Smarter apps, deeper insights – A look back at 2024

It’s hard to overstate how fast technology is driving business evolution — and Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams were once again a big part of that story in 2024. At Martello, we evolved right in step, adding new capabilities to Vantage DX and shedding new light on what enterprises need to manage the Microsoft digital experience.

AI gets a desk at the office

The year kicked off with Microsoft’s integration of Copilot AI into Teams as a premium service, radically enhancing collaboration and productivity with AI chat capabilities, automated meeting summaries and more. AI models like Copilot require high-performing, real-time network environments to deliver the processing speed and seamless experience users expect. Martello helped meet that need by making Vantage DX the first experience management solution specifically equipped to manage and optimize Copilot AI in 365 and Teams.

What’s your Microsoft Teams maturity?

That was the question we put to 200 U.S.-based organizations in a winter 2024 survey that informed our development of the first-ever Microsoft Teams maturity model. The results were sobering. We found nearly all (95%) the companies we talked to were either Falling Behind or Just Catching up, reliant on disparate tools or native Microsoft tools alone.

The good news is the model also maps a clear, achievable pathway for organizations to boost Teams maturity, optimize the digital experience and get better business results from their Microsoft Teams investments.

New features to meet emerging needs

In June, we added new features to Vantage DX that support the maturity journey, focusing specifically on premium Microsoft services such as Teams Phone and Teams Rooms. With quality-sensitive real-time media, high-value infrastructure and premium licenses, Teams Phone and Teams Room require proactive, end-to-end monitoring to ensure frictionless performance and a return on premium-service investments.

Another new feature this year was our early warning system for Microsoft outages. There were a few major ones in 2024 — most recently on November 25. With early warning from Vantage DX, Martello customers knew the scale and scope of the incidents, and which of their sites were affected, anywhere from one to four hours before Microsoft made any official announcements. Customers also benefit from alerts when services came back online.

Stronger together

Digital experience management (DEM) became a kind of IT mantra for enterprises in 2024, driven by the awareness that user satisfaction among employees and customers is key to productivity and business performance. Yet many IT departments are already overwhelmed and under-resourced, making it hard to take on increasingly critical and complex Microsoft 365 and Teams DEM amid all their other responsibilities.

Recognizing that pressure, Martello unveiled a new Martello Partner Network in November: a collaborative ecosystem of managed service providers (MSPs), Microsoft Gold VARs and complementary product vendors. The Partner Network aims to make outstanding Microsoft 365 and Teams support and services available worldwide so that enterprises benefit from top-tier Microsoft DEM regardless of their internal IT capacity. It also meets demand from MSPs seeking to launch new services, grow their annually recurring revenues, improve margins with streamlined operations and differentiate their offerings with an impeccable user experience.

Proving that proactivity pays

Martello wrapped the year by bringing even more insight to the business advantages of peak Microsoft DEM. Our cost study co-developed with EnableUC found that Vantage DX’s proactive monitoring and accelerated troubleshooting reduce Microsoft Teams support tickets by 60% and, depending on organization size, can cut support costs anywhere from in half to by nearly two-thirds. We invite everyone to dig deeper into the cost study and get the full story.

With sincere gratitude

From these highlights alone, it’s clear 2024 was an exciting year. We couldn’t wrap it up without extending heartfelt thanks to you, our valued customers and partners for your continued loyalty and support. You’re the reason we do what we do, and we promise the best is yet to come.

So now that the end is in sight, what’s in store for 2025? Watch for our new year predictions blog — coming soon.