BlueJeans by Verizon debuts cloud video interop for Microsoft Teams

BlueJeans by Verizon has unveiled new features and upgrades for the next generation of the Microsoft-certified BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams (BlueJeans Gateway).

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

These product updates are consistent with a recent report from Verizon Business in conjunction with Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, which found that 86 percent of global companies surveyed believe the digital workplace will coexist with the physical workspace post COVID-19.

As organizations begin planning the transition back-to-office for some of their workforce, the simplicity and ease-of-deployment of the BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams helps ensure that employees have the same unified Teams meeting experience while safely dispersed -- working from home, remotely, or in the office.

The latest updates include:

Large Event Support: Organizations can now use their existing standards-based room systems to join Teams Live Events.
Localized 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 organizations, including AECOM, JLG Architects, Pernod Ricard, Fives Group, and Telit. For organizations 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 quickly while minimizing the need for additional IT resources.

“When we decided to roll out Microsoft Teams across our organization, the last thing we wanted was to rip and replace our existing conference rooms systems,” said Antonio Eguizabal, Head of Core Services Delivery at Pernod Ricard. “The BlueJeans Gateway for Microsoft Teams enabled us to not only optimize the ROI on our existing hardware, but it allowed us to accelerate our Teams rollout so our teams can book conference rooms and join Teams meetings with a single touch. Considering not all of our employees will be in the office at the same time, this will ensure our teams are able to enjoy the same easy-to-join Meetings experience regardless of their device, room or location.”

Ira M. Weinstein, founder and managing partner, Recon Research, added, “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. 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.