Microsoft claims direct Guest Join is a “one-touch experience” that allows users to join a third-party online conference directly from their Teams Rooms.
Forget about switching platforms for Teams and Zoom meetings. Now you can simply join zoom meetings from Teams.
Microsoft is making it simpler to join third-party meeting platforms from Teams Rooms. Starting with Zoom with the launch of Direct Guest Join Teams users can join zoom meetings. This is a key step towards interoperability amongst major video conferencing services.
Direct Guest Join
Direct Guest Join is a “one-touch experience” with which customers can join a third-party meeting online from their Teams Rooms just like joining a Teams meeting. Microsoft Office 365 parent company explained that for customers to join meetings with external partners that don’t utilize the same meeting provider, Direct Guest Join is the solution.
Instead of joining the Zoom platform for Zoom meetings and Teams for Teams meetings, users can just use Direct Guest Join.
In a nutshell, Teams allows users to participate in meetings hosted on other platforms.
Microsoft claims that Direct Guest Join interoperability would begin with Zoom. It will collaborate with other meeting platforms including Cisco Webex, GoToMeeting, and BlueJeans for better interoperability.
For now, only Google Meet is left out.
Third-party providers like Zoom provide an embedded web experience that momentarily allows Teams users to attend third-party meetings and participate more freely. This online experience delivers enterprise-grade privacy and security as well as up-to-date software.
As this collaboration evolves, both companies will add more features and functions.
To enable Direct Guest Join:
1. Configure the Teams Rooms’ Exchange Online room mailbox to handle invites for third-party meetings.
2. Check to see whether your company has any regulations that prohibit you from connecting to third-party meeting services.
3. Set up Teams Rooms such that third-party meetings are permitted.
Teams and Zoom peaked during and after the pandemic. They are now the most-used apps for online video conferencing. It’s a powerful and beneficial step for Microsoft to take Zoom under its wings as part of the collaboration. We are looking forward to Microsoft adding Google Meets for Direct Guest Join.
