Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft and Cisco announced a new partnership at Microsoft Ignite 2022 that will enable customers to run Microsoft Teams natively on Cisco Room and Desk devices.
Cisco will become a partner in the Certified for Microsoft Teams programme for the first time, with six of most popular meeting devices also being certified for Teams. The first wave, expected to be certified in early 2023, will include the Cisco Room Bar, the Cisco Board Pro and the Cisco Room Kit Pro for small, medium and large meeting room spaces. The Cisco Desk Pro and Cisco Room Navigator will follow soon after.
“Interoperability has always been at the forefront of our hybrid work strategy, understanding that customers want collaboration to happen on their terms – regardless of device or meeting platform,” said Jeetu Patel, general manager of security and collaboration at Cisco. “Our partnership with Microsoft brings together two collaboration leaders to completely reimagine the hybrid work experience.”
Customers will be able to make Microsoft Teams Rooms the default experience, whilst retaining all the features and functionality available today. Other devices will also run Teams natively, including intelligent USB webcam Cisco Desk Camera 4K and two headphones with a Teams button.
“Our vision to make Teams the best collaboration experience for physical spaces is brought to life by our incredible ecosystem of hardware partners,” said Jeff Teper, president of collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft. “By welcoming Cisco as our newest partner building devices Certified for Microsoft Teams, we are excited to bring leading collaboration hardware and software to market together for our joint customers.”
The partnership will enable more inclusive and productive meeting experiences through the connection and collaboration of Microsoft Team and Cisco’s high-quality and reliable video and audio technology.