Rockleigh, N.J. – December 8, 2020 – Crestron, the global leader in workplace technology, today announces the new Crestron 70 Series Scheduling Panels integrated with Microsoft Teams®. The Crestron collaboration with Microsoft will drive the scheduling device category for enterprise applications to the next level, as both companies have made commitments to supporting and reimagining the workplace of the future, including managing meeting spaces more efficiently.
Building upon the recently launched Crestron’s 70 Series products, the new scheduling panels bring Teams meeting scheduling functionality to panel displays. The Crestron Scheduling Panels provide in-office employees with the ability to manage and monitor room availability and capacity using enterprise tools and software that they’re already familiar with, such as Microsoft Exchange and the Teams Admin Center.
Room Scheduling Emerges as Key Tool to Connecting Co-workers In-Office
As companies strive to bring simplicity and confidence to on-site employees, room scheduling has emerged as a key tool in the modern workplace. Crestron’s new 70 Series Scheduling Panels for Teams panels will provide a native Teams experience for in-office employees with a comprehensive overview of each room’s status in real-time, including occupancy, availability, cleanliness, and more via the Teams panel functionality coupled with Crestron hardware for any bookable spaces. The ability to gather, share, and act on room scheduling data in real time helps keep employees and management efficient and compliant with reconfigured safety protocols.
Employees use Teams panels to view meeting room details, reserve a space, view upcoming reservations, and easily identify the current availability of a room. Designed to be mounted outside the meeting room, the Crestron Scheduling Panel displays data from inside the room to the people approaching the room, avoiding issues before they arise. Network-based occupancy sensors provide data to notify employees when a room is at capacity or automatically release the space if no one shows up. Employees can even locate an available room close by with the “Nearby Rooms” feature in the event their desired room is occupied.
“In the reconfigured workplace, the journey to the room is just as important as the room itself, particularly as we face challenges in re-opening physical spaces post-pandemic,” said Andrew Gross, Sr. Director, UC Enterprise, Crestron. “Our collaboration with Microsoft represents a step forward in the room scheduling device category, an important component of supporting and building the workplace of the future. The Crestron 70 Series Scheduling Panels offer more than just the ability to book meetings –organizations can now better understand room utilization and improve how they manage their spaces which keeps organizations and their employees safe and informed.”
“The new Crestron 70 Series Scheduling Panels unlock the full Microsoft Teams Room experience and will let customers optimize and track the use of meeting spaces. Together with Crestron, we aim to provide a way to monitor and manage space usage, enforce company policies, and plan for future technology investments, all based on Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365,” said Albert Kooiman, Director of Microsoft Teams Devices Partner Engineering and Certification.
Crestron 70 Series Room Scheduling Panels are enterprise-grade devices engineered to meet the demands of a corporate office, conference center, or higher education environment.
Flexibility to Suit Evolving Company Needs
With Crestron Room Scheduling, customers can future-proof their investment by purchasing a single hardware solution from Crestron. Customers can then upgrade for future solutions and capabilities, such as Teams integration, without having to replace or purchase new hardware. Support staff have the ability to configure the panels with new partners via firmware updates and confirm room status without needing to be on-site. Organizations are also able to configure, deploy, and manage their Crestron Scheduling Panels remotely through the Teams Admin Center augmented by the onboard Crestron XiO Cloud® platform.
Offering enterprise-grade networking and robust security features, the Crestron 70 Series Scheduling Panels feature proximity sensors that wake upon approach to reveal the intuitive user interface, as well as dual USB 2.0 ports, and add-on capabilities such as an optional RFID indicator that controls badge access to rooms to support contact tracing.
Available in black and white finishes, the new panels feature a modern design and thin bezel with 7” and 10” sizes. Crestron offers a variety of options for mounting the panels to drywall, masonry, glass, mullions, and other surfaces.
In addition to direct integration with Teams, the 70 Series products integrate seamlessly with more than 15 scheduling partners to optimize the use of meeting spaces, as well as customize experiences through integration of first and third-party apps.
Availability
Crestron 70 Series Scheduling Panels are available for order today with a Microsoft Teams firmware upgrade available in Q1 2021. Crestron customers can install the hardware now and connect to Microsoft Exchange, with the ability to switch to the Teams panel experience once generally available. For more information and pricing options, please visit: www.crestron.com/roomscheduling
