Microsoft has just added an another feature to Microsoft teams in an effort to beat the likes of Zoom in the video-conferencing space. A part of the Advanced Communications plan, these features will be added to any paid subscription of Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription. The latest feature to be added to Microsoft Teams in the support for up to 20,000 participants in a live chat, but only in a view-only live event mode. If the chat it interactive, the number of participants is restricted to 1,000.
Besides this feature, Microsoft Teams will also let users add their company branding to the meetings to give it a more professional look. This is a feature that Zoom has as well. Teams Calling is another feature that Microsoft has rolled out. This is the cloud-based phone system that makes it easier to call anyone with any device and also allows users to move seamlessly between chatting, calling and meetings depending on what best suits the needs.
Microsoft explained in a blog post that this saves IT time and reduces costs that are associated with multiple point solutions and brings down the need for employee training. The Teams Calling solution can be accessed through your current call plan or through a Microsoft calling plan in select markets.
The company has also extended support for Skype for Business (3PIP) phones beyond 2023 so users can keep using their current Skype for Business phones as they move on to using Teams. Microsoft will be supporting the core calling feature on SIP phones from Cisco, Yealink, Polycom, and others with Teams and support for SIP phones will be available in the first half of 2021. Currently, Microsoft is offering a 60-day free trial of the Advanced Communications through the Teams Admin Centre or through the Microsoft Teams website and can be availed through mid-August.