JT Elliott, Unified Communications and Collaboration Manager, at Toyota Financial Services, shares his journey from traditional AV to deploying over 300 Microsoft Teams Rooms with Logitech.

• JT's career path from courtroom AV systems through 7-Eleven to Toyota Financial Services
• The decision to standardise on Logitech Rally Bars and Rally Board 65 for 300+ rooms and plans to deploy 150 more.
• Experience deploying 125 Rally Boards in just six weeks with integration partner AVI-SPL
• Why Toyota chose Android-based MTRs and the flexibility of Logitech's platform
• The importance of observability and reliability in room system operations
• Migrating from Direct Routing to Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams Phone

Thanks to Logitech, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

MVP Tom Arbuthnot shares all the latest Microsoft Teams and Copilot news and announcements in less than 15 minutes for the first update of 2026.

Many thanks to Landis for their continued support.

Deck

• Microsoft 365 AI Workplace - 2026 Focus Areas​
• Microsoft’s continued AI Focus in 2026​
• 7 New Microsoft Copilot Roadmap Features​
• 26M Teams Phone Users​
• 8 Microsoft Teams New Features and Updates​
• 7 New Teams Rooms and Devices​
• Events

Useful Links:

Briefings

• AI Voice Agents with Azure Communication Services - Sean Keegan, Developer Evangelist for Azure Communication Services at Microsoft​
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents, Features and Control - Deep Dive with Rolf Tröndle - Rolf Tröndle walks through what’s new with Microsoft 365 Copilot.​
• Contact Center Options for Microsoft Teams - Native vs Connect vs Extend vs Unify - Alistair Pidd, Professional Services Director, at Pure IP discusses contact center strategies for Microsoft Teams​

Teams Insider Podcasts

• Scaling Microsoft Copilot Adoption 22,000 Diverse Users at Centrica with Bill Compton, Head of Digital Adoption at Centrica​
• Copilot and Agent Adoption in the Big Four Professional Services Firms with Mo Khalifa, Workforce AI Specialist at Microsoft​
• From PBX to Microsoft Teams and Voca Contact Centre at the Chartered Institute of Housing with Richard Sewell, IT Manager​
• Working from Sea: Virgin Voyages Transforms Remote Work with Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO, at Virgin Voyages, and Michael Levy, CEO, at Numonix​
• What Cisco Rooms bring to Microsoft Teams Rooms with Tom Richards, Senior Director, Strategy and Planning at Cisco​

Bill Compton, Head of Digital Adoption at Centrica, shares how he's driven Microsoft Copilot adoption across a diverse 22,000-person organisation—from field engineers to call centre agents to knowledge workers.

• Building a strong digital champions network through gamification and peer-led change
• Leveraging the included Copilot Chat to build AI literacy across the entire organisation before scaling premium licences
• Taking a measured approach to Copilot rollout: starting with 25 licences and scaling to 2,000 paid M365 Copilot based on demonstrated value
• Creating hybrid adoption events that reached over 3,000 employees through live streaming and on-demand content
• Gathering real user prompts and use cases to build internal stories and identify champions
• Addressing the challenges of reaching diverse workforces in protected environments like call centres and offshore platforms

Thanks to Luware, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud