Curated Enterprise Communications News and Insights from March 2025

Featured

The bombing in Yemen turned out to be much more explosive than US government officials had intended. The accidental inclusion of a reporter in the group chat is what’s known in clandestine circles as an “oops.” Watching this unravel has been filled with shock and awe. We tried to focus on the issues of messaging and downplay the politics and the incompetence of the characters. Here’s what we came up with: 

• Shadow IT: For decades, enterprises have been fighting the battle of shadow IT. This is when users select publicly available alternatives instead of the approved apps because the correct apps are not as intuitive or functional. When the “IT rule police” demand that inferior apps be used “or else,” it can drive users to the apps they should never have access to. It’s a complex issue, but it can be mitigated when IT teams meet with users to explain the importance and risks of public software. In addition to the security implications, some messages were set to auto-delete, which is a violation of federal records-keeping laws. 
• The False Sense of Security: Signal, WhatsApp, and other apps with E2EE feel secure, but they unlock encrypted content on the device. That is, the apps are secure, but an unlocked or compromised phone can leak the very data they protect. The NSA warned last month of various phishing scams designed to access Signal data. Earlier this month, a French scientist handed his unlocked phone to border officials and was denied US entry. The border agents found comments critical of the administration’s policies on scientific research. Users inadvertently compromise the security on their apps.  

When the SEC discovered that several bank employees had used Signal and other messaging apps that didn’t legally log their communications, it fined those banks more than $2.5B collectively. 

More of us should use Signal for personal communications, and enterprises should manage/control their own encryption. There simply are not many ways to keep conversations private. However, the best apps don’t matter if you invite unintended participants.   

General News

AI AI AI: AI continues to dominate enterprise communications conversations. This was particularly apparent at Enterprise Connect. Most are still mostly seeing productivity enhancing improvements to existing processes. We are creating an endless cycle. AI helps us generate content (reports, emails, applications), and helps us summarize all the content we are generating (summaries and applicant screening). Agentic AI will likely spawn workflow reimagine and that will be interesting. Pro tip: Be sure to include your role in the prompt. 

Tariff This: US economic policy uncertainty has spiked since the new administration took office. This ongoing uncertainty and unpredictable landscape is causing businesses to become cautious in hiring and investing. These factors, coupled with the recent drop in US equities from their February peak, fuel uncertainty globally. 

So Long Gaylord Palms: Enterprise Connect, the biggest multi-vendor enterprise comms event of the year, took place this month. The EC25 was sponsored by Agentic AI. This insider report includes major EC announcements. More thorough coverage and analysis of the overall event will be addressed in a separate EC25 Deep Dive (full subscribers) later in April. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out the announcement that this event will be moving to Las Vegas next year.

The soon-to-be-published EC25 Deep Dive has a section titled “What’s Killing EC?” There’s a surprising number of factors. One example is the end of showrooming. The EC25 Expo hall was designed for an era when booths were mini showrooms. The vendors don’t have many physical products to show anymore, and showrooms are not needed to see a web browser, AI demo, or meeting experience. At other events, like ISE and MWC, the expo hall and booths are optimized for meetings. There were lots of meetings at EC, but they were scattered among meeting rooms, booths, hotel suites, the media room, and the atrium. Perhaps a new venue will help, but it is possible that EC’s best days are behind it. 

EC provides a snapshot of the larger industry, and it’s going through some big transitions. The IPO market has cooled, so don’t hold your breath for Dialpad, Genesys, or Talkdesk IPOs. Very large tech vendors are slowly overtaking enterprise comms; note that three keynotes at EC were from the largest employers in the world (Amazon, Google, and Microsoft). Generative AI has become the entire narrative for CX. Yet, there is more to the boring UC story than many realize. Namely, the death of PBX and private-cloud were exaggerated.  

Much more in the upcoming EC25 Deep Dive report from TalkingPointz.

RCS Taking Off: The US leads the world in most tech, with one major exception: mobility. The biggest players (Ericsson, Nokia), the biggest brands (Samsung, LG, Huawei), and the biggest events (MWC) are outside the US. Of course, Apple is a US company, but it’s not considered a leader in mobile technologies. In fact, it was Apple’s reluctance to support RCS that held the messaging tech back for so many years. 

RCS was a major theme at MWC this month. Since Apple began supporting it in Q4-24, usage has exploded. However, most Americans don’t even realize when a message they receive comes via RCS, as the tech is compatible with SMS/MMS. This is rapidly changing globally and will change in the US later this year when AT&T finally supports RCS. Infobip’s latest Messaging Trends Report shows a 550% YoY increase in global RCS usage (with LATAM and APAC leading), largely driven by Apple supporting RCS. Infobip at MWC. 

Later this year, most smartphones globally will support RCS. There is no need for a device replacement cycle. The benefits of RCS include branded and verified experiences and support for rich formatting. Over and over at MWC, customers were talking about better conversation (not click) rates (compared to MMS). 

As RCS grows in usage, it will reveal support issues on UCaaS and CCaaS. SMS works with most UCaaS offers, so many of us receive SMS messages on both our work and personal numbers. RCS support in the US is currently limited to cellular numbers. Even if the UCaaS service currently supports SMS, it probably won’t support RCS. However, cellular UCaaS offers, such as Microsoft Teams Phone Mobile and Verizon OneTouch, do support RCS. 

RBM is the messaging service for RCS brands available from several CPaaS providers (Twilio partnered with Singtel to launch RCS Business Messaging in Singapore. Brands are finding RCS preferable over email and SMS, but CCaaS providers have been slow to enable RCS as a channel. Brands are talking to customers, but customers can’t talk to contact centers over RCS. 8x8 announced RBM and RCS as part of its CCaaS omnichannel offering (more in the April Insider). 

Ericsson Vonage Redo: Last September, Ericsson announced Aduna. It’s the latest chapter in the Ericsson network API vision. Anthony Bartolo was named its CEO. Aduna exhibited in the Ericsson space at MWC and the Vonage space at EC25. Aduna has the same network API vision Ericsson had with Vonage but offers MNOs a better seat at the table. Aduna is owned 50% by Ericsson and 50% by selected MNOs around the globe. Vonage is just another CPaaS and UC/CC provider for Aduna. Meet Bartolo/Aduna

Bartolo is a good fit for the position, but he has some serious challenges to overcome. The network API story has some clear use cases but remains generally confusing to most enterprises. The revenue collection and model still need work, and now, Aduna needs to establish itself as neutral (despite being in the Ericsson and Vonage booth). Vonage now needs to re-emerge as a standalone CPaaS UC/CC provider. The business apps side has been very neglected under Ericsson’s stewardship. Vonage has a ringside seat, though, to the impending convergence of UCaaS and mobility and the rapid growth of RCS. 

Microsoft Antitrust Investigation Continues: Biden’s FTC opened a sweeping antitrust investigation into Microsoft. Then-FTC chair Lina Khan approved the investigation. The future of the investigation was uncertain when Trump named Andrew Ferguson as Khan’s replacement. It’s becoming clear that Republicans share some concerns over Big Tech. The FTC will continue investigating Microsoft for allegedly abusing its market power with punitive licensing terms designed to lock customers to Azure. The FTC also reported it’s looking into Microsoft’s decision to cut funding for its own AI after striking a deal with OpenAI.

It’s the Network, Stupid: There’s a growing need to know the user's age (adult content, gambling, and more). But it’s a complex problem. The site providers (such as Instagram) don’t want the friction of age verification on their users, nor the overhead of collecting and validating IDs. The 13-18 crowd is particularly difficult as they often don’t have passports or IDs. There’s been a push for Apple and Google to offer this as an API, but they don’t do it, for many of the same reasons. 

Apple has a new approach: Parents set up a child’s phone with age-enabled APIs. The parent authorizes apps to query the age range of the device’s user. OnlyFans or DraftKings, for example, can ask the device for an age range without needing any personal data. This shifts the responsibility (and liability) to the parent. There is one small problem: Apple doesn’t allow porn apps, so the API would have to extend to the browser, too. 

This situation provides an example use case for the network APIs Ericsson has been pushing. Here, content providers could query the mobile phone account information using a network-level API. The mobile provider likely had the user’s age and permission to share it within their contract terms. However, that would only work with a mobile phone, not a desktop. Also, kids often use a phone that an adult licenses. 

Platform Updates from EC25 (More Detail Below, also see upcoming EC25 Deep Dive): 

• Microsoft positioned Teams as the “AI-powered platform for modern work,” showcasing a range of features built around security, simplicity, and smart collaboration. Microsoft Places is getting much better, and looks to close its gap with Zoom Workplace Reservation and Cisco Spaces. Microsoft’s push toward hybrid office management includes a Room Recommender, Wi-Fi-based presence detection, and @Nearby messaging for smoother in-person coordination. Accessibility also improved with features like Sign Language Spotlight and Real-Time Text (RTT). Teams’ user experience saw updates including window snapping, redesigned chats and channels, and collaborative Loop workspaces. Microsoft also made a number of announcements around digital events, including intelligent recaps with speaker tracking, chaptering, and task summaries, plus new green room functionality and flexible policies for recording and transcription. 
• Cisco introduced significant updates to Webex and its device ecosystem, highlighting a broader AI and automation strategy for meetings, contact centers, and IT management. AI and agentic AI were a big part of its theme of Experiences Matter. The Microsoft-Cisco relationship continues to strengthen with Cisco-only benefits. Control Hub gained new smart diagnostics, while AOSP Device Management reached general availability to simplify the management of RoomOS devices. A new Microsoft Approved Release Channel ensures smoother updates for Teams-certified devices. Cisco also strengthened Zoom CRC interoperability with One Button to Push (OBTP) via a dedicated Cisco-Zoom integration, signaling a strong commitment to cross-platform collaboration.
• Zoom has reemerged as an AI-first work platform. Its demos included Zoom AI Companion (ZAIC) assisting in a variety of tasks, including scheduling and document creation. ZAIC now includes agentic capabilities (reasoning, memory, and orchestration), enabling real-time meeting summaries, agenda generation, and automatic task creation tied to Zoom Tasks. The new AI Studio lets businesses customize AI functionality, and a lightweight AI model powers task-specific efficiency. Zoom Workplace enhancements extend AI support across meetings, chat, email, and fax. Education and healthcare users gain tailored tools such as clinical note automation, lecture capture, and mobile translation features. Zoom Docs will have enhanced AI Companion capabilities, with advanced references and queries that will be able to help a user create a writing plan based on the context, searching internal and external information for references. Additionally, the new Zoom Drive centralizes content from meetings, whiteboards, and documents with integrations to SharePoint, Google Drive, and Box. These updates reflect Zoom’s ambition to create a unified, AI-powered workplace ecosystem. In May, AI Companion for Workspace Reservation will show in-office workers when colleagues are expected to be in the office, recommend which days to go into the office based on scheduled meetings and their teammates’ scheduled in-office days, and have AI Companion proactively book a desk or a Zoom Room for them. The Zoom Business Services suite for marketing, customer care, and sales includes AI-first solutions that are tightly integrated with Zoom Workplace. 

AI News

AI©: The courts have once again ruled that AI-generated works are not eligible for copyright protection. This is the best possible outcome for creators concerned about their rights in the AI era. If employers cannot copyright the output of AI systems trained on their employees’ work, they will have to pay their employees. 

Google, look at my screen: At MWC, Google showed off a new “Screenshare” feature, which lets users share what’s on their phone’s screen with Gemini and ask questions about it. For example, the company showed a video of a user shopping for a pair of baggy jeans and asking Gemini what other clothing would pair well with it (obviously, baggy underwear).

An “AI phone” for less than $1K: Deutsche Telekom revealed that it is developing an “AI Phone,” a budget-friendly handset created in close collaboration with Perplexity. DT plans to unveil the device in the second half of 2025, with sales starting in 2026 at a price point below $1,000. Perplexity’s Android assistant, launched in January, may serve as a model for this new “AI Phone.”

AI and PII: A handful of firms are starting to use AI to catch and filter out any Personally Identifiable Information from their normal routine. HP’s new printers can identify pre-categorized strings of data (account numbers, Social Security numbers, etc.) and redact that data from copies and scans. Microsoft Teams can similarly recognize these kinds of strings and remove them from meeting summaries and transcripts. AI is finally “thinking,” not just transcribing.

The Fall of OpenAI?: Last month, a Grok model beat an OpenAI model. This month, Google’s Gemma open-source models outperformed OpenAI’s 03-mini with just one GPU. OpenAI continues to fight with Musk over its move from nonprofit. OpenAI appears to be losing momentum, and Microsoft may have bet on the wrong horse. Is anyone else noting the contradictory emerging narratives that AI will require the world’s largest data centers and also operate locally on a smartphone? 

Webex AI: Cisco announced two general platform AI upgrades: AI Enterprise Search and AI in Control Hub. Cisco Webex teamed up with Glean to make enterprise searching more effective. Webex can now connect into other enterprise apps such as Outlook, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. Using Webex, employees can find answers quickly and speed up decision-making. This is going to be a recurring theme: Everyone will be building AI solutions that need more data, and Microsoft will be building walls around its data. 

Webex Control Hub is now positioned as a centralized place for managing AI across Webex Suite and Devices. Coming soon are insights and visibility to AI providers. Admins can customize AI features, control security and privacy, and soon measure organizational AI adoption and metrics. Michels wonders how the LLM stats impact the sustainability stats in Control Hub. 

Meanwhile, over at Meta: Meta has contributed significantly to open-source AI. Though Meta lags in data centers, it has begun testing its own silicon.  

More Copilots: Microsoft has introduced two advanced AI agents, Researcher and Analyst, within Microsoft 365 Copilot. Researcher leverages OpenAI’s deep research model and integrates with third-party data sources like Salesforce and ServiceNow to perform complex, multi-step research tasks and provide insights. Analyst, built upon OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model, functions like a data scientist by processing raw data, executing Python code, and generating detailed reports. (No analyst agents were harmed or utilized in the composition of this Insider Report.)

Less Copilot Data Centers: Microsoft has canceled data center projects in the US and Europe, citing an oversupply relative to its current demand forecasts. Concurrently, OpenAI is exploring the development of its own data centers to support its AI initiatives. These shifts suggest a re-evaluation of infrastructure strategies among leading tech firms, possibly influenced by changing partnerships and market dynamics. This trend may lead to increased diversification in AI infrastructure development, with companies seeking greater control over their computational resources.

Otter Agents: Otter.ai announced it hit $100M in ARR, and celebrated with three voice AI meeting agents: Meeting Agent, Otter Sales Agent, and the Otter SDR Agent. Otter AI Meeting Agent is an update to its AI meeting assistant. Now, it’s voice-activated and can respond to questions about all meetings in its company database. Otter Sales Agent provides coaching to sales representatives during customer calls. The Otter Sales Development Representative (SDR) Agent conducts live product demos with prospects without human intervention, enabling responsive assistance to website visitors anytime.

Apple Thaws Nvidia Relationship: Apple, long absent from the AI infrastructure race, is finally jumping in with a $1B order for Nvidia-powered servers to build AI data center clusters. This marks a major shift for Apple, which had previously stayed on the sidelines and avoided working with Nvidia after years of strained relations between the two companies. Perhaps it’s related to its underwhelming Apple Intelligence. The move underscores just how far behind the company is in AI. 

Not So Open Source: Google is shifting its Android development strategy by moving all work to its internal branch, effectively cutting off external contributions to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The company says managing internal and public branches caused conflicts and delays, so centralizing development will streamline the process. While the Android source code will still be released to the public, outside developers will no longer be able to contribute or preview upcoming changes. Danto speculates this shift may corroborate recent rumors that Microsoft’s initiatives with the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) had caused Google to rethink how much of Android it is willing to share going forward — and if it wants to market a more secure Android platform itself. 

The MDEP team at Microsoft subsequently explained to us that they are aware of Google’s change in Android OS development. They stated, “This change is not impacting Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform work. Many parts of the AOSP, including Android Framework, were already privately developed within Google. Since the start of the Surface Duo programs, MDEP has established ongoing working relationships with Google and multiple AOSP ecosystem partners, including Qualcomm, MediaTek, Rockchip, and NXP.” 

It sure seems like there’s a lot more activity with the Android operating system lately than before MDEP was released. It’s like that swampy real estate Disney scooped up for peanuts in the 1960s — useless to everyone in Florida until Disney World was built, when it suddenly had value. 

Meetings and AV

MDEP Arrives Part 2: As we noted last month, MDEP has finally landed. With its latest firmware, the Jabra PanaCast 50 officially runs on MDEP, and answering the question we’ve been asking for months, Zoom runs just fine on it (see the video here). There was some concern that products like Zoom might not be welcome or compatible with running on a Microsoft Android platform. Zoom released a statement that essentially said, ‘We don’t certify operating systems.’ Today, we appear to have a videoconferencing detente; however, this could change. Operating systems are not obligated to run compatible apps, and OS upgrades have been known to break what was once compatible. 

Tangentially, Microsoft added companies that don’t make video products to the (now MDEP) Teams-certified list. This raises a concern about how Microsoft intends to support “certified bundles” if one side of a hardware partnership should collapse.

Slido AI Polls: There’s only one thing dumber than polls in a meeting: AI-generated polls. Even the Webex team has stopped using Slido in its regular analyst briefings. The new feature can generate custom polls based on deck content, making wasting time in meetings even easier than before. Of course, some good use cases exist, but the AI doesn’t filter the bad ones out. 

MS & AudioCodes at EC25: The Microsoft booth showcased the new AudioCodes C436HD, a native Teams phone designed to help businesses transition from traditional telephony systems. Targeted at industries like healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, the C436HD features shared line appearance, call park, and call retrieval, making it a compelling addition to the Teams ecosystem. While the device is still pending certification, its presence at Enterprise Connect underscores Microsoft’s continued push to make Teams a complete telephony solution.

Crestron Announces Updates To Automate VX: Crestron’s multi-camera solution got three significant updates into production. Cameras will now switch not just to the next speaker but to a better shot of the existing speaker as they move their head angle — improving what it calls Intelligent Video. In addition, the room setup tool can now capture and account for furniture, and it includes a feature called Breadcrumbs, which fine-tunes the system to accommodate unique acoustic characteristics within a space.

Microsoft Teams Events Updates: Microsoft has significantly expanded its support for large-scale events in Teams with a broad set of new features. In addition to a new “End Event” button and presenter support in Teams Rooms on Windows, event organizers can now access intelligent recap tools — including AI-generated notes, tasks, and speaker timelines — for webinars and town halls with Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot. Other enhancements include DVR controls for live town halls, expanded attendee capacity up to 50,000, separate invites for attendees and presenters, distinct transcription and recording policies, and upcoming Q&A tools allowing organizers to post as “Organizer.” These updates signal Microsoft’s deepening focus on making Teams a powerful platform for hosting professional, high-impact events.

Neat Previews New Features: Neat’s latest Preview Channel update adds support for Zoom Device Manager (ZDM) 2.0 API, allowing admins to manage Neat devices through the Zoom portal. Developers can now access JPEG images from Neat Cameras via the Neat App Hub, which is useful for features like visitor badging. A new diagnostics tool also enables image capture from the camera for troubleshooting. These updates are available for testing in the Preview Channel but may not be stable for production use.

Zoom New SDK for Healthcare: In conjunction with the recent HIMSS show, Zoom introduced the Telehealth Starter Kit, powered by its Video SDK, to help healthcare developers create HIPAA-compliant virtual care experiences more efficiently. This kit offers developers a foundation to build telehealth applications with features such as video, audio, chat, transcription, and recording. It aims to streamline the development process for telehealth solutions by providing essential tools and resources.

Shure Forms Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance to Defend Access Amid Spectrum Squeeze: Shure has formed the Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance (WMSA) to protect RF spectrum access for wireless mics amid growing interference from mobile and digital technologies. Members include the NFL, NBA, Fox, ESPN, and the Grammys, all pushing to preserve spectrum for major events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. Over the past two decades, key spectrum once reserved for live events, broadcast, and theater has been auctioned off or reallocated, squeezing availability for critical production tools like wireless mics. 

Customer Experience

NICE MXone Orchestrates: NICE Launched CXone Mpower Orchestrator for end-to-end on CXone. Mpower Orchestrator integrates AI-driven insights, applications, and workflows into a unified framework. The solution should eliminate or reduce silos and provide real-time visibility to KPIs. It can also simulate changes before implementation. Conversational AI and a no-code UIallows non technical users to implement workflow optimizations. The new problem is that complexity arising from too many AI and automation tools. Orchestrators are often a nice theory, but become silos themselves. NICE’s native approach simplifies realizing the benefits of automation and optimization. 

Cisco CX Announcements at EC25: Cisco announced that the Webex AI Agent, shown at last October’s Webex One, is now available. It is applicable across a wide range of multilingual digital channels (SMS, email, live chat, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messages for Business, and WhatsApp) and voice at the same time. Also available: AI Agent Studio, which enables businesses to build and deploy customized AI agents swiftly, facilitating rapid deployment of voice or digital AI agents tailored to specific business needs. 

Other Contact Center updates include AI-generated call summaries, automated CSAT scoring, and dropped-call history for better service continuity. These tools are now available, along with insights for contact center operators and supervisors that provide agent transfer context summaries, dropped call summaries, agent well-being monitoring, topic analytics, and automatic CSAT scoring. 

Cisco also introduced Webex Calling Customer Assist, a lightweight, AI-enhanced contact center alternative embedded in Webex Calling, aimed at frontline and branch workers.

Workflow Automation for Webex AI Assistant. The AI Agent (above) and the AI Assistant are different products. The Assistant received some upgrades that simplify workflow automation. Now, users can automate tasks across Salesforce, ServiceNow, Jira, and other enterprise applications without leaving the Webex App. 

Microsoft From EC25: MS announced Teams Phone Extensibility for Contact Centers at EC25. Launching in public preview in April, this feature enables organizations to integrate Teams Phone with contact center solutions, starting with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center. This integration aims to unify telephony infrastructure across UC and contact center environments. ​Teams extensibility will work with Dynamics 365 Contact Center and certified Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions (e.g., AudioCodes, Landis, Enghouse). Extensibility will likely increase to more CC, CRM, ERP, and vertical platforms in the future. Additional enhancements include Copilot-generated call summaries during transfers, AI-powered transcription-less insights, and general availability of SMS and live website chat through Teams.

Google Engagement Suite Now More Engaging: Google added additional AI features to its Customer Engagement Suite. The conversational agents got some new HD AI voices, prebuilt agents (flight booking, movie ticketing, shopping assistance, and appointment booking), and the GA of its unified console for hybrid deployments. Agent Assist got a new AI Coach to improve productivity, and AI Trainer for faster onboarding and real-time coaching. The CCaaS (UJET) got dashboard improvement, improved reporting, and a multimodal interface. 

HIGH Times at Content Guru: Content Guru received FedRAMP Authorization and might be the first CCaaS provider to achieve HIGH accreditation, the most stringent FedRAMP level. Surprise! It’s a UK company. This means CG is accredited for agencies handling very sensitive data, including law enforcement, emergency services, financial services, and others. Even more secure than the DoD’s use of Signal! This will open more federal opportunities, but it also provides security and privacy validation for any sector. It’s an interesting twist, but this US certification will also be relevant overseas where there’s renewed interest in non-US solutions. 

Zoom: Zoom is expanding its CX capabilities with several AI-driven updates aimed at improving support, self-service, and quality management. Key additions include a new voice channel for Zoom Virtual Agent, live suggestions via AI Expert Assist for video calls enhanced with reasoning and memory skills for complex inquiries. For sales and marketing, Zoom announced CRM-integrated AI agents and an upcoming auto-dialer. AI intent routing, launching at the end of March, will automatically direct users to the most appropriate support agent based on real-time analysis of customer needs. Advanced Quality Management, expected in May, will offer automated scoring of interactions and a conversational interface for supervisors to review transcripts and gain insights.

These updates are part of a broader initiative to integrate AI Companion into Zoom Contact Center and Business Services. Organizations will soon be able to use customizable AI agents to power personalized support, improve customer engagement, and automate sales workflows. Features such as Zoom Revenue Accelerator and AI-driven call summaries for Zoom Phone aim to help customer-facing teams work more efficiently. Zoom is also building out industry-specific CX tools, such as healthcare-certified cameras for remote patient observation and education-focused tools like lecture summaries and document camera support.

In addition to CX enhancements, Zoom is launching new frontline-focused services built around AI Companion. Zoom Workplace for Frontline, available in April, is a mobile-first solution that supports on-shift communication and task management for frontline employees. It aims to simplify workflows and keep workers connected, whether in retail, logistics, or field operations. For healthcare, Zoom Workplace for Clinicians will support clinical documentation by generating automated notes during in-person or virtual visits, helping practitioners focus more on patient care.

For education, Zoom is introducing AI Companion-generated lecture summaries and tools for teachers to create assignments or for students to generate study materials. Later in the year, live note-taking features will allow students to interact with transcripts in real time. These vertical-specific offerings demonstrate Zoom’s effort to tailor its platform for different work environments by integrating AI tools that reduce administrative overhead and support task execution.

Mitel CX Suite Availability: Mitel announced the general availability of Mitel CX, an omnichannel customer experience and contact center suite. The solution integrates with Mitel’s communications platforms, offering businesses tools to analyze customer interactions and workforce performance. Mitel hasn’t let its reorganization affect its ability to launch and manage services.

Journey Fuzoomed: Journey.ai announced that it is Fusion Ready. Journey apps are now available within the Zoom Contact Center and Zoom Phone marketplaces. Caller Authentication with Passkeys and One Time Passcodes, eSignatures, eForms, and Digital Payments are ready-to-run Fusion applications that businesses can use to authenticate callers, process transactions, capture signatures, and securely collect and verify sensitive data — without exposing customer information (to Journey, Zoom, or agents). 

Td After Hours: Agentic may not be ready for prime-time customer-facing applications, but Talkdesk thinks it’s ready for late night. It’s a baby step toward (agentic) 27x7 customer service. 

Talkdesk After Hours can do “a variety” of customer inquiries, supposedly including orders, returns, and billing corrections. It has a pre-built autopilot that simplifies automation flows. When it hits a wall, it schedules a callback during business hours. Success will depend on how simple or documented the business is. What’s intriguing is that it’s a step toward full automation that doesn’t rely on agent savings. It either works and improves CSAT, or fails — and that’s how it should be. 

Five9 Reports: Five9 renamed Focus for AI Insights and split it into two products: Spotlight for AI Insights and Reporting and Analytics Suite. Guess what they do? They use AI to find actionable insights from conversation transcripts. 

Zendesk the Un-CCaaS: In the late ’60s, 7UP changed the game. Rather than focus on the similarities it shared with Coke and Pepsi, it emphasized its differences. 7UP was distinctly different; it was clear and had a lemon-lime flavor. It was a brilliant campaign that defined what became known as guerrilla marketing. 

Zendesk declared itself the Un-CCaaS, but there is little to nothing distinctive in its vision. The newly announced Zendesk Resolution Platform promises to drive resolutions with agentic AI, integrations, insights, and other components considered table stakes in CCaaS. The only thing Un-CCaaS is its lack of voice — oh, that’s coming. Last month’s Insider shared Z’s intent to acquire Local Measure — a company that has simplified Amazon Connect for mid-market implementations. 

Perhaps their intent was for analysts to insist they are a CCaaS. But most CCaaS solutions do sound similar or un-dissimilar. But Zendesk then inserts a foot with “the only metric that matters is resolution.” Resolutions are not hard! Think of an insurance company that denies all claims. 100% automation can get you to “the only metric that matters” quickly and cheaply. Positive CSAT is much harder than resolutions. 

Un-marketing aside, Zendesk is on the right track. Local Measure’s CCaaS and voice expertise combined Zendesk’s ticket management might be compelling. Zendesk’s announcements around Action Builder and generative AI align with a CX future with more integrations plus generative AI-assisted search. Zendesk is attempting to skip CCaaS by going straight to CX, but that’s on-message if it's targeting prem-based Multicloud customers. 

Genesys: At Enterprise Connect 2025, Genesys introduced new AI-powered tools for supervisors within its Genesys Cloud platform. The Supervisor Copilot and Virtual Supervisor features are designed to automate routine tasks, streamline quality evaluations, and provide actionable insights to improve employee performance and operational efficiency. These tools use generative AI and large language models to summarize interactions, automate scoring, and translate conversations across multiple languages. Genesys claims these features can significantly reduce administrative time and improve the consistency of performance assessments.

The tools are available as optional configurations within Genesys Cloud and integrate with other native capabilities like conversational AI and journey management. Organizations such as eir, Ireland’s largest telecom provider, are already seeing results from adopting Genesys Cloud AI, including improved efficiency and higher customer satisfaction. A flexible token-based pricing model supports scalable deployment, allowing businesses to adapt usage as their needs evolve. If that’s not compelling enough, consider that 46% of the CX leaders Genesys surveyed said they might implement something like this within the next two years. It’s right up there with getting a colonoscopy. 

Digiclarity CCaaS for <9: Digiclarity created an interesting CCaaS solution for very small businesses. It’s a “B2B2B” model intended for providers to rebrand. It’s a mobile-first solution on top of Amazon Connect and offers a variety of advanced features typically inaccessible to very small businesses. Though it’s not clear what happens once a very small business becomes a small business. MWC Video. 

TeKnowledge GSI: TeKnowledge has expanded its focus from cybersecurity, AI, digital skilling, and Microsoft-centric managed services to now include enterprise CX. It struck a new global partnership with Genesys, uniting two powerful brands, to help organizations realize the modern benefits of secure and scalable CX technologies. 

TeKnowledge is about 15 years old and is part of the diversified YNV Group, with over 6,000 experts. TalkingPointz expects TeKnowledge to ramp up very quickly, particularly in EMEA. It has assembled a strong team of CX experts, many of whom previously worked together at Avaya International.  

Many contact center vendors see an opportunity with Avaya’s base. This has been true for over a decade, but Avaya’s second Chapter 11, recent layoffs, new leadership, and public silence have customers alarmed. Avaya remains focused on creating a competitive CCaaS solution, but again has reimagined its approach with last year’s acquisition of Edify. Avaya’s remaining customers have shown reluctance to adopt CCaaS, but are likely more open to changing now. CCaaS in general continues to expand into larger, enterprise accounts — plus, the newest AI-powered capabilities can’t be ignored. Many EMEA enterprises can now make the transformative journey to a leading CCaaS solution with a familiar, qualified team that knows their history. 

Td Ascend Goes Agentic: With the addition of AI Agents for Voice to the Talkdesk Ascend AI portfolio, organizations have agentic options for voice and digital. These agents enable conversational experiences that can understand context, express empathy, autonomously analyze situations, make informed decisions, and take action to resolve requests. Customers can speak with a Talkdesk AI virtual agent naturally and in 59 languages.

The agentic solutions are also available to Td’s vertical customers. Healthcare customers can automate inquiries such as appointment scheduling, benefit checks, and prescription refills that support multiple languages and channels. Td has been very effective with its approach to verticals. Cisco also announced new healthcare-focused initiatives for Webex. 

UC and Messaging

Zoom Phone Updates: Live notes for Meetings and Phone, expected to launch in May, will provide real-time summaries during a meeting or phone call. AI Companion for Zoom Phone can now generate voicemail summaries. Zoom Phone calls within Microsoft Teams can generate AI Companion call summaries and prioritize and extract tasks from voicemails. A new voice recorder on the Zoom Workplace mobile app, expected to launch in late March, will transcribe, summarize, and capture action items with AI Companion and create high-quality recordings for in-person conversations, so users can connect without taking notes. Zoom Phone now supports fax. It’s an obvious addition and reminder that faxes remain important, especially in healthcare. Zoom Phone also added Microsoft Teams integration for AI-enhanced workflows. 

Microsoft From EC25: Teams Phone received significant upgrades through a new extensibility model, enabling integration with other applications. This strengthens and blurs Microsoft’s position on the UC+CC debate. The feature was introduced as a CC solution, initially with Dynamics and more Teams CC partners coming soon, though extensibility will likely extend to more applications, such as CRM and vertical applications. Additionally, new supervisor capabilities in the “Queues app” enable monitoring of agent calls, providing whispered guidance, call joining, and conversation takeover functionality.

MS introduced Copilot in Teams Phone, which functions without transcription or recording, allowing real-time AI assistance during live calls without creating permanent records. It’s an odd twist as it implies we should trust Copilot more than our ability to secure a transcript. 

GoTo Auto: GoTo has launched GoTo Connect for Automotive, a specialized, AI-powered communications platform designed for automotive dealerships with CRM integrations. The solution intends to streamline operations and unify communication across sales, service, and business development center teams. 

GoTo AIR: RingCentral was (barely) first, and now GoTo has an AIR, or AI Receptionist. These things sit at the intersection of IVR, generative AI, UCaaS, and CCaaS. They do the typical virtual assistant stuff like route calls and answer frequent questions, but they don’t require menu navigation. More importantly, they can do more AI tricks, like collecting and potentially operating on information. GoTo Connect AI Receptionist is the first product in what’s intended to be a “GoTo Digital Workforce Suite.” 

TPM New Partners: Microsoft continues to expand world availability of Teams Phone Mobile. Several new MNOs came on this month: Bell Canada, Odido (Netherlands), Vodafone UK, and Vodafone Germany. User awareness and confusion continue about the various UCaaS Mobility 3 offers in the market. Many users see it as no different than OTT apps. 

TalkingPointz believes that features, management, costs, and more will insist that enterprises implement it. Microsoft certainly thinks it’s important as it keeps expanding availability. Similar (but different) services are available from Cisco and RingCentral. TalkingPointz believes that the demand for RCS support will drive demand for mobile-first UCaaS. Americans are mostly oblivious to RCS, but it’s gaining traction elsewhere, and once AT&T delivers it later this year, adoption and usage in the US will climb. TalkingPointz also expects CCaaS on SIM to record transferred calls. 

Cisco was ahead of Microsoft with Webex Go, but Microsoft has steadily added partners around the world. Webex Go is only available in the US, Canada, and France. But Cisco has indicated 11 European markets are coming. Cisco also has calling partners that can resell services: AudioCodes, CallTower, NUWAVE, Pure IP, and Tata. 

Dstny and tango Dance: Dstny launched Converge this month, which uses Tango Networks’ Extend. Dstny will help UC providers in NA and Europe become mobile savvy and add business lines to personal phones — without software. UCaaS Mobility 3 is not intuitive at first, but eventually, it hits you that it’s the only way that makes sense. Softphone to smartphone, one provider globally. #AppOptional. The key is putting the UCaaS number on the SIM — and it may as well be an eSIM.

Customers don’t know they need this yet, but the “aha” is coming. The question is, will Dstny and Tango figure out RCS before customers realize they need that too? 

The Business Section

Mitel Restructuring: Mitel Networks filed for Chapter 11 to shed $1.15B in debt and reduce annual interest expenses by approximately $135M. It’s a prepackaged filing that should be swift, and primarily screws its PE investor Searchlight. The company assures its remaining stakeholders that it will continue to operate normally. Link.

Genesys delays IPO: Genesys has postponed its plans for an IPO, citing stock market volatility as the primary reason. The company had previously filed confidentially to list its shares late last year but now anticipates the IPO will occur later this year. This delay reflects broader market uncertainties affecting tech companies considering public listings.

Google-Wizzed: Google made its biggest acquisition in its history this week with its intent to acquire Wiz for $32B. Wiz has annual revenue rate of $700M and is on track to hit $1B. Two key points of interest: Despite recent antitrust scrutiny, Google thinks the new administration will approve the buy. Also, Google intends to position Wiz as a “multicloud” offering, which is something new from Google Cloud. Last year, Google offered Wiz $23B for its business. 

StubHub IPO: It’s an odd time for IPOs. Stubhub intends to IPO soon, and what’s interesting here is its boomerang founder’s efforts to be ouster-proof. Pre-IPO, Baker controls 90% of the company’s voting power despite owning only about 5% of the shares. Special founder share classes have become normal, but this is pretty extreme. 

Leadership Changes

CCaaS Leadership Changes: Several new faces are leading CCaaS in 2025. Five9 named Andy Dignan President. Dan Burkland left the company in February but continues in a consultative role. Five9 has seen multiple leadership changes in the past few months. Mike Burkland continues as CEO. Last year, CEO Eric Yuan created a GM model for Zoom Contact Center and filled the position of acting GM. Earlier this year, Zoom expanded that GM model to other business units, and Chris Morrissey was named the new GM for Contact Center. Also, a reminder that Scott Russell became CEO of NICE effective Jan. 1, 2025. 

In Analyst Relations, Chris Bain of Avaya and Stephanie Tryhane at Zoom have moved on. Also, Tim Banting is leaving Informa. 

Intel selected Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO. We will evaluate his success around 2033.

Meet Us

After both Dave and David attended ISE in Barcelona in February, and Enterprise Connect in March, both Daves will again be together at infoComm in Orlando, Florida, June 10-13. If you plan to be at that event and haven’t scheduled a briefing with us, please reach out. Dave Michels is Founder and Chief Protagonist at TalkingPointz and Editor in Chief of the Insider Report. [email protected]. David Danto is AV Aficionado at TalkingPointz. [email protected]. 

Goodreads

1. Remote Work Steadily Declining in the US since 2020 Misleading headline; the graph shows hybrid work (a subset of remote work) is growing. 
2. Sex Without Women — What happens when men prefer porn? The internet’s biggest byproduct is loneliness. AI is already curing that as humans form verbal-emotional relationships with bots, but physical connections will represent a much bigger change. 
3. No one knows what the hell an AI agent is The tech industry expects AI “agents” to change everything, but no one can seem to agree on what an AI agent is.
4. Why extracting data from PDFs is still a nightmare for data experts PDFs are not ideal sources for knowledge initiatives. 
5. Trump officials texted attack plans to a group chat in a secure app that included a journalist The good news is the new government is using Signal. As should you. 
6. NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat No matter what you think of the Signal incident, this makes it worse.
7. AI is “tearing apart” companies, survey finds The Grand Canyon-sized gap between employees and C-suite executives on RTO is even wider when it comes to the value of AI.
8. TechCrunch is sold to a private equity firm Plenty of doubts about how informative vs. automated TC will become.
9. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveils new Rubin AI chips at GTC 2025 At GTC 2025 — dubbed the “Super Bowl of AI” — Huang focused his keynote on the company’s advancements in AI and his predictions for how the industry will move over the next few years.
10. Under Trump 2.0, Europe’s dependence on US clouds back under the spotlight Microsoft Outlook is a huge source of geopolitical risk. Europeans are starting to worry that US companies’ dominance of the cloud represents untenable risk. 
11. Salesforce Is Using A Hallucination To Sell AI “The booking app I used didn’t have Agentforce, so an AI agent didn’t know to move my reservation inside ….” 
12. How to Avoid US-Based Digital Services — and Why You Might Want To Amid growing concerns over Big Tech firms aligning with Trump administration policies, people are starting to move their digital lives to services based overseas. 

Other Recent Stuff

Effective 2025, we moved the Insider Lite to Substack. You can view it here. This is free content, and Substack makes things easier for everyone, but you will need to subscribe separately here. Insider Lites typically publish 1-3x a month.

• Escalator Keynotes #EC25: Generative AI summarizes, but look how an escalator shortens keynotes. (Video)
• TalkingPointz UC Weekly News from Enterprise Connect (Video)
• Zoom at Enterprise Connect (Video)
• NetSpeek at Enterprise Connect (Video)
• Cyviz at Enterprise Connect (Video)
• Cisco at Enterprise Connect (Video)
• The TalkingPointz Swag Patrol at Enterprise Connect (Video)
• Enterprise Connect 2025: AI Everywhere, But Calling, Meetings and Video Still Matter (rAVe)
• Bundles: The rise of Certified Mixed-Manufacturer systems in UC
• MWC25 — CPaaS, RCS, and More
• The Power of Eye Contact in Videoconferencing
• Chatting with Amy about Overcoming Objections to Zoom CC
• Chatting with Vinod M about Webex CC
• Dave Musing: The Hyperscalers are Coming for CX
• Zoom/Mitel Hybrid Cloud Communication Integration Now Available 
• AI and AV: ‘All the rules are out the window right now’ — AV Magazine interviews Danto (Video)
• 3D Video Meetings: A Glimpse Into the Future 
• A roll-up description of all the TalkingPointz Pick Hitz from ISE 2025
• UC at ISE 2025: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
• I’ll Have What She’s Having: AV and Building Management May Finally Click

Recent Insider Reports (paid) and Insider Lite Reports (free) 

• Insider April 2024
• Insider Lite May 2024
• Insider May 2024
• Insider June 2024 
• Insider Lite July 2024
• Insider July 2024
• Insider Lite August 2024
• Insider August 2024
• Insider Lite September 2024
• Insider September 2024
• Insider Lite October 2024
• Insider October 2024
• Insider November 2024
• Insider December 2024
• Insider January 2025
• Insider Lite Jan 2025
• Insider February 2025
• Insider Lite Feburary2025
• Insider Lite March 2025

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