Microsoft is holding a virtual event focused on "hybrid work" later this week

Earlier this year, reports emerged that Microsoft was planning to hold special virtual events to share more about its various business units. While the firm usually bundles many announcements during large conferences such as Build and Ignite, these events were said to be more specific and aimed at providing granular information on the firm’s offerings.

Last week, the company had a lot to share about its plans for Xbox – ahead of its E3 announcements – which could be considered as the gaming platform-specific event. Next week is when the big Windows event is planned where the Redmond giant will show off the “next generation of Windows”, with speculation ripe that the firm will unveil Windows 11. Filling in the gap between these is an event termed “The future of hybrid work” that the firm is holding on June 17.

“Hybrid workplace” is a buzzword that is being used by Microsoft to signal the change in workflows across the world post the pandemic that forced employees to work remotely. While the event page features an image of users on a Teams call in a Together mode setting, it does not provide much in the way of information. Interestingly, the screenshot included in the invite page is similar to that of the one used in a recent concept video of what the company believes meeting rooms will look like in the future.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see feature announcements for offerings such as Teams and OneDrive, bringing collaboration and productivity-focused improvements to its Microsoft 365 suite of apps. The firm could introduce some Outlook enhancements too. It is anybody's guess as to what else would be included and if there are any surprises. The event is slated to be held virtually at 6 AM PT/9 AM ET and can be streamed from the event page here.