The ‘new normal’? No matter how many times we repeat the term, it’s uninspiring. Instead, it describes a patchwork where things just aren’t as good as they once were.

In the professional world, many things are uncertain right now – at least in the short term. But one thing is 100% certain: there is no turning back from the accelerated journey to digitization that many companies have gone through in the last 12 months.

The modern workplace will keep evolving in terms of communication and collaboration. And thanks to the variety of tools in the Microsoft 365 package, the right technology is not only accessible, but also scalable, flexible, secure and easy to use.

A communications revolution?

The COVID lockdown has made home, remote and hybrid working socially acceptable. And with employees able to stay in touch with colleagues and customers very easily, it is becoming increasingly difficult for leaders to counter this fact – especially when physical encounters can be so easily replaced by IT-based communication channels.

Certain (known) problems remain, however: Investment costs (the need for new equipment), network capacity (when all users need access), online security or DSGVO compliance – among many other IT-related hurdles.

The “communications revolution” brings its own set of problems – the ever-growing number of tools, products and services that enable real-time communication and collaboration.

This is just as big a problem for small and medium-sized businesses as it is for large enterprises. Why? Quite simply, while many vendors offer different features – for functions such as video conferencing, audio calls, messaging, information management, document sharing – few offer an all-in-one platform. And those that do offer a wide range require a lot of learning: a whole new logic to master first.

The choice of future-proof solutions

Although more and more companies are rapidly driving their digitization, many are still in the early stages. Consider, for example, how lightning-fast companies migrated to the cloud as soon as COVID rocked the world. And while this illustrated that such a rapid response was possible, many are now also aware of the risks associated with such a rapid transition.

Business requirements are also constantly changing, something we can’t overlook. So when deciding which software to invest in, companies need to choose solutions that will grow with them and be flexible – that’s future-proofing.

So that doesn’t mean buying everything that’s shiny and new. What counts is flexibility, security and scalability. Above all, that means taking a closer look at SaaS platforms – cloud-based services that anyone can access from anywhere and on any device: with the right permissions, of course.

The rise of Microsoft Teams

One platform that continues to thrive is Microsoft Teams – Microsoft’s communications platform that offers a variety of modern workplace essentials, including:

• Chat – communicate and collaborate with your team
• Screen sharing and recording – easily share your screen and record meetings
• Video conferencing – use the built-in group or individual audio or video calls for your meetings
• Live events – create a real-time meeting for your team, audience or customers

Because Microsoft Teams is software-as-a-service, license holders can be sure they always have the latest version of the software and the support that goes with it. Updates are delivered digitally, making collaboration and communication between employees easier than ever.

But perhaps the biggest benefit is that Teams is part of Microsoft 365. That means it integrates easily with all the “Office” software everyone is already familiar with – think Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and more. That means there’s a significantly smaller learning curve – the same familiar Microsoft interface is already there.

Looking to the future

As we look to the future, it’s clear that communication and collaboration technologies will become increasingly sophisticated. For example, 3D technology and advanced virtual reality (VR) will enhance and add new dimensions to video conferencing software. For now, however, these features aren’t adding tremendous value to the way we communicate – at least not yet.

Issues such as capacity, stability and delay are more pressing problems that need to be addressed – which is ultimately a matter of back-end technology. Teams does this by leveraging Microsoft Azure’s global network to connect users.

Because Microsoft works with thousands of Internet service providers, the number of network switches is minimized, optimizing the quality of online meetings for users.

What tonazzi dot net can offer you?

tonazzi dot net ag is a Microsoft Silver Partner for cloud and collaboration technologies. We have experts working for modern workplaces. We have an excellent working relationship with Microsoft and are very familiar and connected with their modern workplace solutions. In addition, we have relied on Microsoft products ourselves for years, both on-premise and in the cloud.

As Modern Workplace specialists, our staff is available to guide you through the available solutions and provide recommendations on how to get the most out of Microsoft Teams as well as the other Microsoft 365 packages.

For more information, please contact our Managing Director and Modern Workplace expert Mike Tonazzi: Meeting with Mike Tonazzi (office365.com)

T: +41 (0)41 541 40 80

E: support@tonazzi.net