RoomOS – the operating system powering hybrid work

On By Richard Bayes4 Min Read
Webex Meeting With RoomOS, Showing Hybrid Collaboration

Previously, the ideal worker type stayed in the office from 9-5 and was expected to stay late or come in on the fly whenever requested. Today, however, hybrid work is the new normal. Knowledge workers are often time-zone surfing and multitasking, meaning that flexibility is essential and video collaboration is a must. In addition to enabling rooms with first-class video and audio, Cisco devices also deliver great hybrid work experiences powered by RoomOS. RoomOS is the cloud-connected operating system that enables your Cisco Desk, Board, and Room series devices to do more than video – enhancing productivity and collaboration.

Earlier this month we announced our new partnership with Microsoft where Cisco devices will now support Microsoft Teams Rooms natively, with a full device portfolio covering any workspace. We’ve always taken pride in having an open and interoperable platform, giving our customers the ultimate in choice and flexibility to join any meeting – with RoomOS you can join any Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet meeting with the touch of a button. So regardless of whether your company standardizes on Microsoft Teams, or whether you need to join any meeting with ease with RoomOS – Cisco devices give you an unmatched, intelligent, and inclusive meeting experience.

Supercharge hybrid collaboration with RoomOS 11

At WebexONE 2021, we announced RoomOS 11 – a revamp of our user interface exposing more workflows and making collaboration more intuitive. This new experience will now be default with the November release. One of the core concepts of our new user experience and operating system is the ability to multitask or open multiple workflows at the same time.

RoomOS 11 is built with hybrid work in mind. With features such as advanced camera intelligence with people focus and frames, productivity applications through embedded apps, and flexible seating arrangements with hot desking, RoomOS 11 brings equity and choice to every hybrid worker. In addition to the great features you get when migrating to RoomOS 11, you will notice us delivering them at a higher velocity moving forward due to our new application architecture.

To ensure productivity and well-being, collaboration experiences should be seamless, intuitive, and inclusive. This is why, at WebexONE 2022, we introduced some great new features for Cisco devices on RoomOS 11, designed with the hybrid workplace in mind

View Webex Meetings chat on devices

Today, users joining a Webex Meeting from devices have no way of viewing the chat that is happening there. For devices running on RoomOS 11, we are allowing device participants a way of keeping track of the conversation. This brings more equity to hybrid meetings, allowing everyone to be a part of the conversation regardless of where they are.

Webex RoomOS Meeting Chat

*Please note that the final design of this feature might differ from what is being shown here

Prominent view: see 19 participants + content

See more of what matters with a new layout option for Webex Meetings on Cisco devices. With this new layout you 19 video streams, whilst giving both shared content and the active speaker a prominent view. This allows people to see real-time reactions and get instant feedback – all whilst seeing the content and the person speaking clearly.

Webex Real Time Reactions With RoomOS

Attendee support for webinars on devices

Previously, you could only join a webinar on Webex devices as a panelist. Now, we are announcing the possibility for Cisco devices to participate as attendees – so device participants can sit down, relax and enjoy the webinar from their Cisco devices. This allows in-office participants to gather and attend a webinar from a meeting room together.

Room Navigator: UX improvements and sensor data

Finding the right room for your meeting just got easier with new improvements to the CiscoRoom Navigator. Prevent walk-ups to a room that is not booked but used ad-hoc by turning the LED light red and displaying “in-use” on the screen. We have also added a new yellow LED to rooms that are booked but not occupied and for upcoming meetings. Make it easier to find the optimal meeting room by displaying smart sensor data. Get to know the temperature and air quality in the room, and whether it is at full capacity.

RoomOS Device Screen

Home screen widgets

Flexibility is at the core of RoomOS. Built on an open platform, we allow you to embed your preferred tools and web-based content into your workflow. We are now giving you even more flexibility by allowing you to add custom web-based content to your device’s home screen. This can be tailored to any need or use case – giving you a unique opportunity to display content specific to your organization’s needs.

Webex Home Screen Widgets On Screen With Daily Sync Meeting Scheduled

We are excited to see how our customers will tailor RoomOS 11 to their own workflows – and how it will help make hybrid work strategy more inclusive, intuitive, and productive.

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About The Author

Richard Bayes
Richard Bayes Product Manager – Webex Devices Cisco
Richard is a Product Manager for Webex Devices based out of Oslo Norway.
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