Tom Richards, Senior Director, Strategy and Planning at Cisco, discusses the evolution of the Cisco and Microsoft partnership and how Cisco Microsoft Teams Rooms brings enterprise-grade management, AI capabilities, and multi-platform flexibility to Microsoft Teams Rooms.• How Cisco and Microsoft moved from competition to collaboration, delivering full MTR experiences without compromising RoomOS capabilities• The engineering behind containerising Android and MTR within RoomOS, creating a unified management architecture that scales to thousands of devices• Distance Zero AI at the edge: intelligent camera framing, microphone beamforming, and background noise removal that adapts in real time• Multi-platform flexibility allowing organisations to run native MTR mode or RoomOS UI mode with seamless Webex and Zoom integration• How Cisco devices are evolving beyond collaboration tools into workplace investments, providing occupancy sensors and building data for facilities teams• The MDEP (Microsoft Devices Ecosystem Platform) initiative and what it means for the future of Android-based Teams Rooms devicesThanks to Cisco, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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Telcos Moving Into AI With Microsoft Teams and Copilot With Rick Garcia
Rick Garcia, EVP Product & Marketing at Momentum, discusses moving from simple workflows to AI‑assisted experiences in the Microsoft stack, from SMS agents to contextual insights across Teams data. Find out how ideas proven in tools can translate into Outlook, Power Automate and Copilot, and what's next as Microsoft brings advanced AI capabilities into the platform more quickly.Packaging practical AI texting workflows that sales teams can adopt immediatelyTranslating "bleeding‑edge" ideas from third‑party automation platforms into Microsoft 365Using Power Automate and Azure AI to build real business solutions beyond basic attendantsWhy unified Teams, email, chat and SharePoint data enables true contextual insightsThe path from BI metrics to actionable signals for leaders and product teamsThanks to Momentum, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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Microsoft Teams and AI Powered Workplace, Perspective From Ignite 2025
Ilya Bukshteyn, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Teams Calling Devices and Premium experiences, and Irena Andonova, who leads the Teams devices product team, discuss the latest in Microsoft Teams and AI Powered Workplace from Microsoft Ignite 2025.“Secure, Simple, Smart” - URL protection, domain impersonation detection, and simplified threading and multi-tenant activity feedThe power of Work IQ and Copilot integration across chats, channels, calls and meetingsAmbient intelligence in Teams Rooms, including face and voice recognition for proper attribution in meeting transcripts and AI-powered note-takingTeams Admin Center AI for policy management using natural languageAI assistant in Teams Roomos Pro Management Portal for deployment, insights and estate management at scaleMicrosoft Devices Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) partnership to enhance Android device security, management and capabilitiesThanks to Ilya and Irena for their insights.
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Unifying UCaaS and CCaaS: Teams Phone Extensibility, Unify and Dynamics 365 Contact Center
Listen to Sean Gilmour, Principal Product Manager Lead for Advance Calling - Microsoft Teams, and Pratichi Dash, Product Manager - Dynamics 365 Contact Center Voice and Conversational AI , explain Teams Phone Extensibility (TPE), Unify and how they enable a single, unified phone system across UCaaS and CCaaS.• What TPE is, how it works with Azure Communication Services, and why the Unify certification matters for a level playing field• How Dynamics 365 Contact Center uses TPE to reuse existing Teams Phone architecture and Operator Connect carriers• Coexistence with Azure PSTN/Direct Routing today, with Microsoft recommending TPE going forward• Practical AI today: agent-assist with summaries, translation and guidance, plus the roadmap towards intelligent IVR and smarter routing• Seamless call movement between Dynamics agents and Teams SMEs for faster resolutions across the organisationThanks to Numonix, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, New Features, Business Value and How to Drive Adoption
Gareth Bleasdale, Senior GTM Manager: Modern Work and AI at Microsoft, explains what Copilot Chat is, how it differs from consumer AI, and practical steps to adopt it safely across your organisation.What’s included in the free Copilot Chat with Entra accountsSecurity and governance: enterprise protections, encrypted web queries, audit and e‑discoveryNew capabilities: unified history, memory and personalisation, in‑app chat in Word and Excel, GPT‑5 accessAdoption playbook for IT, business decision makers and end users, plus Microsoft‑funded programmes and resourcesWhere agentic patterns fit: web‑grounded agents on the free tier and pay‑as‑you‑go options for tenant‑grounded workflowsCheck out Gareth’s webinar on 17 November 2025Thanks to Landis, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud
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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