According to Microsoft, since its launch Teams has become the fastest growing app in Microsoft’s history and with Microsoft believing that “collaboration and teamwork are the defining characteristics of modern organisations” it’s not surprising that they developed a tool focused on reinforcing these two qualities.
Microsoft Teams is a communication and messaging app included in Microsoft 365. This enables it to work with a wide suite of other apps available on Microsoft 365, creating a fully-interactive and collaborative workspace for a wide range of different devices and operating systems, including Windows, iOS and Android.
Read how to utilise new features on Microsoft Teams
Teams is packed full of features, one of the reasons for its popularity.
At its heart is a communications tool, enabling users to chat via text messages, voice calls or video, 1-to-1, in groups or for company-wide meetings. On top of this is a broad range of other apps that can be integrated to deliver friction-free collaboration.
Read about the new hybrid work innovations in Microsoft Teams Rooms, Fluid, and Microsoft Viva
Some of Teams most popular features include:
- Channels, a conversation board for each specific group which teammates in that group can access
- Access levels can be set so members only have access to what they need
- Integration with OneDrive and SharePoint makes it easier to share files in Teams
- Breakout rooms are smaller sessions within a larger meeting, ideal for training and syndicate work
- Virtual whiteboards on which text, images and diagrams can be added in real time to drive creativity
- Live transcription allows a record of the meeting to be available afterwards
- Virtual hand-raising lets a speaker know when participants want to contribute ideas or comments
- Teams using Microsoft Teams have a site in SharePoint which contains automatically uploaded documents shared across conversations
- “Presenter mode” displays the presenter and the material they are presenting in a variety of ways, for example replacing their background with the content they are presenting
- Online company-wide meetings that can host up to 10,000 users to substitute for expensive annual get-togethers
- Audio conferencing allows people to join via a phone with a dial-in number if there is no internet access
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents can be created and shared in Teams so that members can also edit them, add comments and build a to-do list.
Read our blog where we compare, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet. Which has the best features to suit your business?
While there are many benefits to using Teams, there are also some points to consider before introducing the tool, in order to fully utilise it.
If you are looking for a telephony system, Team Phones is available but it’s an add-on. Teams can’t act as a replacement for your existing telephony system and call management system.
To get the full benefits of Teams users need to embrace it and learn to use all of its functionality, which may take additional training. It may cause challenges in tracking messages, introducing friction to a team if some members are using Teams while others continue to use Outlook, so that messages aren’t all in one place.
Teams is also just one of many communications tools offered by Microsoft, such as Yammer or Skype. Too much choice can muddy the water and it can be difficult to decide which tool to use when. This can turn people turn to a choice they view as simpler.
Security risks may be greater if consideration isn’t given to the permission levels being granted to members, possibly giving access to data they shouldn’t have. And if users aren’t adhering to security protocols, malicious files could accidently be uploaded or unsecure personal devices enable external access, putting data at risk.
The breadth of what can be achieved in Teams can itself cause some people to think it will be an overwhelming system to navigate. And if you are just looking for a communication tool, all the other apps that can be integrated with Teams may be superfluous, over complicating operation until you learn to use them in a coordinated way.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Which is the right choice for your business?
Microsoft Teams has its pros and cons, so if you are considering introducing Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 or SharePoint to your business, contact a member of our team at Syn-Star.
We can discuss which options can benefit your business most and fit into your wider technology strategy so that your IT continues to be a value-adding asset to your business.
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