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For more information on Windows 10 and Office 365 call us at 800-320-4361.
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Record and play back a Skype for Business meeting
When you record a Skype for Business Meeting, you capture audio, video, instant messaging (IM), screen sharing, PowerPoint slides, whiteboard activity, and polling. Any of the presenters can record a meeting and save it on their computers.
Record your Skype meeting
1.Click the Options button, and choose Start Recording.
If the recording option is dimmed, your audio might not be connected. Click the mic icon to connect audio, then try again.
2.Use the controls at the bottom of the meeting to pause, resume, or stop the recording.
3.To see who else is recording, point to the red recording button.
4.When you’re done, click Stop Recording.
5.Skype for Business automatically saves the recording in MP4 format that plays in Windows Media Player.
You can exit the meeting while the recording is being processed.
Play and share a recording
When your recording has been processed, you can access it to play or send to others. Skype for Business displays a message when the recording is ready. You can click the alert to open Recording Manager, or if you miss that, click Tools on the Skype for Business main window, then Recording Manager.
In the Recording Manager window:
1.Click your recording to highlight it, then click Play on the right side of the window.
2.You can also rename or delete your recording here.
3.To share your recording with others, click Browse to locate it, then copy the file to post on a shared location, such as OneDrive or an internal SharePoint site.
If you cannot post the recording, check to make sure you have enough space on the page.
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Microsoft delivers redesigned Skype 6.0 apps for Android, iOS
As written by Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft on zdnet.com
The Skype 6.0 for Android release is rolled out September 3. And the Skype 6.0 for iPhones and iPads is already available now, according to a new Microsoft blog post.
The Skype 6.0 for Android release has been redesigned in a way inspired by Material Design and made easier to use on Android phones, Microsoft execs said. There's a new floating action button, improved search and enhancements to messaging to make it easier to see which messages users have read and haven't.
Skype 6.0 for iPhone and iPad also has been redesigned, officials said. The new navigation controls are meant to get users to their conversations faster. Swipe gestures can be used to make calls and manage messages.
Microsoft execs said the new version for iOS also makes it easier to share photos, web links and emoticons while on voice or video calls, as well as easier to find things using search.
The new 6.0 version of Skype for iPhone is available in the Apple iTunes store, as is Skype 6.0 for iPad. The 6.0 version of Skype for Android phones is available from the Google Play Store. All of these apps are free.
Microsoft also is working on new Skype apps for Windows 10 Mobile, as Microsoft officials have said previously, but today's blog post offers nothing new in terms of when testers and users will get to see the coming app or apps officially.
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-delivers-redesigned-skype-6-0-apps-for-android-ios/#ftag=CADcb5c631
Upcoming Events
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/1/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/2/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/3/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/8/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/9/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/10/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/15/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/16/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/17/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
The Look of Modern Meetings
An increasingly global workforce, mobility, and video are top trends impacting the evolution of the modern meeting.
As written by Michelle Burbick on No Jitter.
Blue Jeans Network recently released its third-annual State of the Modern Meeting Report , which uses data from more than five million BJN business video collaboration meetings in 177 countries to draw conclusions about how meetings are evolving over time.
This year's report highlights several notable trends. BJN has found, for example, that weekend meetings are becoming more frequent. BJN data shows that 49% more meetings are taking place on Saturdays, and Sundays have seen an 84% increase in meetings over the previous couple years. I suppose this reflects that the traditional workweek is on its way out -- something us Millennials have been crabbin' about for a while now.
Online meeting use surges when extreme weather strikes, with video meeting activity increasing by 35% during the Boston blizzard last year and by 26% during the flooding that hit Texas this past May. As this trend illustrates, conferencing technology is making it easier to maintain business as usual in situations when that might not have been possible previously.
As you will see in the infographic below, the corridor from New York to Los Angeles is traveled the most, both physically and virtually speaking, while professionals on the West Coast take more meetings then their counterparts in other regions.
While the use of conference room systems is growing, mobility is key. A quarter of all meetings have at least one mobile video caller, BJN reports, with 78% of mobile video meetings coming from Apple devices. The rise of remote workers and increasing globalization of teams are propelling the use of video, enabling team members to meet "face to face" no matter where they are or what devices they are using.
Take a look at the full infographic to get a more complete snapshot of the modern meeting.
By Krish Ramakrishnan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Blue Jeans Network as written on huffingtonpost.com
There's no denying that meeting other human beings face to face is valuable when you need to communicate nuance, make an impression, learn or collaborate. Think about it, we've all been in THAT meeting. The meeting that never seems to end, in which you resort to biting your tongue, or surreptitiously surfing the web, in order to stay awake and maintain sanity - all the while knowing your inbox is filling up and project deadlines are creeping closer. Here are five surprisingly simple ways today's most prominent and creative business leaders circumvent the meeting doldrums to get the job done -- supported by data taken from over five million online meetings courtesy Blue Jeans State of the Modern Meeting Index.
Sandberg Says: Make it Quick!
Facebook dynamo Sheryl Sandberg has a lot on her plate. According to recent data, women "lean in" to meetings, attending 10 percent more of them than men. However, Sheryl manages by keeping meetings short and to-the-point. If it only takes 10 minutes to go through a meeting that was scheduled for an hour, the meeting's over in 10 minutes. People seem to be picking up on this time-saving strategy to shrink meeting duration whenever possible. The data shows that the meeting sweet spot is just over 30 minutes.
Bezos to Team: Get it while it's hot!
Amazon's Jeff Bezos keeps meetings small. By only ordering two pizzas to feed his attendees, Bezos has found the magic pizza party number to draw the right sized crowd to his meetings. This simple and effective tactic limits meeting participants to the crucial voices and avoids the analysis paralysis that can set in with an over-saturation of opinions. Keeping meetings small has led to quality meetings and enough pizza to go around!
Nadella Says: I'll See You Friday - or - Skip it!
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wants to stay abreast of issues and push performance aggressively. To that end, he meets with his senior leadership team every Friday to coordinate progress. Though meetings are getting shorter and smaller, Nadella's frequent meeting style fits the national trend. Along with more frequent, more meaningful meetings Nardella empowers his staff to save time by avoiding unnecessary meetings, encouraging them to skip meetings if they really don't need to be there.
No Meetings Wednesday - Try Tuesday Instead!
Facebook started a trend of startup companies declaring a "No Meetings Wednesday" policy - and they were on to something, Blue Jeans' data shows that the most popular day of the week for a meeting is actually Tuesday. Also jumping on the trend to stop meeting madness is technology company Asana, who recently implementing Wednesday as a "flow" day focused on productive work without interruption and reports that the results carry over to other days of the week, too. The most common time of day to meet is 3pm, which should also provide a change of scene and access to a fresh cup of coffee, given that mid-afternoon is commonly considered the energetic low-point of the day. No matter the day or time, scheduling that considers the priorities and demands of invitees will improve the likelihood that your meetings will be well-attended by bright-eyed colleagues.
Meetings - Punk Rock Style
Conventional corporate culture can be stifling, especially in B2B environments. Take a page from former punk rocker turned security software CEO, Timothy Eades, and resist the pressures of meeting norms. Eades isn't afraid to stand apart from the crowd in favor of being an individual, quoting Joey Ramone on punk rock leadership: "To me, punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying 'This is who I am.'" As the person who calls the meeting, you have the opportunity to set the tone. Punk rock meeting management should shake things up with nonconformist ideas, the freedom to wear a costume to communicate an idea, and maybe pipe in your favorite Green Day song to get the groove going. The point is: it's your show.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/krish-ramakrishnan/from-pizza-to-punk-5-ways_b_7977790.html
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Here’s Why Face-to-Face Meetings Are So Important
By John Brandon as written on Inc.com IMAGE: Getty Images
Joe Cowan knows a bit about telecommuting.
As the CEO of Epicor, a business software company, he works remotely from his home in Atlanta even though the 4,000-person firm is based in Austin.
He's served as an inspiration for the rest of the workforce, 25% of whom work at home. (Many of the remaining 75% don't come into work every day.) He accepted the role of CEO in 2013, but before that worked remotely from his home for 15 years.
As a CEO, he is breaking from the norm. For lunch, his wife usually brings him a hot meal from the kitchen. His office during the week is located above his three-stall garage. He doesn't believe in big, fancy executive office suites. Yet, there is one thing he insists is critical in business and insists on as a best practice.
Cowan believes strongly in face-to-face meeting with key managers and other employees to give them his full attention, no matter where he works. He says there's no way he could lead such a large company if he didn't have these weekly meetings. It's an interesting paradigm, because Epicor works mostly with other companies who tend to encourage teleworking and have remote offices.
"My folks who are working remotely really learn how to make distance working relationships work," says Cowan. "And that helps when it comes to cultivating relationships with our customers. Most B2B relationships are distance ones. And because that's often how we operate as a business, we know how to build and foster those relationships--with our employees and customers."
The company uses Skype for Business to make sure everyone is connecting. Cowan says face-to-face meetings are important because remote teleworkers often have a sense of isolation. They need to feel as though they have the same immediate connection that employees in the home office have with each other. That's why he encourages them to text message more than email or even use the phone (which often leads to voice mail) because texting usually leads to a sense of being "in the moment" with other workers. With email and phone, there's a sense that the home office employee will get to the message eventually, which just makes the isolation more pronounced and ruins productivity.
There's nothing more immediate than a video call, he says, other than actually visiting someone in person. (Cowan is a member of the United Airlines 5 Million Mile club, which suggests he tends to "fly home" quite often.) His main concern is that everyone in the company can communicate effectively with one another, which is why Epicor is currently installing videoconferencing hardware for every home worker.
"I want every employee to clearly understand what my goals are for the company, and where each individual employee contributes to the success of meeting those goals," he says. "From a very granular standpoint I encourage all of my managers to hold regular video calls with their at-home colleagues."
So far, the strategy is working.
The company had FY 2014 revenue of $995 million compared to $961.7 million for FY 2013. They recently acquired two retail technology companies, ShopVisible and QuantiSense. Maybe all of those face-to-face meetings are starting to pay off.
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Managed Solution is hosting Roadshow events to demo the new features in Windows 10 and show customers the latest products that connect your people, processes, devices, and data securely across your company enabling you to stay ahead in today’s mobile world.
At the forefront of these business profitability products is Windows 10, organizations will use the end-user-enhancements in Windows 10 across Office 365 & Skype for Business to drive revenue.
Roadshow Locations
Interested in upgrading to Windows 10?
Considering the extremely quick pace of development from the release of the Insider Preview to GA (General Availability), there are some considerations to keep in mind when making the migration to Windows 10.
We have been busy testing Windows 10 and one thing we have found is that while it's pretty awesome (you’ll love the new features!) not all applications we work with day to day are ready for the new software.
We are getting to know the behavior of Windows 10 so we could make the transition smooth for our customers and reduce day-to-day troubleshooting.
We can help out with the cost too! Microsoft is offering dollars to jump start businesses into Office 365 and we can use those funds to Upgrade you to Windows 10 at the same time. (If you're already running Office 365 ask us about our cloud incentive dollars)!
