BlueJeans adds cloud video interop for Microsoft Teams

BlueJeans has unveiled new features and upgrades for the next iteration of the Microsoft-certified BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams.

With increased support for the hybrid workforce, the latest updates to the BlueJeans Gateway are designed to help organisations plan back-to-office strategies with minimal IT investment and without disrupting the workflow patterns users have grown to appreciate while working from home.

A recent report from Verizon Business in conjunction with Harvard Business Review Analytic Services found that 86% of global companies surveyed believe the digital workplace will coexist with the physical workspace post-COVID-19.

As organisations begin planning the transition back-to-office for some of their workforces, the BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams helps provide a unified Teams meeting experience for a dispersed workforce.

The latest updates include:

• Large Event Support: Organisations can now use their existing standards-based room systems to join Teams Live Events.
   
• Localised Interactive Voice Response (IVR): The BlueJeans Gateway now uses the location of the call to automatically serve up appropriate in-language content for Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, and French-speaking regions.
   
• 7x7 Gallery View: In-room participants will be able to see up to 49 attendees on the VTC monitor at one time. Additionally, the BlueJeans Gateway will support Microsoft's Together mode in Teams, which places participants together on a shared virtual background to replicate the feeling of being in the same physical space.
   
• Enhanced Management: Improved analytics in Command Center for Teams Meetings and Teams Live Events, as well as infrastructure upgrades to enhance call quality and resiliency for Teams Gateway users, will provide better admin and moderator support.
   
• Improved Visibility: The BlueJeans Gateway will present in-room attendees with clear notifications when meeting recording and transcription are enabled.
   
• Simplified Deployment: Microsoft 365 admins can now visit the BlueJeans Gateway eCommerce store to procure their license and deploy the solution in 4 easy steps—entirely online.

The BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams has been deployed globally to more than 400 organisations, including AECOM, JLG Architects, Pernod Ricard, Fives Group, and Telit.

For organisations using Teams and who plan to return to the office, the BlueJeans Gateway provides the ability to use existing conference room systems to join Teams while minimising the need for additional IT resources.

"Providing multiple touchpoints for user collaboration is at the heart of digital transformation. Today's distributed workforce has to be productive and efficient, regardless of each worker's location, role or access method," says Recon Research founder and managing partner Ira M. Weinstein, 

"The BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams is easy to test, easy to deploy, and easy to use. This combination of benefits makes Teams meetings easily accessible to mobile, desktop, and conference room users.