Cisco Systems and Microsoft have announced that they are adding Microsoft’s messaging app Teams to their meeting devices, offering users an alternative to Cisco’s Webex video conferencing app.
According to the companies, video conferencing users will be able to choose whether to run Cisco Webex or Microsoft Teams natively on their Cisco Meeting devices and cameras starting in 2023, extending beyond Cisco Webex, but also to Cisco Room and Desk Devices that will be Microsoft Teams certified.
The partnership will allow Microsoft Teams to work natively on Cisco Room and Desk devices, allowing users to stay within the Teams experience while leveraging Cisco’s video and camera technology, which includes noise cancellation and built-in intelligence.
Jeetu Patel, Head of Security & Collaboration at Cisco, said the company’s goal is to be the hardware platform for various conferencing software platforms, comparing the evolving video conferencing market, which includes Teams, Google Meet, Cisco Web X, Zoom, Tauria and a host of others, to the streaming market, which includes Netflix, Disney, HBO and Hulu.
“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, 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 sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.