Working from Sea: Virgin Voyages Transforms Remote Work

Richard Sewell, IT Manager, at the Chartered Institute of Housing discusses the organisation's decade-long telephony transformation, from traditional PBX through hosted VoIP to Microsoft Teams with Voca contact centre.• The journey from restrictive on-premises PBX systems to flexible cloud-based solutions• Challenges of hot-desking with legacy systems and how Microsoft Teams solved them• Why user adoption and training matter more than the technical migration itself• Managing contact centre users with Voca's presence controls, analytics, and supervisor dashboards• Lessons learnt about extension numbers, call transfers, and user expectations in Teams• How visibility and reporting encourage accountability in hybrid working environmentsThanks to AudioCodes, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO, at Virgin Voyages, and Michael Levy, CEO, at Numonix, discuss how Virgin Voyages is pioneering the work from sea movement with unlimited Wi-Fi and innovative remote work packages.Virgin Voyages' unique approach to crises —boutique hotel experience, no kids, free Wi-Fi, and no nickel-and-dimingHow Richard Branson's vision for free Wi-Fi for crew and passengers enabled the work from sea programmeWorking remotely from the Caribbean using Microsoft Teams with Starlink connectivityHow the shift to remote work post-COVID has made working from anywhere, even sea, a realityFor the full video, watch here.Thanks to Numonix, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Tom Richards, Senior Director, Strategy and Planning at Cisco, discusses the evolution of the Cisco and Microsoft partnership and how Cisco Microsoft Teams Rooms brings enterprise-grade management, AI capabilities, and multi-platform flexibility to Microsoft Teams Rooms.• How Cisco and Microsoft moved from competition to collaboration, delivering full MTR experiences without compromising RoomOS capabilities• The engineering behind containerising Android and MTR within RoomOS, creating a unified management architecture that scales to thousands of devices• Distance Zero AI at the edge: intelligent camera framing, microphone beamforming, and background noise removal that adapts in real time• Multi-platform flexibility allowing organisations to run native MTR mode or RoomOS UI mode with seamless Webex and Zoom integration• How Cisco devices are evolving beyond collaboration tools into workplace investments, providing occupancy sensors and building data for facilities teams• The MDEP (Microsoft Devices Ecosystem Platform) initiative and what it means for the future of Android-based Teams Rooms devicesThanks to Cisco, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Rick Garcia, EVP Product & Marketing at Momentum, discusses moving from simple workflows to AI‑assisted experiences in the Microsoft stack, from SMS agents to contextual insights across Teams data. Find out how ideas proven in tools can translate into Outlook, Power Automate and Copilot, and what's next as Microsoft brings advanced AI capabilities into the platform more quickly.Packaging practical AI texting workflows that sales teams can adopt immediatelyTranslating "bleeding‑edge" ideas from third‑party automation platforms into Microsoft 365Using Power Automate and Azure AI to build real business solutions beyond basic attendantsWhy unified Teams, email, chat and SharePoint data enables true contextual insightsThe path from BI metrics to actionable signals for leaders and product teamsThanks to Momentum, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Ilya Bukshteyn, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Teams Calling Devices and Premium experiences, and Irena Andonova, who leads the Teams devices product team, discuss the latest in Microsoft Teams and AI Powered Workplace from Microsoft Ignite 2025.“Secure, Simple, Smart” -  URL protection, domain impersonation detection, and simplified threading and multi-tenant activity feedThe power of Work IQ and Copilot integration across chats, channels, calls and meetingsAmbient intelligence in Teams Rooms, including face and voice recognition for proper attribution in meeting transcripts and AI-powered note-takingTeams Admin Center AI for policy management using natural languageAI assistant in Teams Roomos Pro Management Portal for deployment, insights and estate management at scaleMicrosoft Devices Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) partnership to enhance Android device security, management and capabilitiesThanks to Ilya and Irena for their insights.

Listen to Sean Gilmour, Principal Product Manager Lead for Advance Calling - Microsoft Teams, and Pratichi Dash, Product Manager - Dynamics 365 Contact Center Voice and Conversational AI , explain Teams Phone Extensibility (TPE), Unify and how they enable a single, unified phone system across UCaaS and CCaaS.• What TPE is, how it works with Azure Communication Services, and why the Unify certification matters for a level playing field• How Dynamics 365 Contact Center uses TPE to reuse existing Teams Phone architecture and Operator Connect carriers• Coexistence with Azure PSTN/Direct Routing today, with Microsoft recommending TPE going forward• Practical AI today: agent-assist with summaries, translation and guidance, plus the roadmap towards intelligent IVR and smarter routing• Seamless call movement between Dynamics agents and Teams SMEs for faster resolutions across the organisationThanks to Numonix, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Gareth Bleasdale, Senior GTM Manager: Modern Work and AI at Microsoft, explains what Copilot Chat is, how it differs from consumer AI, and practical steps to adopt it safely across your organisation.What’s included in the free Copilot Chat with Entra accountsSecurity and governance: enterprise protections, encrypted web queries, audit and e‑discoveryNew capabilities: unified history, memory and personalisation, in‑app chat in Word and Excel, GPT‑5 accessAdoption playbook for IT, business decision makers and end users, plus Microsoft‑funded programmes and resourcesWhere agentic patterns fit: web‑grounded agents on the free tier and pay‑as‑you‑go options for tenant‑grounded workflowsCheck out Gareth’s webinar on 17 November 2025Thanks to Landis, 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 November 2025.Many thanks to Landis for their continued support.PowerPoint DeckMicrosoft-OpenAI Partnership ChangesMicrosoft Earnings Numbers (FY26 Q1)Teams Mode for Microsoft 365 CopilotTeams Channel AgentsTeams Chat with Anyone1080p 4Mbps Town HallsCopilot Researcher with Computer UserMicrosoft Teams Rooms New FeaturesTeams Devices NewsEventsBriefingsCustomer and Agent Assist AI Demos in Landis Teams Contact Center and Attendant Console with Preston Martin and Shannon Martin, Account Exexutives at LandisMicrosoft Teams Pro Management Portal AI: What’s Possible Today and Roadmap with Alvin Tsou, Product Manager at Microsoft and Andrew George, Principal Eningeering Manger at MicrosoftUnderstanding Microsoft Teams Channel Agents: Use Cases, Features, Workflows and Demo with Sandhya Rao, Principal Group Product Manager, Teams Core AI at MicrosoftCopilot Agents, No-Code to Pro-Code Options - Paolo Pialorsi, Senior Developer Advocate at MicrosoftTeams Insider PodcastsHow IQVIA scaled 650 Microsoft Teams Rooms with Global Standards & Smart Operations with Andre Razzuri, Associate Director at IQVIAHow Partners can Accelerate Copilot Success – Wesley Budd, Partner Solutions Architect at MicrosoftThe Future of Meeting Rooms with Tormod Ree, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at NeatThe Importance of Standardisation: Rolling out Microsoft Teams Rooms to 450 Rooms Globally with Andrew Liptrot, Service Owner for AV and Workplace Technology at HaleonMaking Microsoft Teams Great on Mac, iPad and iPhone with Microsoft Engineering with Hari Krishna Reddy Juturu, Partner Group Engineering Manager at Microsoft and Avinash Prasad, Partner Director of Engineering at Microsoft

Hari Krishna Reddy Juturu, Partner Group Engineering Manager, and Avinash Prasad, Partner Director of Engineering, both at Microsoft, talk through the importance of the Apple Platforms, user experience and new features.How the team “sim‑ships” features across platforms while embracing earned, Mac‑native integrations like Menu Bar Extras, AirPods support, and native screen sharing.Why day‑zero readiness for new macOS releases matters, and how close collaboration with Apple plus early beta testing protects reliability and performance.The update stance: older Teams clients are actively blocked after three versions, with visibility and remediation via the Teams Client Health dashboard for IT admins.Advances on iPad including dedicated multi‑window for chats and channels, external monitor support, and keyboard workflows.CarPlay improvements for safer commutes: hands‑free replies, notifications that respect system focus modes, and a continued push toward voice‑first experiences as the platform evolves.Thanks to Crestron, this episode’s sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud.

Andrew Liptrot, Service Owner for AV and Workplace Technology at Haleon, shares how a global estate is moving from traditional video rooms to Microsoft Teams Rooms with clear standards, fewer components, and stronger operations.Four room archetypes to match business outcomes: Meet, Create, Engage, and InfluenceConsolidation on a lean set of components, with emphasis on reliability, supportability, and lifecycleInternal design capability, visual room design, and partner delivery against agreed standardsGovernance and service maturity across policies, SOPs, and continuous improvementProactive monitoring and the push towards “self-healing” rooms at scaleBroadening from room uptime to overall digital employee experience, including booking, signage, and workspace tools