Cisco will be fully certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Devices, here are the details

 

Well, I did not see this coming, but it makes sense for all parties, and most importantly, customers. Cisco will become a partner in the Certified for Microsoft Teams program for the first time.

For those who don’t know, before being deep in the Microsoft UC world, I worked for a Cisco partner, one of the originals to launch Call Manager. I cut my VoIP teeth on Cisco before doing more and more Exchange UM and OCS and then moved over to the Microsoft UC side.

In the first half of 2023, Cisco and Microsoft will soon offer the ability to run Microsoft Teams Rooms natively on Cisco Rooms, Certified for Microsoft Teams. For these devices, Customers will have the option to make Microsoft Teams Rooms the default experience. Much like other device vendors in the Teams Ecosystem have the option of running in Zoom mode or Teams mode. This is not just an improved join experience.

In Teams mode, it will be full Microsoft Teams Rooms running on Android. The Rooms will also have an improved Cisco Webex join experience, running a Webex client for a Webex meeting join, rather than just the current Direct Guest Join. After the Webex meeting, the Room will return to the standard Microsoft Teams Rooms experience. Cisco has no Windows-based devices, so all devices will be Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android.

All certified devices will be manageable in the Teams Admin Center and the new Teams Rooms Pro Management Portal, as well as through the Cisco Control Hub device management.

 

Which Cisco Devices will be Certified for Microsoft Teams?

Cisco will initially certify 6 meeting devices and 3 peripherals, with apparently more to come.

Personal devices:

  • Cisco Desk Camera 4K  – is an intelligent desktop USB webcam and will be available by the end of October.
  • Cisco Headset 320 wired and Cisco Headset 720 wireless – will be available early next year

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Room/Shared space

  • Cisco Board Pro 55-inch and 75-inch, Teams Board

  • Cisco Room Bar, small to medium room 2-5 people

  • Cisco Room Kit Pro, separate codec, for larger and more complex room setups

  • Cisco Desk Pro as a Teams Display

  • Cisco Room Navigator wall panel as a Teams Panel, Wall Mount and Table Stand option

 

Will there be a charge/license to run Cisco devices in Microsoft Teams Mode?


No, there will not be an additional charge to run Cisco devices in “Teams mode”. This question comes up a lot as there is a charge to switch Cisco IP phones to standard SIP firmware which is required to run those phones signed into Microsoft Teams SIP Gateway.


Will Cisco IP Phones be certified for Microsoft Teams?


There are a lot of Cisco Phones out there, and lots of customers that would like to use their existing investment of Cisco IP phones with Microsoft Teams. In theory, those phones run android and could run the Teams Phone software, but there is no news or comment on this, and I don’t see it coming soon.

Also, you can run select Cisco Phones with Microsoft Teams today via Microsoft Teams SIP Gateway.


 

Neat’s full device portfolio now certified for Microsoft Teams

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Exciting news announced at Microsoft Ignite, the Neat Frame and Neat Bar Pro are now officially Microsoft Teams certified, which means their entire portfolio of devices is now certified for Microsoft Teams.

  • Near Bar – Microsoft Teams Room for small rooms

  • Neat Bar Pro – Microsoft Teams Room for medium rooms

  • Neat Pad – Microsoft Teams Panel

  • Neat Board – 65-inch multi-touch screen with Audio and Video – Microsoft Teams Room all in one

  • Neat Frame – Microsoft Teams Displays

All of Neat’s devices are Microsoft Teams Rooms for Android.

Ilya Bukshteyn, vice president of Microsoft Teams Devices: “The certification process for Neat’s devices has not only been rapid but also delightful for our joint customers, who appreciated how Neat’s hardware and especially Neat Symmetry video shined with Microsoft Teams and Teams Rooms. Neat is an exciting addition to our Teams partner ecosystem, and we look forward to our joint customers experiencing Teams through these elegant and innovative devices.”

The Neat frame is really interesting It is a 450 NITS 15.6 inch Full HD portrait touch screen device. I’m lucky to have one in my home office I have been testing, and I think it is a great fit for the executive at home, being an always-on device that is ready to go with great video, people framing, 4X Zoom and really impressive noise suppression.

Microsoft has announced plans for hot desking on Microsoft Teams display. With hot desking, employees can locate and reserve a desk in advance or from the device. They can sign in for their personalized Teams experience, and leave no personal data after signing out. This is coming to the Neat Frame later this year.

The Neat Bar Pro has a wide-angle telephoto lens and image depth sensor, which combined deliver 16x zoom.

At Ignite Microsoft also announced IntelliFrame. IntelliFrame enhances the focus and framing of in-room meeting attendees, so that meeting participants in the room each have their own, individual frame in the video gallery. For Teams Rooms outfitted with an intelligent camera capable of producing multiple video streams, IntelliFrame delivers an enhanced video gallery experience. This experience will be available in early 2023.