Microsoft launches free version of Teams

Microsoft has launched a free version of its Microsoft Teams productivity app to ramp up its competition against widely used team chat platform Slack.

The free version will provide unlimited chat messages and search for up to 300 people, as well as built-in audio and video calling for individual, group and full team meetings.

It will also include 10 GB of team file storage and 2 GB for personal storage and unlimited integrations with a wide range of business apps.

Introducing a free version will mean users no longer require an Office 365 subscription to use Teams.

According to Microsoft, since launching Teams at the start of last year around 200,000 organisations have adopted the chat app.

Microsoft will continue to offer the full featured version, which increases storage allocation to 1 TB and grants full access to the Office 365 suite of web productivity tools.

The paid version also introduces meeting scheduling and intelligent video capabilities, access to additional first and third-party apps and enterprise-level IT, security and compliance controls.

The company has also rolled out new capabilities to Microsoft 365, allowing anyone in an organisation to create live events, viewable real-time or on demand, with HD video. The new feature uses AI capability to conduct speech-to-text transmission, closed captions and a speaker timeline that uses facial detection to identify the speaker.

The company introduced a preview version of a new Workplace Analytics solution designed to help professionals run efficient meetings, improve work-life balance and create time for focused work.

Finally, Microsoft has announced the general availability for Windows 10 and iOS of Whiteboard, the shared digital canvas collaboration app.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/sdecoret

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