Meeting Rooms for a Hybrid World
Questions to ask yourself before designing and equipping a meeting room​
​
Here is a list of questions you should ask and answer before planning a meeting room design. The information you gather should help you ask the right questions to your IT support or AV System Integrator to help you make the right decisions.​
- Do you want a room-based solution or BYOD?​
- How many meeting rooms do we have?​
- How many meeting rooms are we planning to have?​
- What is the size of the meeting room?​
- How many people are present at a typical meeting?​
- Will the meeting room be used for a specific type of meeting?​
- Must the room support different types of meetings?​
- Do external visitors use our meeting rooms?​
- Do you have existing equipment that can be reused?​
- Do all meeting participants bring and use laptops/other devices in their meeting rooms?​
- How many electrical outlets does the room have and need?​
What is Microsoft Teams Room (MTR)?
.infographic{width: auto;}
.left-side-30{width: 30%; float: left;}
.right-side-70{width: 70%; float: right;}
@media screen and (max-width: 1330px){
.left-side-30, .right-side-70{width: 100%;}
.infographic{width: 100%;}
}
- Microsoft Teams Room (MTR) is an all-in-one, easy-to-use solution, designed to deliver consistent Teams experiences.​
- Native Microsoft Teams touch screen UI provides a consistent user experience with simple operation and one-touch meeting joins.​
- Uses Microsoft-certified hardware created by leading industry partners like Crestron, Logitech, Poly, HP, & Lenovo.
Recommended AV Components
- Approved AV Guidelines for Meeting Room Design
- Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre (SRIC) AV components
Purchasing AV Components
- Orders can be placed through uSource , an eProcurement platform for the University of Toronto
- U of T Approved AV Vendor List
Things To Consider
- Consult with your Local IT or an AV installer/integrator before making any purchases​
- Consider purchasing a support agreement with an AV integrator if you do not have AV support​
- AV equipment being impacted by global supply chain issues​
- AV equipment currently back-ordered due to semiconductor chip shortages​
- Expect lead times of approx. 8-12+ weeks ​
- Pricing & product availability is volatile ​
- Crestron most impacted manufacturer
Pros and Cons of Teams Rooms vs BYOD
.row0, .row1, .row2{width: 100%; clear: both; display: flex;}
.col1{width: 20%; float: left;}
.col2{width: 40%; float: left;}
.col3{width: 40%; float: right;}
.col1, .col2, .col3{border: 1px solid black; border-top: none; padding: 10px; min-width: 125px; min-height:46px;}
.hidden-title{display:none; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 18px; margin: 0;}
@media screen and (max-width: 780px){
.row0{ display:none; }
.row1, .row2{ display: inline-block; }
.col1, .col2, .col3{border: none;}
.col1{width: 100%; border-bottom: 1px solid black;}
.col2, .col3{width: 50%;}
.hidden-title{display:block;}
}
@media screen and (max-width: 500px){
.col1, .col2, .col3{ padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;}
.col2, .col3{width: 100%;}
.col3{padding-bottom: 35px;}
}
Microsoft Teams Room (MTR)
Pros
- Single tap to start meeting ​
- Easy to use (intuitive UI/UX)​
- Participant’s device(laptop) is not needed to conduct the video conference.​
- The Teams Room is a meeting participant and is invited to the meeting. (No need to log in with a personal account)​
Cons
- Additional annual Teams Room license needs to be purchased​
- Limited Flexibility – Joining Zoom meetings is possible but with limitations. (Web app)
- Content/Screen sharing requires meeting participants to bring a laptop or cell phone.​
- Compute device only runs Teams Room OS – Cannot run windows/O365 applications
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Pros
- Familiarity – Use the video conferencing applications already installed on your PC.​
- IT pushes video conferencing software upgrades to users’ managed PC.​
- Flexibility – Compatible with all video conference software (Teams, Zoom, WebEx, etc.)​
- Cost Savings – No additional Teams Room license needs to be purchased.
Cons
- A meeting participant will be required to bring a laptop to run the video conference.​
- More difficult to use the device while connected to a Video conference.​
- Lack of Uniformity in Devices – not all employees have the same device​
- Private email & chat messages could be seen by coworkers when projecting a laptop to a meeting room display.​
Upcoming Training Dates
View the full list of dates on the Connect+Learn page.
Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code
Join Connect+Learn for as session with the Reporting & Analytics Technology Team to learn about the upcoming migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code. Microsoft announced that it …
Continue reading "Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code"
Connect+Learn: short ROSI and ROSI Express topics
Join us for a session about short ROSI and ROSI Express topics. In the session, we will discuss: Managing continuous courses, set up and enrolment (of particular interest to graduate …
Continue reading "Connect+Learn: short ROSI and ROSI Express topics"
Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code
Join Connect+Learn for as session with the Reporting & Analytics Technology Team to learn about the upcoming migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code. Microsoft announced that it …
Continue reading "Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code"
Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code
Join Connect+Learn for as session with the Reporting & Analytics Technology Team to learn about the upcoming migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code. Microsoft announced that it …
Continue reading "Connect+Learn: Migration from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code"