Getting Started With Microsoft Teams
As most organizations adopt remote working, seamless collaboration and communication among employees are essential for the smooth running of business operations. With this in mind, the demand for tools that will allow employees to collaborate and communicate effectively with each other is rapidly on the rise.
As numerous collaboration tools continue to flood the market, most businesses’ biggest challenge is finding the right one to meet their collaboration needs. One of the tools that have stood out for businesses is Microsoft Teams.
Check out our latest video to learn more about Microsoft Teams:
What Is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is an online collaboration and communication tool that supports video conferencing, instant and group messaging, chats, phone calls, and file storage. This feature allows remote teams to work together using a shared workspace. Provided by Microsoft as part of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams also integrates a collection of Microsoft 365 applications such as SharePoint, Word, Outlook, Skype, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Microsoft Teams can be launched through the desktop application (in Mac and Windows), a web browser, or the mobile application (in iOS and Android).
What Are The Core Features of Microsoft Teams? The core features of Microsoft Teams include:
- Teams: To start collaborating on MS Teams projects, you will first need to create a team. You can create a team from an existing Microsoft 365 team or create a new team entirely. A team is a collection of content, people, and applications. Creating a team in Microsoft Teams is easy. All you need is a team name, a team description, and to specify the level of privacy you’d like for your team. Once you create a team, you can add team members. A team can either be private or public. Private teams are only accessible to invited members, while public teams are open and accessible by the entire organization.
- Channels: Teams have subsections known as channels. Channels are dedicated to more isolated and private conversations that may are based on specific topics. By default, Teams creates a general Channel for every newly formed team. You can create multiple channels within a Team and set their privacy levels. Standard channels are visible and accessible to everyone on your team, while private channels are only accessible to invited team members.
- Chat: Chats allow you to privately send one-on-one messages to other team members or smaller groups away from the team chat. Chats are only visible to the involved parties. Chats can be named to define their intended purpose. From the chat window, you can share your screen, add other team members to the conversation, attach files to your messages, translate messages, and make calls.
- Calendar: The Teams calendar allows you to view your schedule and set up new meetings. Teams also allows you to sync your Outlook group calendar with your Teams calendar. By default, the calendar is accessible to everyone in your team, but you can edit permissions and limit only particular members’ access.
- Audio and Video Conferencing: Teams allows you to call people in your team directly from your chat list by clicking the video or audio call buttons. The calls you make are private and don’t appear in any team conversation. You can also capture voicemails and make calls from the Calls tab.
- Files: Every time you create a team, you automatically create a SharePoint Online site behind it. All files shared across your teams, channels, chats, and conversations are automatically saved on the SharePoint library folder. The files tab is located at the top of every channel.
Microsoft Teams can support the level of communication and collaboration your organization needs. If you’re looking to ensure business continuity as you work remotely, leveraging Microsoft Teams’ full potential is critical.
Looking to Partner With A Reliable Microsoft Solutions Provider in St. Louis and Grow Your Business?
At Alliance Technology Partners, we offer over 20 years of experience and expertise in providing cutting-edge IT solutions to businesses throughout St. Louis, Grand Rapids, and Michigan.
Reach out to us today, or email us at info@alliancetechpartners.com and let us help you customize Microsoft Teams to fit your business’s collaboration needs.
