Microsoft Teams Insider

Tom Arbuthnot

Microsoft Teams discussions with industry experts sharing their thoughts and insights with Tom Arbuthnot of Empowering.Cloud. Podcast not affiliated, associated with, or endorsed by Microsoft.

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July 22 · 16 min
Why Microsoft Is Quietly Winning with Enterprise AI with Rishi Kumar, Logitech
Rishi Kumar, Director of Alliances and Go-to-Market at Logitech, discusses how Microsoft is positioning itself as the enterprise AI leader, the growing role of edge computing in meeting rooms, and what it all means for IT professionals. • Why Microsoft's enterprise-first AI approach with Work IQ and trusted data boundaries is resonating with IT teams • How meeting recaps have become the top AI use case, including new video and custom recap features • Microsoft's multi-model strategy and the new E7 Frontier suite for enterprise AI deployment • Logitech's work on AI at the edge, from beamforming microphones to the Logitech Spot sensor for room intelligence • The evolving role of the meeting room, including facilitator room skills and camera-based room management Thanks to Logitech, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.
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July 14 · 46 min
Craig Durr, The Collab Collective: Why the Device Market Forecast Dropped From 6% to 3%
Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder at The Collab Collective, discusses his revised five-year video conferencing device market forecast and why he has taken his compound annual growth rate prediction down from roughly 6% to just under 3%. • The "triple replacement wave": Windows 10 to 11, Android 10 to 12, and ageing BYOD devices are driving room refresh priorities across enterprises • Budget compression: rising DRAM costs are pushing device prices up, meaning IT teams can refresh fewer rooms with the same budget (for example, 85 rooms instead of 100) • How the Mythos AI model creates an unexpected new variable. Cisco reviewed over a billion lines of code, and upcoming network infrastructure refreshes could pull budget away from collaboration devices • Regional outlook: North America stays competitive, EMEA remains strong, and Asia Pacific (including India) emerges as a key growth opportunity • AI in the room: the "brain in the room" concept is driving excitement, but feature velocity continues to outpace adoption • OEM competition: with more vendors entering a slower-growing market, management platforms and support models are becoming key differentiators Thanks to Nuwave, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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July 13 · 15 min
Microsoft 365 AI Workplace Update July 2026
It's the start of Microsoft's new financial year and there's already a lot to unpack. In this month's update we cover the new Microsoft Frontier company, Cowork going GA (and the new consumption cost model), a wave of Copilot and model updates, plus a huge run of Teams calling, meetings and devices news from InfoComm - including the big Teams Phone Agent announcement. Huge thanks to this month's benefactor, Neat, for their continued support of the community. Neat have just announced an MCP server for their management platform (a first for OEM tooling) and their intelligent framing beta. Details on the Neat blog — and check out Graham's video on the Neat MCP server. 🔑 Key topics • Microsoft Frontier - new $2.5bn company, 6,000 embedded ("forward deployed") engineers to drive enterprise AI adoption • M365 price rises now live (business/frontline/enterprise up ~8-15%, frontline up 25–33%); annual local currency adjustments coming each January • Cowork now GA - fully consumption-based (Copilot credits); example use cases range from ~$1 to $7+ and can climb fast with heavier models. GPT-5.5 available in the EU data boundary • Copilot - Sonnet 5 selectable, Work IQ reasoning over Power BI, new vision capabilities, Notebooks rolling out to Copilot Chat • Models - Fable back in Claude, GPT-5.6 rumoured, Microsoft leaning more on first-party models • Agents - Planner agent GA, Sales agent GA (in M365 Copilot license), Dynamics Service agent announced, AI content watermarking • Copilot Super App due August - merges Copilot Chat, Cowork & GitHub Copilot; plus a look at Anthropic's Claude Tag • Teams Phone Agent - Microsoft's AI auto/mainline attendant, tied into Copilot Studio • Multi-line GA, Queues app GA on mobile, dedicated Recap app, Facilitator with internet access + voice mode • Admin - new transcript access controls, auto-block bots; Live Events and Together mode retiring • Rooms - 1.5M active rooms (1,000+ added/day), IntelliFrame People Labels (Huddly first), Express Enrollment, new AVIXA training • Devices - Android devices coming to Pro Management portal; Cisco native Zoom Rooms, Crestron Compute GA, Jabra new service plans 📅 July events • 21 Jul - Teams Devices AMA (with AudioCodes) • 22 Jul - Microsoft Partner Kickoff (summary to follow) • 23 Jul - Teams Phone Agent webinar (with Pure IP & Microsoft) • Late July - Copilot Fireside Chat • Ongoing - M365 Community Change Roundup 🔗 Links • Empowering.Cloud • Ilya InfoComm keynote (speed edit) • Neat MCP server + Graham's video • Teams Phone Agent demo • Slides and Links
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July 7 · 29 min
Microsoft Teams Phone and Recording - API Integrations, Automations - Ben Richardson at SmartSearch
Ben Richardson, Infrastructure Engineer at SmartSearch, and Andy Whiteside, VP of Sales at Numonix, discuss SmartSearch's move from legacy on-premise call recording to Numonix's IX Cloud platform for Microsoft Teams. • SmartSearch needed more than compliance recording, with usability, QA reporting, and third-party integration as critical requirements • How SmartSearch integrated Numonix with Attention to automate sales call scoring and update HubSpot CRM via API • Deploying Numonix took just 20 minutes and five PowerShell commands, compared to days with legacy on-premise recording systems • Bring-your-own Azure storage allowed SmartSearch to meet strict InfoSec and data sovereignty requirements • Practical advice for organisations evaluating Microsoft Teams compliance recording, from cross-department requirements gathering to vendor certification checks Thanks to Numonix, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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July 1 · 39 min
How Microsoft, Zoom, and Cisco Are Approaching AI Differently With Kevin Kieller, enableUC
Kevin Kieller, Co-Founder and Lead Analyst at enableUC, discusses how the major unified communications vendors are taking distinctly different approaches to AI and what this means for IT professionals and organisations. • How Microsoft, Zoom, and Cisco are each pursuing different AI strategies, from rapid deployment to simplicity-first to proactive ambient intelligence • Why UCaaS platforms have reached feature parity on core capabilities and what that means for vendor selection • The shift towards consumption-based AI pricing and the challenge of balancing enterprise cost predictability with encouraging adoption • Why data and context matter more than having the best model, and the risks when AI assistants access information without clear boundaries • Google's underappreciated position in the AI and collaboration space despite strong foundations in DeepMind and Gemini • Why vendors may be over-rotating on agentic AI and the importance of focusing on real business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake • How AI is reshaping the role of IT admins and why technology professionals need to keep pace with rapid change • The growing importance of edge AI processing for meeting rooms and video systems Thanks to Momentum, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.
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June 23 · 39 min
Microsoft Scout Explained: Microsoft's OpenClaw-based AI Autopilot Agent That Works for You 24/7
Michel Bouman, AI Powered Workplace Lead EMEA, India and SEA - Teams Engineering at Microsoft, shares a deep dive into Microsoft Scout, the new desktop AI autopilot that acts on your behalf around the clock. • What Microsoft Scout is, how it evolved from Project Lobster, and how it differs from Copilot Chat and Copilot Cowork • How Michel onboarded a personal agent called Red to manage email triage, calendar scheduling, and complex multi-step reporting tasks • Real-world autonomous workflows including expense filing, booking appointments, and even monitoring EV battery charge for road trips • Agent-to-agent orchestration in practice and how teams share skills and automations across their agents • The security model behind Scout, including resistance to prompt injection and impersonation safeguards • The psychology of working alongside AI agents, why treating them as human can be a risk, and Michel's upcoming book "When Your Next New Hire Isn't Human" Thanks to Momentum, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.
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June 16 · 37 min
Copilot Cowork vs. Scout with Microsoft's Alev Tamer and Chris Wheeler
Alev Tamer, Sr. Partner Solution Architect at Microsoft, and Chris Wheeler, Senior Copilot Solution Engineer at Microsoft, discuss the latest Microsoft Copilot announcements fresh from Microsoft Build. • Multi-model strategy: how Microsoft brings together models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Microsoft AI to offer genuine choice • Critique and Council: using multiple models to validate and challenge each other's outputs for improved accuracy • The DRACO (Deep Research Accuracy, Completeness, and Objectivity) benchmark and how Research with Critic achieves the highest score for deep research completeness and accuracy • Copilot Cowork vs Scout: cloud-based fire-and-forget task execution versus local desktop agent capabilities • Work IQ as the personalisation layer that makes Copilot genuinely relevant to your role and daily work • Real-world use cases including automated demo pack generation, fitness apps built on Azure, NHS website creation and AI-assisted performance reviews • Skills and plugins: creating reusable instruction sets for repetitive tasks and new integrations including Dynamics 365 and Fabric IQ • Data residency and security: navigating Anthropic data processing, EU data boundaries and flex routing for European organisations Thanks to Shure, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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June 9 · 30 min
Microsoft Planner Roadmap - AI Agents, API and MCP With Howard Crow, Director of Product, Microsoft
Howard Crow, Director of Product at Microsoft, joins the podcast to discuss the evolution of Microsoft Planner, its deep integration with Microsoft Teams, and the growing role of AI agents in work management. • Howard shares his nearly 30-year journey at Microsoft, from the founding days of SharePoint to leading the Planner and Project teams • The genesis of Microsoft Planner and how it democratised project management beyond specialist tools like Microsoft Project • Microsoft's unification strategy, bringing To Do, Planner, and Project for the Web together under a single Planner brand • How Planner integrates deeply with Microsoft Teams across meetings, channels, and chats • The Planner Agent and Microsoft's multi-agent runtime service, the first production multi-agent harness shipped at Microsoft • How MCP (Model Context Protocol) is becoming the "USB for APIs" and unlocking new integrations for Planner • The future of work: managing teams of humans and AI agents together, and why a visual planning surface matters for knowledge workers Thanks to Luware, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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June 8 · 15 min
Microsoft 365 AI Workplace Update June 2026
MVP Tom Arbuthnot shares all the latest Microsoft Teams and Copilot news and announcements in less than 15 minutes for June 2026. Many thanks to Pure-IP for their continued support. The Copilot Super App Is Coming Scout and Autopilots NVIDIA-Powered Laptops Windows Optimisations for Open Claw and Local Agents Work IQ and Web IQ APIs GA Project Solara — Agent-First Hardware Devices, Powered by MDEP 7 New Microsoft AI Models Teams Devices News Link to the deck Useful Links: Briefings • 4 Ways to Improve Customer Experience With Landis Contact Center for Microsoft Teams • First Look at the Neat Board 32 Microsoft Teams Rooms With MDEP • The Lenovo Microsoft Teams Rooms Portfolio Explained and the Huddly Partnership • Decoding Dynamics 365 Contact Center: Microsoft Teams Voice, New AI Agents, and Licensing Teams Insider Podcasts • Microsoft Teams Facilitator: The First Group AI Agent for Meetings With Madhu Sudan, Microsoft • Microsoft Teams Call Quality Dashboard (CQD): Intelligent Classifiers, Silent Test Call and Power BI • Microsoft 365 Message Center and M365 Change Explained with Brian McGough, Principal Program Manager • Microsoft 365 Agents Explained - Declarative, Copilot Studio, Pro-Code or Skills in Copilot Cowork? Microsoft Build 2026: Be yourself at work GitHub Copilot app: the agent-native desktop experience What's New in Microsoft 365 Copilot — May 2026 Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes Introducing Microsoft Scout: your always-on personal agent Project Lobster is Microsoft Scout Introducing Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for world makers Surface Laptop Ultra product page Windows platform security for AI agents Announcing the new Work IQ APIs Work IQ: production-ready intelligence for every agent Announcing Microsoft Web IQ Composing a new platform for agent-first devices Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform documentation Microsoft Build 2026 Live blog Building a hill-climbing machine: launching seven new MAI models Build, scale, and monetize apps and agents with Microsoft Marketplace Certified Android-based devices for Microsoft Teams More choice and flexibility: Cisco Board Pro Certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms Q-SYS QSP-11 Scheduling Panel
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June 3 · 19 min
Microsoft Teams Facilitator: The First Group AI Agent for Meetings With Madhu Sudan, Microsoft
Madhu Sudan, Partner Director of Engineering at Microsoft, discusses Microsoft Teams Facilitator, a first-of-its-kind group AI agent built to actively collaborate with entire teams during meetings. • How Facilitator differs from Copilot: group-level support vs one-to-one assistance • Real-time note-taking, action item assignment, and meeting moderation built into Microsoft Teams • Proactive capabilities including knowledge gap detection, quorum checking, and late-joiner recaps • The permissioning model that keeps group conversations secure and prevents data leakage • Plans for meeting series memory and bringing cross-meeting context to future sessions • Extensibility with other Microsoft Teams agents and Microsoft 365 data Thanks to AVI-SPL, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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May 26 · 52 min
Microsoft Teams Call Quality Dashboard (CQD): Intelligent Classifiers, Silent Test Call and Power BI
James Parkes, Senior Product Manager for Microsoft Teams Call Quality Management, Siunie Sutjahjo, Principal Product Manager for Microsoft Teams Meeting, and Victor Guzman, Senior Technical Program Manager, all at Microsoft, discuss the latest advances in Microsoft Teams call quality tools and reporting. • How CQD has evolved from on-prem monitoring to cloud-scale Power BI reporting with over 45 report pages in the latest v5.3 release • The new intelligent classifiers: around 40 models that move beyond legacy network averages, using real user feedback as ground truth to pinpoint issues at the device, compute and network level • How remote and local models identify whether a quality issue originates from a user's machine, their network or a dominant participant affecting others in the call • A walkthrough of the Power BI QER reports, including the search report, user health details and media health as starting points for troubleshooting • Silent test call: a full bi-directional media stream test for proactively evaluating network readiness, available for Microsoft Teams Premium users • Admin-initiated remote log collection: how IT admins can now pull client logs directly from the Teams Admin Centre without relying on end users Thanks to Neat, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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May 19 · 39 min
Microsoft 365 Message Center and M365 Change Explained with Brian McGough, Principal Program Manager
Brian McGough, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, gives a behind-the-scenes look at how change communications work across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and what's coming next. • How Message Center has grown from 50 posts a month to over 225, and the operational complexity behind keeping hundreds of live posts up to date • The targeting system behind Message Center, from licensing-based filtering to tenant-specific notifications across multiple clouds including GCC, GCC High, and DoD • Microsoft's modernised approach to change management, introducing frontier, standard, and deferred release options that give admins more control over when changes reach their users • The new MCP servers for Message Center and Roadmap data, and how they unlock conversational, tenant-grounded insights • Why customer feedback on Message Center posts genuinely drives change, including stopping feature rollouts and reversing retirements Thanks to Landis, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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May 13 · 15 min
Microsoft 365 AI Workplace Update May 2026
MVP Tom Arbuthnot shares all the latest Microsoft Teams and Copilot news and announcements in less than 15 minutes for May 2026. Many thanks to Logitech for their continued support. • Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 GA • New Models in Copilot • Cowork gets Skills, Plugins and Mobile • AI Skills in SharePoint • Modernising M365 Change Management – New MCPs • Teams Phone Multi-line GA • Teams Devices News & New Devices • Upcoming Events Useful Links: Briefings Understanding Express Install for Microsoft Teams Rooms Microsoft 365 Roadmap and Azure Updates (Roadmap) MCP Explained FIRST LOOK: Neat Board 32 & Neat Pad Pro - Devices for Every Meeting Room NEW Neat Board 32 & Neat Pad Pro: Full Product Walkthrough & Key Features Teams Insider Podcasts What is Microsoft 365 Frontier, Work IQ, Cowork and Agent 365 with a Copilot Global Black Belt Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork Explained with Bas Brekelmans, Software Engineer at Microsoft Creating a First Class Microsoft Teams Rooms Experience at Their New London HQ with Damian Lewis at BSI Microsoft Teams for Frontline Workers: Market Opportunity and Enterprise Mobility with Spectralink
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May 12 · 38 min
Microsoft 365 Agents Explained - Declarative, Copilot Studio, Pro-Code or Skills in Copilot Cowork?
Graham Hosking, Senior AI Solutions Engineer at Microsoft, discusses Copilot Skills, Cowork, and the rapidly evolving world of agentic AI across the Microsoft stack. • How businesses are navigating AI adoption and why there is no silver bullet for enterprise AI • What Copilot Cowork is and how it takes Microsoft 365 Copilot to the next level with multi-threaded task automation • Skills as reusable blocks of instructions that simplify complex business processes like RFPs without needing multiple agents • The spectrum from declarative agents to Copilot Studio to pro-code solutions on Azure Foundry • MCP servers and plugins extending Cowork's reach to third-party systems like Salesforce • Computer use arriving via Windows 365 plugins, unlocking automation for legacy systems without APIs • Sovereign data considerations and Anthropic model availability across Europe Thanks to Barco, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.
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