Inside Microsoft’s IC3 and the future of AI Communications with Microsoft CVP Mahendra Sekaran

Jeff Teper, President of Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps and Platforms, discusses 25 years of SharePoint — from its humble origins as an intranet product to a cloud platform supporting over a billion users and exabytes of data.• Origin story: How two separate Microsoft projects merged to create SharePoint, filling a massive need for intranets, document management, and collaboration in one customisable platform• The cloud transition: From Bill Gates announcing SharePoint Online in 2008 through years of architectural challenges to an elastic cloud service handling billions of requests per second• From MySite to OneDrive: The feature IT initially rejected that eventually became OneDrive, now serving over a billion accounts on the SharePoint platform• AI and large language capabilities: How LLMs and reasoning models are enabling zero-shot metadata tagging, AI-assisted site design, and agent capabilities across SharePoint• What's new: A refreshed design language, reimagined information architecture with five core pillars (Intranet, Build, Publish, Discover, and OneDrive), and AI woven throughout the experienceThanks to Neat, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Adam Jacobs, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, works in IC3—the real-time communications platform team behind Microsoft Teams. With four years at Microsoft and a decade at Polycom before that, Adam shares insights from the backend of one of the world's largest communications platforms.• How IC3 supports Microsoft Teams at massive scale, including cost considerations for new features and AI capabilities• The current state of Cloud Video Interop and why it remains important for some enterprise customers• Moving transcription to new platforms to support AI and M365 Copilot strategy• Real-time processing challenges for AI features, including face and voice recognition technologies• Adam's journey from IT director to Polycom to Microsoft, and the value of understanding both customer and partner perspectivesThanks to Pure IP, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Andrew Wigmore, Teams Product Owner at defence contractor BAE Systems, shares insights from his 40-year career and the company's journey to Microsoft Teams and the cloud.• Migrating 45,000 phone numbers from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams in a single morning• Managing 65,000 E5 users and doing over a third of a billion minutes of Teams audio annually• The cultural shift from on-premises infrastructure to evergreen cloud services at a defence company• Rolling out Microsoft Teams Rooms across 180 meeting spaces, including executive home offices• Operator Connect telephony across 11 countries, including challenging regions• Cloud adoption, security, and export control requirements in defenceThanks to Ribbon, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

MVP Tom Arbuthnot shares all the latest Microsoft Teams and Copilot news and announcements in less than 15 minutes for February 2026.Many thanks to Neat for their continued support.PowerPoint DeckEnhanced M365 Copilot Memory​Copilot Chat (free) in Outlook with all emails and Calendar​Ilya Bukshteyn's ISE keynote​Microsoft Teams Licensing Changes April 2026​Places Roadmap Updates​Express voice enrolment​Meet App Becomes Events App​Teams Live Events and API are retiring​Multiple phone numbers on Teams Phone Devices​Transitioning Teams Android Device Management​EventsUseful Links:Briefings:Real AI Use Cases in the Contact Centre with Luware Nimbus - Costs, Risks and Benefits - Marcel Gaufroid, Head of Sales – EU, at Luware​Microsoft Places in 2026: APIs, Desk Booking, and Copilot Context - Brennan McReynolds, Product Strategy Lead for Microsoft Places​Pure IP's Platform Strategy that Simplifies Enterprise Communications - Adnon Dow, Chief Strategy Officer at Pure IP​AI Voice Agents - Sean Keegan, Developer Evangelist for Azure Communication Services at Microsoft​Teams Insider PodcastsThe role AV Distribution play in Microsoft Teams Rooms with Jenny Hicks, Technical Director at Midwich UK​Logitech's New Rally AI Cameras and Multi-Camera Microsoft Teams Rooms with Henry Levak, VP of Product for Logitech for Business​Microsoft Places in 2026: APIs, Desk Booking, and Copilot Context Brennan McReynolds, Product Strategy Lead for Microsoft Places​Microsoft Teams Rooms and Phone Journey at Toyota Financial Services JT Elliott, Unified Communications and Collaboration Manager, at Toyota Financial Services​​

Mahendra Sekaran, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, leads product management and data science for IC3 (Intelligent Conversations and Communication Cloud)—the core communications platform powering Microsoft Teams.• IC3's role as the backbone for Microsoft Teams, supporting 320 million monthly active users and 26 million PSTN users• How AI is transforming internal productivity at Microsoft, from daily briefings to real-time data insights• Microsoft's vision for AI-native phone experiences and the future of intelligent call handling• Why 2026 is the year of scaling agentic AI, with Microsoft Teams evolving into a hub where agents interact with humans• How AI tooling is changing product management and engineering, from coding agents to AIOps for incident response• The potential for granular personalisation in user experiences based on AI-driven insightsThanks to AudioCodes, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Jenny Hicks, Technical Director at Midwich UK, joins the podcast to share insights on AV distribution and the evolving Microsoft Teams Rooms landscape.• What distribution is and the value it brings to the Microsoft Teams Rooms ecosystem• How the pandemic accelerated UC adoption and shaped hardware preferences• The rise of all-in-one devices and why refresh cycles have slowed• Sustainability, ESG reporting and the case for modular systems• Why Microsoft certification matters and how hardware choices affect long-term support• AI readiness and future-proofing meeting room investmentsThanks to Logitech, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Henry Levak, VP of Product for Logitech for Business, shares exciting new product announcements ahead of ISE 2026.• Rally AI Camera Pro: a dual-camera PTZ solution combining optical zoom with a wide-angle digital camera, designed with a shallow profile• Rally AI Camera: a compact digital-only variant with in-wall mounting options and fabric covers for discrete, design-friendly installations• Multi-camera support for Microsoft Teams Rooms, enabling up to four cameras on Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows• Logitech’s native bluetooth headset portfolio• Logitech Spot: the battery-powered environmental sensor now shipping, with upcoming Microsoft Teams and Places integrationThanks to Logitech, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Brennan McReynolds, Product Strategy Lead for Microsoft Places, at Microsoft, shares what changed during Places’ first full year in general availability and what is coming next as hybrid work patterns continue to shift.• How Places supports flexible work planning in Microsoft Calendar and Microsoft Teams, including building and room context• The evolution of desk booking on maps, location check-in signals, and improving confidence in finding the right space• Why Places is focused on in-person connection and collaboration, not desk booking for everyone• How the Places directory and Microsoft Graph APIs enable partners to manage buildings, floors, rooms, desks, and maps at scale• Three integration patterns: spatial data in and out, occupancy and check-in signals, and extensible experiences like visitor management and digital signage• How location context feeds Work IQ and future Copilot experiences for planning, scheduling, and room selectionThanks to Brennan for his valuable insights.

JT Elliott, Unified Communications and Collaboration Manager, at Toyota Financial Services, shares his journey from traditional AV to deploying over 300 Microsoft Teams Rooms with Logitech.JT's career path from courtroom AV systems through 7-Eleven to Toyota Financial ServicesThe decision to standardise on Logitech Rally Bars and Rally Board 65 for 300+ rooms and plans to deploy 150 more.Experience deploying 125 Rally Boards in just six weeks with integration partner AVI-SPLWhy Toyota chose Android-based MTRs and the flexibility of Logitech's platformThe importance of observability and reliability in room system operationsMigrating from Direct Routing to Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams PhoneThanks to Logitech, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

MVP Tom Arbuthnot shares all the latest Microsoft Teams and Copilot news and announcements in less than 15 minutes for the first update of 2026.Many thanks to Landis for their continued support.DeckMicrosoft 365 AI Workplace - 2026 Focus Areas​Microsoft’s continued AI Focus in 2026​7 New Microsoft Copilot Roadmap Features​26M Teams Phone Users​8 Microsoft Teams New Features and Updates​7 New Teams Rooms and Devices​EventsUseful Links:BriefingsAI Voice Agents with Azure Communication Services - Sean Keegan, Developer Evangelist for Azure Communication Services at Microsoft​Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents, Features and Control - Deep Dive with Rolf Tröndle - Rolf Tröndle walks through what’s new with Microsoft 365 Copilot.​Contact Center Options for Microsoft Teams - Native vs Connect vs Extend vs Unify - Alistair Pidd, Professional Services Director, at Pure IP discusses contact center strategies for Microsoft Teams​Teams Insider PodcastsScaling Microsoft Copilot Adoption 22,000 Diverse Users at Centrica with Bill Compton, Head of Digital Adoption at Centrica​Copilot and Agent Adoption in the Big Four Professional Services Firms with Mo Khalifa, Workforce AI Specialist at Microsoft​From PBX to Microsoft Teams and Voca Contact Centre at the Chartered Institute of Housing with Richard Sewell, IT Manager​Working from Sea: Virgin Voyages Transforms Remote Work with Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO, at Virgin Voyages, and Michael Levy, CEO, at Numonix​What Cisco Rooms bring to Microsoft Teams Rooms with Tom Richards, Senior Director, Strategy and Planning at Cisco​