Microsoft Teams is a popular collaboration platform that combines video meetings, calls, file sharing and editing, and chat for you and your colleagues.
It’s the hub for teamwork. It’s where you create, share and discuss content both inside and outside your organization. It’s where you connect with experts and co-workers to make progress on projects. And it’s where you can meet virtually with other teams — in your organization or across the globe — to collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real-time.
Introduced in 2017 as part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products, Teams has replaced Skype for Business as Microsoft’s videoconferencing tool for professionals and is also a main competitor of Slack. You can get started using it for free, and more fully-featured versions are available with a Microsoft 365 business license.
Stay organized with teams and channels
Within the Teams app, you can create a team, a broad group of people that are working together to accomplish something (e.g., Shartega Engineers).
Inside each team are channels, which are areas for more focused discussion (e.g., Documentation).
At the top of each channel, you will see different tabs such as Posts, Files, and Wiki. The Posts tab acts as a group chat for your channel and the Files tab is where documents that are shared get stored in case you need access to them later.
More tabs can be added to access other Microsoft apps within Teams or add integrations with third-party apps.
Collaborate on files in real-time
Microsoft Teams real-time file collaboration is a feature that lets users work on the same file at the same time and see each other’s edits in real-time.
You can use this feature on any kind of file, whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation, an Excel spreadsheet, or even a Word document.
Teams uses a shared workspace that’s accessible to all team members, regardless of where they are or what device they’re using. This means that you can work on the same file at the same time as your colleagues without having to worry about who’s got the most recent version.
Know that your shared documents and files are secure
Teams is built on Office 365 and uses Microsoft’s existing security infrastructure.
Two-factor authentication is required for all users who sign in to Microsoft Teams on behalf of their organization. This requirement applies to all users, including those who are external to your organization (for example, contractors or partners).
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and your shared files and notes are stored in SharePoint and OneNote respectively.
Increased productivity in meetings
Meetings can be a drag if they are unproductive, inefficient, and don’t result in a lot being accomplished on the actual call.
To combat this issue, Teams offers features like screen sharing, allowing others to request control of your computer, chat during meetings, and note taking.
The notes and chats from the meeting are stored in Teams and can be viewed anytime after the meeting is over. Meetings can also be recorded and saved in SharePoint or OneDrive.
Clean, user-friendly interface
Microsoft Teams is a very user-friendly and easy to use. The interface is clean and simple, so it’s easy for users to get what they want quickly.
You can access Microsoft Teams from any device that has a web browser. You can also install the Microsoft Teams app on your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android devices.
There are many pre-built apps that allow you to integrate your favorite apps into your team workspace. This makes it easier for your team members to use the app of their choice without having to leave the Microsoft Teams experience.
Teams is the way!
With all of these options, there’s a lot to like about Microsoft Teams. So if you’re looking for a new way to work together, it could be the right tool for your company.
Whether you are in a small business or a big corporation, Microsoft Teams has something for you. In any case, you can use it to manage projects and tasks better than most competitors, so it is most definitely worth a shot, especially if you already use Microsoft 365 products in your workflow.
