Microsoft is preparing a behind-the-scenes upgrade for collaboration platform Teams that it says will offer users a heightened level of performance.
As explained in a new entry (opens in new tab) in the Microsoft 365 product roadmap, Teams will soon be supported by the company’s own enterprise content delivery network, Microsoft eCDN.
The roadmap is tied up in the technical nitty-gritty, but the main takeaway is this: the change is expected to reduce bandwidth consumption and optimize the video streaming experience for Microsoft Teams users, without the need for any alterations at a device level.
Microsoft Teams performance
With little to separate the top video conferencing and collaboration software from a features perspective, application performance has become one arena in which vendors can seek to set themselves apart.
The upcoming Microsoft Teams update, which is expected to be made available to all users before the end of the month, can be seen as one part of this broader objective. The company has offered no indication as to the extent of performance improvements the upgrade might deliver, but every little helps.
In recent months, Microsoft has rolled out a range of additional updates for Teams, with the same goal in mind. For example, the company recently took steps to optimize its collaboration service for devices running on Apple’s in-house silicon, address frustrating PDF-handling issues, and improve support across alternative web browsers.
This is a trend that’s playing out elsewhere, too. Google recently released an upgrade for Meet that allowed the service to better distinguish between background and foreground, making for a cleaner effect when using features like light adjustment and background blur, and Zoom is bringing advanced security features to a wider range of its services.
Although data reviewed by TechRadar Pro suggests Zoom remains the dominant market force, Microsoft will be hoping under-the-hood upgrades, combined with a consistent stream of new features, will help secure a larger portion of the pie.