What role do peripherals play in our evolving
working lives?
An entire technology ecosystem, including hardware and software has the power to change the way the world works. We spoke to Sandhya Rao, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Teams, to ask her how Teams has been changing the way the world works through peripherals, and why, if you’re looking for the very best audio and video quality, going with a professional certified device is the smartest choice.
It’s an exciting time for me to be working on the peripheral portfolio, because there is so much edge AI and AI software technology. I think bringing technology into your working experience is all a balance, especially when it comes to Microsoft Teams. In Teams, we’re trying to democratize and give everyone a great experience, so we’ll always have AI in our software that’s accessible to anybody who uses Teams.
Hearing things your way just sounds better
I think the unique thing that some of our partners (like Jabra) bring with hardware is that they can really customize and provide an even more upgraded experience, whether that’s improved noise cancellation in the headsets or improved technology in cameras, in order to provide enhanced features.
Peripherals should take center stage – that’s certified
First and foremost, we want to deliver a great experience for anyone in Teams, regardless of the kind of headsets or cameras they’re using. That’s for sure. That being said, we know that there are differences between headsets and other peripherals. We really feel strongly about promoting our certified portfolio of devices, both from an IT admin perspective and from a support perspective for two reasons:
- Having the right devices makes it so much easier for an IT admin to know what kind of devices their base has, and to be able to support their end users in a more streamlined and manageable fashion.
- If there is ever an issue, they can go straight to Jabra or Microsoft and we can work with them because we have premier support with our certified partners.
At Microsoft Teams, having access to certified devices is incredibly valuable for our IT admin, and we continue to explore more ways to bring even more value to our IT admins in terms of managing certified devices
The very best is guaranteed
From an end – user standpoint, you’re always going to get the best audio or video experience when you’re using a certified device. The reason for that is that these devices go through rigorous testing both in our partner labs, as well as in ours. We have very strict guidelines when it comes to how our audio and video capabilities need to perform. We ensure that all of this
testing is done before any device is certified.
From an end – user standpoint, you’re always going to get the best audio or video experience when you’re using a certified device
Certified devices bring more options
In addition to this, having a certified device is going to give you enhanced capabilities. For example, with my Jabra set, I know I’m going to have full call control. When I raise my mic, I’m going on mute. When I lower it, I’m unmuted. I can answer and hang up calls right from here. Now, it’s actually like I’m at work, but in my home. If I’m in the kitchen, making food for my kids, and hear a call come in, it’s easy for me to put it on and answer because I’ve got my headset around my neck. My PC is upstairs in my office, but it’s not a problem, it just enables me to remain connected and flexible.
