MS Corporate VP Jared Spataro delivered one of the more entertaining sessions at Ignite 2021 I’ve seen. That 15-minute session is short, sweet and entertaining while conveying big and important messages. Indeed, I’m recommending everybody watch this. For labeling purposes, I call it the “hybrid workplace according to Jared Spataro.” But of course, it’s really “how Microsoft technologies enable hybrid work.”

Details from the Hybrid Workplace According to Jared Spataro

Over 80% of managers expect more flexible WFH policies post-pandemic. At the same time,  more than 70% of employees should benefit from such policies themselves. The traditional model for work and workplaces is changing significantly and permanently.

My favorite moment was when he switched from PC to phone call in a teams conference with no noticeable sign of switchover (1:16). In fact, I was stunned.

Spataro recited interesting factoids, too.  He said Teams grew to 115 M daily active users. He also observed Office 365 users generated “over 30 B collaboration minutes in a single day.” He demo’d Teams channel-sharing outside organization boundaries, which is also pretty cool.

Another nice quote: “Office buildings need to be digitially connected and built for ad-hoc natural collaboration with people in the office, working from home, or connecting even from the factory floor.” Indeed, that’s something I’d like to see happen sooner, not later.

Digital whiteboards appear as creativity enablers. They bring in-room meeting participants and remote workers together (through their PCs). Sometime soon, mobile devices will enter the mix, and let users on any device share their displays with others. Meetings will occur in the context of virtual, flexible meeting spaces. MS calls those spaces immersive, fluid, dynamic, content-forward and designed for sharing and brainstorming. Looks pretty cool, actually.

The Future’s So Bright…

A certain amount of breathless hype is always good for the compost heap. But the story that Mr. Spataro and MS are telling (and selling) is actually darned compelling. I, for one, hope to see it come to life in the near future. For once, I’m seeing a future that I could get into, and even enjoy. Check it out!