Business Info - issue 137

01732 759725 magazine 37 Microsoft has announced a new category of display that like the company’s own Surface Hub is designed to support collaboration and team-working and maximise the benefits of the Microsoft 365 eco-system. High resolution, interactiveWindows Collaboration Displays feature multi- touch and pen input; integrated stereo speakers; Microsoft-certified far-field microphones and cameras; built-in environmental sensors; and easy connectivity to anyWindows 10 PC via a single USB-C connection. The first models, from Avocor and Sharp, are due out later this year. No pricing details were available at the time of going to press, but because they depend on a connection to a Windows 10 PC, they are likely to be cheaper than standalone, all-in-one devices like the Microsoft Surface Hub. Angela Evans, Microsoft 365 Lead at Microsoft UK, says that Microsoft is bringing out the displays in response to changing work styles. She said: “We are operating in a new world of work, where teamwork and collaboration are taking centre stage. In fact, our research has shown that we are now on twice as many teams as we were five years ago and so much of our time working together is spent in meetings.What this means is that businesses have to give careful thought Your new team player to the meeting room technology they offer their employees.” Mark Mason, Avocor VP of Sales, EMEA, also highlights the shift from what he calls ‘me work’ to ‘we work’, where teams in the same office or multiple locations work together at the same time or asynchronously. He said: “Companies that promote this accelerating trend in collaborative working are five times as likely to be high-performing, which means they get more done together.Windows collaboration displays by Avocor are the ideal way to enable teamwork and planned or spontaneous collaboration seamlessly in a huddle room, conference room or in any team space.” The same could be said about any large, interactive display, so what’s so special about Windows collaboration displays? For Evans, it’s their compatibility with Microsoft 365. “What makes Windows collaboration displays unique is that they bring together the ModernWorkplace and PC desktop experience, allowing users to make the most of Microsoft 365 apps and experiences at room scale. Users can be more productive because the collaboration display empowers them to connect with their own PC, which already has all the apps and content they need on it,” she said. Jason Cort, director of product planning and marketing at Sharp Europe, also highlights easy access to the Microsoft tools users know and love, such as Office and Microsoft Teams. He said: “If a display is easy to use, it gets used by everyone. And by working with Microsoft, we’re able to optimise the display to work with the powerful and familiar applications that millions of people use every day.” Cort added: “We have all experienced meeting delays trying to connect with unfamiliar hardware, finding the right adaptors, fumbling with thumb drives to show a file, working out how the meeting room software works etc.. On average, it takes 12 minutes to start a meeting. TheWindows collaboration display (WCD) addresses this challenge with plug-and-play functionality. Simply plug a laptop into theWCD (or Microsoft has announced a new type of display for the modern workplace. Tayla Ansell reports We are operating in a new world of work, where teamwork and collaboration are taking centre stage Continued... The next generation In the summer, Microsoft announced a new generation of Surface Hub interactive conference room displays, due out in 2019. Unlike the original device, the 50.5-inch Surface Hub 2 can be rotated 90 degrees, enabling users to work in landscape or portrait mode. It can also connect to up to four other units, providing a larger canvas on which to display content side-by-side e.g. a PowerPoint presentation alongside a video call. Other features of the 4K+ multi-touch PixelSense Display include built-in 4K cameras, speakers and far-field microphones that rotate with the device, for a seamless switch of orientation; a built-in fingerprint reader for authentication; and the ability for multiple users to sign in and access their documents at the same time. For mobility, Surface Hub 2 can be used with rolling stands and easy-to-use mounts designed by furniture company Steelcase. DISPLAYS