The Microsoft Teams app for Surface Hub is now available for all, coming just a few months since first entering preview with Windows Insiders. In a post on its TechNet blog today, Microsoft announced that Teams for Surface Hub has reached general availability, releasing it into the Microsoft Store and Microsoft Store for Business (via OnMSFT).
To make sure your team can use the app, you'll want to make sure you're running at least Windows 10 Team Edition 1703.15063.1292, released August 30 as KB4343889, on your Surface Hub.
While Microsoft is gradually moving businesses and organizations over to Teams as a replacement for Skype for Business, the company says that the Teams app for Surface Hub is able to run in three different modes to accommodate organizations that haven't yet made the jump or are in the process of migrating.
- Mode 0 - Keep as is. Use this mode if your organization still uses Skype for Business primarily, but you want the ability to join Microsoft Teams meetings from Surface Hub.
- Mode 1 - Microsoft Teams Hybrid. The Microsoft Teams 'Call' tile will appear on the Welcome Screen. The Microsoft Teams tile on the Start Menu will replace the default Skype for Business tile and will show the Microsoft Teams client when launched. You will also see the one-touch 'Join' button to join scheduled Microsoft Teams meetings. Scheduled Skype for Business meetings will launch the Skype for Business client when you hit the one-touch 'Join' button for Skype for Business meetings. Use this mode if you're transitioning to Microsoft Teams from Skype for Business and/or your organization uses Microsoft Teams primarily, but you want the ability to join Skype for Business meetings.
- Mode 2 - Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams tiles are displayed on the Welcome Screen and Start Menu. All Skype for Business functionalities are disabled. Use this mode if you're only using Microsoft Teams.
Given that Surface Hub is primarily meant as a collaboration tool for organizations, Teams is an important piece of the puzzle as Microsoft courts potential users in the business world. Further, it comes ahead of the release of the Surface Hub 2, the next iteration of Microsoft's conference room behemoth.
Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the Editor in Chief for Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. Got a hot tip? Send it to daniel.thorp-lancaster@futurenet.com.
