Microsoft Stream is an intelligent enterprise video service that was introduced around a year ago. The solution provides a platform for organizations to upload, view, and share videos in a secure environment. Today, Microsoft says Stream is now rolling out globally as a generally available standalone service.
Office 365 Enterprise customers in 181 regions and 44 languages can now use Microsoft Stream. As well as the roll out, Microsoft is also adding some new intelligence features to the platform.
The idea behind Stream is to provide a dedicated video platform for business users. While other platforms, like YouTube, have business content, enterprise is not the focus. Microsoft has access to millions of business customers through services like Azure and Office 365 and wants them to use the single destination video platform.
Microsoft Stream is integrated into Office 365. Users can search and discover content and upload videos.
The company says it provides seamless integration with Office 365 apps like SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Yammer. Subscribers can share content directly from within these apps.
Office 365 Groups integration allows users to have a dedicated channel for their group. Microsoft says Stream uses intelligence to improve the user experience:
- Speech-to-text transcribed audio—Transcribed audio becomes searchable text. Simply type in descriptive keywords to jump to any point in a video they are spoken.
- Face detection—With face detection, viewers can see where each person in the video is shown throughout the video. A clickable timeline indicates every place they appear.
- Linked timecodes—Timecodes are displayed within the comments section and are linked to the text transcripts or table of contents, so you can jump to a specific point in the video.
Microsoft Stream Security
One of the most important aspects of any closed business-focused service is security. Microsoft Stream uses encryption and authentication on videos. Microsoft says this means content is only shared with who it is intended for.
The company uses it existing organizational identity features from Office 365 and Azure Active Directory. Admins can create custom guidelines and make viewers accept terms before watching content.
