Microsoft to launch New 365 App to “Optimize” Management of Hybrid Workplaces

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Microsoft to launch New 365 App to “Optimize” Management of Hybrid Workplaces

Updated on Thursday, October 13, 2022

Microsoft will roll out a new Microsoft 365 app called Microsoft Places to help “optimize” the management of hybrid workplaces..

Overview

Microsoft introduced Places at Ignite 2022 conference and detailed it as a hub for accessing the company’s services and apps for both businesses, as well as folks like us. The idea behind the new Microsoft 365 app is to provide regular access to Office apps, a feed of recent documents and files, and the ability to browse by meetings.

The new app includes the feature “intelligent recap” that will use artificial intelligence to examine meeting recordings to allocate tasks to team members, take minutes, and share “personalized insights”. However, the Intelligent Recap feature will be available with the new Teams Premium package.

“The new Microsoft 365 app is one part of our larger strategy and focus as a company on Microsoft 365 and is reflective of the innovation we’ve strived to deliver as work and life continue to evolve,” explains Jared Spataro, CVP of modern work at Microsoft. “The new app serves as a hub for all the productivity apps Microsoft 365 offers and provides a simple, yet

powerful experience for our customers as they navigate changing work styles and collaboration patterns.”

Microsoft Places and hybrid working

According to the company’s recent Work Trend Index, over 80% of employees go to office for meetings and collaboration with peers. Microsoft believes that a software solution will be instrumental in bridging the gap between the pre-pandemic world of physically present work and the remote work culture prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Microsoft Places will offer an understanding of the workplace and advice on how offices could benefit from being reconfigured as companies adapt to hybrid working environments. Other features in Places will include a “modernized” conference booking system as well as insights for business leaders to assess how office space is used and how to best approach a hybrid working policy. The new app will “connect virtual and physical spaces”, and make offices safer and more

transparent. This could help renew the employees’ trust in office environments, with an improved focus on their safety.

As of now, Microsoft Places is about to roll out later in November.