Microsoft is set to roll out a series of updates to Whiteboard, its "smart canvas" app for online collaboration.
A selection of new Microsoft 365 roadmap entries reveals that Whiteboard users will soon benefit from a variety of additional features, from the ability to embed video content and add comments to whiteboards, to a timer to facilitate activities structured.
The new features are expected to roll out in parts over the next several months, but all should be available to customers by the end of the year.
Microsoft 365 updates
The latest updates to the Microsoft 365 suite can be seen as part of the ongoing arms race between Microsoft and other vendors in the area of remote collaboration, productivity, and video conferencing.
Since the start of the pandemic, companies have struggled to provide customers with the most comprehensive portfolio of facilities to help support collaboration among remote workers, and now to enable hybrid work arrangements where staff are dispersed across the globe. multiple sites.
While the updates to Microsoft Whiteboard may seem insignificant on their own, they provide another way for colleagues to share ideas and solve problems remotely, as well as address the needs of a subset of employees who work better with visual aids.
They also contribute to the overall evolution of Microsoft's software suite, complementing several recent updates, including the ability to share prerecorded video messages and deliver finely tuned presentations in Teams, and the ability to draft documents and emails using voice dictation.
According to data collected on behalf of TechRadar Pro, Microsoft still enjoys a significant lead over its main competitor in the market, Google. Microsoft 365 is currently the productivity suite of choice for most US businesses (58,2%), while only 15% use Google Workspace.
However, Google has jumped ahead of Microsoft in the real-time collaboration model, where software is served via the cloud, which has proven to be very important since the transition to remote and hybrid working.
In 2020, Google also rebranded G Suite as Workspace, signaling further investment. As part of this process, the company said it would make a concerted effort to create a "more deeply integrated user experience", closing the gap on its rival.
In light of these facts, Microsoft cannot afford to rest on its laurels, and continual updates to its own software will be essential to preserving its market dominance, no matter how small individual improvements.