Plantronics, Inc. (“Poly” – formerly Plantronics and Polycom) (NYSE: PLT), a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration, has announced that the award-winning Poly Studio X30 and Poly Studio X50 video bars now run Microsoft Teams natively to allow for seamless collaboration for all Teams needs right out of the box, no matter where you may be working.
With remote work collaboration needs continuing to rise and Teams use skyrocketing from 32 million users in early March 2020[1] to 75 million users by April 2020[2], organizations will continue to equip their workforce with technology which enables them to seamlessly transition between remote and in-office working as needed. However, the transition is only possible with the right collaboration gear and platform that helps users stay productive and get the job done.
“There is a significant change in the way we work – from full-time office workers to remote workers, and now moving into a hybrid working situation – where more workers split their time between the office and their home office. It is now even more crucial for organizations to provide a consistent user experience for their employees no matter where they are to ensure optimal productivity,” said Pierre-Jean Châlon, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Poly. “Poly’s partnership with Microsoft has spanned more than a decade, and we are committed to continuously expand our portfolio business-grade video and audio solutions to include Teams certified and native devices like the Poly Studio X family to meet the demand.”
“Microsoft works closely with Poly to ensure that our joint customers have a fantastic Microsoft Teams experience through Poly devices,” said Ilya Bukshteyn, Partner Director for Microsoft Teams devices, Microsoft. “Devices which run native Teams experiences enable users to get into Teams meetings and calls quickly and have access to the most complete Teams feature set. Enabling the Poly Studio X collaboration bars to now run Teams natively is one of the ways we’re bringing the best communication and collaboration experiences to users, no matter where they are working.”
The availability of a native Teams experience on Studio X30 and Studio X50 is just the latest in Teams certified devices from Poly. Poly has been working alongside Microsoft for over 15 years and is now one of the companies that has the most certified devices for Teams available.
Poly Studio X30 and Poly Studio X50 are available for order with native Teams running right out of the box. Organizations that have already purchased and/or deployed the Poly Studio X and would like to run the native Teams app can simply install the Poly Video OS Software 3.1.1 update and select Teams as the preferred collaboration platform.
Some capabilities of note include:
Proximity Join – Now more than ever, the fewer times throughout the day that you can touch shared devices in high-traffic areas, the better. With the Proximity Join feature, you can simply walk into any available meeting space and join a meeting from your personal device via the Teams desktop or mobile app.
One-touch Join – Joining meetings has never been simpler—now you can walk into the scheduled meeting room and with a simple touch of the Teams button on the TC8 touch control device, you’re in the meeting.
Content Sharing Via Teams App – Have something to share during your meeting? You can easily share content from your phone or laptop via the Teams desktop or mobile app.
Consistent User Experience – Familiarizing yourself with different meeting technology is not only frustrating, but it can also cause meeting delays and waste people’s time. A native Teams experience means that users can expect a familiar user interface while meeting from their home office, desk, or huddle spaces.
Poly Video OS Software 3.1.1 update is available now via Poly’s cloud management tool.
More information about the Poly Studio X and other Poly solutions for Teams is available at https://www.poly.com/sg/en/solutions/platform/microsoft.
[1] “Microsoft announces new Teams features as usage skyrockets nearly 40 per cent in a week” (The Verge, March 2020)
[2] “Microsoft Teams now has 75 million daily active users” (Business Insider, April 2020).
