LinkedIn launches Microsoft-powered native video meetings

To enable video communication on the professional network, LinkedIn is leveraging Azure, a cloud computing service by Microsoft, to launch a video meeting solution.

The new feature by LinkedIn that enables face-to-face video meetings is designed with the objective of keeping the tool members-first for easy video conferencing, making it accessible across the LinkedIn ecosystem, and keeping it scalable and reliable.

The feature is native to LinkedIn and does not need a third-party download or an additional sign-up. Video conferencing has been added as a part of the whole messaging experience and members can schedule a video meeting from within a chat as a part of the smart actions provided with the tool.

The platform also provides LinkedIn-specific profile information as context for the conversation partners.

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The tool is built with Azure Communications Services, the service that supports Microsoft Teams. When a member initiates a video meeting LinkedIn services communicate with Azure Communication Services to generate a user token and call token to execute the action.

Members join the call using the Azure client library, providing the specified call token and identifying the LinkedIn member with the user token. The service handles all communication for the video call using its own network and protocols.

This whole process that happens behind the scenes is intended to provide stability and scalability of video and audio transmission for LinkedIn video meetings.

This is the first phase of LinkedIn investments in video conferencing features. Additions in the pipeline include a calendar integration so that a scheduled meeting sends an email to both parties, messaging while in a video conversation, screen sharing, and virtual backgrounds.