EU Commission trials Element Pro as Teams backup

The European Commission is testing Element Pro as a backup to Microsoft Teams, but anonymous officials have questioned the software’s usefulness and ease of use. Teams remains the Commission’s main communications system; the new application is intended to maintain business continuity if Teams becomes unavailable, not replace it. An internal Commission memo says Element Pro was introduced over the summer. The system runs on infrastructure controlled by the Commission rather than on Microsoft’s cloud. The memo describes it as a way to retain greater control over data and systems and reduce the risk of disruption. Staff can use it for audio and video calls, file transfers and project rooms, functions the memo compares with Teams chats and channels. Three officials criticized the application in internal exchanges, according to reporting based on those messages. One questioned its added value, while another used a profane description of the tool. A third said that, judging by the comparison with Teams, the United States would win a war immediately if it cut off its technology.