heavily on if the organizations accept the cost associated with them.
Microsoft Teams has become one of the leading collaboration and communications tools for companies, and these features are likely to add to its popularity. If your company is looking to implement this service – standard or premium – to help you to enhance your teamwork and productivity, call Alliance IT. Our team of IT professionals are experts in the installation and usage of this valuable productivity tool and can help your company to assess the best ways to utilize its features for your growth.
Implementing Microsoft Teams is one of the many services that Alliance IT can provide to Sarasota area businesses. We are a managed services IT firm specializing in Microsoft tools, could services, network integration, server management and VoIP communications. Call today to learn more.
