As workers around the globe take to their home offices in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, their reliance on cloud technology will be higher than ever. But, taking a look at the @MicrosoftTeams Twitter feed, this morning was dominated by a single repeated message from the tech giant.
The scalability and resiliency of Microsoft’s collaboration tools were sure to be put to the test this week, with a massive uptick in remote work arrangement as the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 175,000 people globally. Schools have been closed, sporting events have been cancelled or postponed, government agencies and businesses have told employees to work from home if possible.
That means more people than ever will be accessing cloud resources remotely at one time. in fact, in anticipation of the need, Microsoft launched a six-month Office365 E1 trial that includes Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive (with 1TB of storage), Exchange Online (50GB mailbox), and more. It does not include desktop versions of Office apps, but does include web-based versions. There’s also a free version of Teams that’s not tied to Office 365 licensing.
While the coronavirus pandemic is an unfortunate situation, it’s a live case study for cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions that tout their ability to keep businesses functioning at all times. This morning, however, users are complaining about not being able to make calls, join conferences, use messaging, or more.
Down Detector Showing Outages in Europe, U.S. East & West Coasts
There’s no question cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions will help businesses adapt to the current situation, while pushing those who had not previously taken advantage of the capabilities of digital workplace technologies. Hopefully, Microsoft will be able to resolve the situation quickly and effectively without further issues. Cloud, AI, virtualization are all part of the new workplace, enabling companies to accommodate a variety of employee demographics. But it has to work when it’s needed. That’s one of the key selling points – anywhere, anytime access to communications resources. It just has to work.
Enabling digital workforces will be a key theme addressed by the content, exhibits, and networking events at the TechSuperShow, coming to the brand new Miami Beach Convention Center June 22-25, 2021. Featuring ITEXPO, MSP Expo, SD-WAN Expo, Future of Work Expo, and more, TechSuperShow attendees will have unprecedented access to the latest communications and network technologies that drive today’s modern workplace and culture. TechSuperShow offers enterprises and SMBs, service providers and carriers, MSPs, channel partners, access to the latest cloud solutions that are driving business success and allowing them to remain productive under even the most challenging circumstances.
Edited by
Erik Linask
