Exciting App Announcements at Microsoft Ignite 2022

If you follow Microsoft products, then you may know about Microsoft Ignite. Held annually, it generates many exciting updates and announcements in the Microsoft world.

Microsoft held its most recent conference last October but many people still aren’t up to date with all the new features, so here are a few of the exciting app announcements at Microsoft Ignite 2022.

Something that may not surprise you is the love the events gave for Microsoft Teams. Microsoft is now describing Teams as “the app at the center of Microsoft 365”. Teams now has over 280 million users, so it’s unsurprising that Microsoft has introduced more than 450 new features to the app in the last year alone.

We’ll go through some of the best new Teams features below, along with other exciting announcements from Microsoft Ignite.

Teams Premium

There is a new Teams Premium offering that adds a whole new AI component to the platform. This service includes several AI-powered features that make it seem like you have your own PA.

Some of the cool features include automatically generating chapters from a Teams meeting and personalized highlights for you, which saves you having to rewatch the meeting later.

If you’re meeting internationally, you can enjoy real-time translations for captions.

360-Degree Intelligent Camera for Teams Meetings

SmartVision 60 is the first 360-degree, center-of-room intelligent camera, which can track the speaker as they’re moving. The camera will even have a people recognition feature coming soon.

This new SmartVision 60 feature will make virtual meetings feel much more real, as instead of the camera being fixed in one spot, the camera can move around to capture a whole team.

Cisco is Now a Certified Devices Partner for Teams Rooms

Those that are fans of Cisco meeting products will be pleased to know they now have more options. Microsoft announced that Cisco is now a Teams Room Certified Devices partner, so you can start Teams meetings across all certified Cisco meeting devices.

Microsoft Places

One of the virtual workspace apps to support the new hybrid movement is Microsoft Places. This is a team management app that integrates with the rest of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Microsoft Places is one more way Microsoft is leading the hybrid office revolution. Some of the app’s features include:

• Manage and track where employees are working (at home or in the office)
• Track whether coworkers are away or available
• Track physical room use to make strategic decisions

Hours & Location Feature in Outlook & Teams

Another feature announcement related to the hybrid working world is hours and location. This is a new capability added to Teams and Outlook to make it easier to schedule in-person meetings.

It can get tricky to plan in-person meetings when you don’t know who is working at the office and who is remote. The new hours and location feature allows people to specify where they are working.

Need Help Navigating the Microsoft 365 Universe?

Microsoft 365 has come a long way in a short period and it can be difficult to keep up with all the new features and improvements. Our Microsoft experts are on hand to help. Get in touch to set up a free consultation.