Final Call for Microsoft Teams Rooms Licensing Changes
Written by Adam Hand,
Head of Digital Workplace and Microsoft Cloud, Cisilion
Microsoft introduced Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro and Basic licenses last year, and as part of this announcement, it also shared an important update about the use of Microsoft 365 and Office 365 (i.e., A, E, G) user subscription licenses for Teams Rooms deployments.
Starting October 1st 2023, customers, including Microsoft Surface Hub users, will no longer be able to apply user subscription licenses to sign-in to their Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, meaning customers will need to procure and provision a Teams Rooms license.
The policy also includes devices enrolled in the Pro Management portal. A Teams Rooms Pro or Teams Rooms Premium (legacy) license will be required to take advantage of the AI-powered cross-platform device management capabilities of the Pro Management portal.
What does this mean?
For most commercial customers, this means that at the end of their existing license/contract term, they will need to upgrade from Teams Room Standard to Teams Room Pro if they wish to keep the various advanced features that they are used to – such as multi-screen support, use of Teams Room Panels and Phone System Direct DDI Calling to the Meeting Room.
For smaller organisations, those with only a few Teams Rooms or where only basic functionality is required, Microsoft has also introduced a free tier – Teams Room Basic. The main benefit of Teams Rooms Basic is that it allows up to 25 Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms which makes the entry point to using Teams rooms free.
The Pro license, however, is what most organisations will need if they wish to continue to enjoy the richer experience, and advanced features, such as coordinated join, multi-screen, intelligent audio and video, and room check-in.
New Licenses Available
Teams Rooms Pro license delivers enhanced in-room meeting experiences like intelligent audio and video, front row and large galleries, and dual screen support. Teams Rooms Pro also provides advanced management features like remote device management, conditional access policies, and detailed device analytics.
It is a great fit for medium and enterprise organisations, as well as smaller organisations with larger room counts or more advanced needs. Teams Rooms Pro licenses can be used to license both certified Teams Rooms systems and Teams Panels.
Teams Rooms Basic license provides core meeting experiences at no additional cost. The Teams Rooms Basic license includes scheduling, joining meetings, content sharing, and collaborative whiteboarding. In addition, the license offers basic security and management capabilities out-of-the-box.
You can assign up to 25 Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic licenses to Teams Rooms systems in your organisation. If you need to license more than 25 Teams Rooms systems, they will require Teams Rooms Pro licenses. Teams Rooms Basic licenses can be used to license Teams Rooms systems only and not Teams Panels.
How Cisilion can support you
These changes are designed to provide a better experience and more features for Teams Rooms devices. We understand that choosing the right license for your organisation can be confusing, and as a Microsoft Solutions Partner, with Advanced Specialisations in collaboration, we can help you make the best decision for your needs.
We recommend you review your current Microsoft Teams Rooms device licensing and make sure you are prepared for these upcoming changes. To learn more about the Teams Rooms Pro and Teams Rooms Basic licenses and how we can support you, speak with a member of our team today!