Is Moving to Microsoft Teams the Right Move for Your Business?

Moving doesn’t have to send chills up your spine—at least if you are moving to Microsoft Teams. As a managed service provider, we see firsthand the difference that this collaboration tool can make for businesses. And the transition doesn’t have to be as painful as you might think.

Why Make the Move to Microsoft Teams?

There are four main benefits of moving to Microsoft Teams for your small to medium size business:

• Communication and collaboration: This is what Teams was built for. Your staff can work seamlessly together at the same time on the same documents from different locations. In the new remote and hybrid work environments, this level of easy collaboration is critical for any business.
  
• Customization: Maybe you’ve seen Microsoft Teams at work in another company. Here’s the thing — that Teams experience doesn’t have to be YOUR Teams experience. You can configure and customize Microsoft Teams in the way that best suits your company and how your staff works.
  
• Adaptability: No matter the device, Teams works on it: Desktops, laptops, tablets, phones … if you work on it, so will Microsoft Teams.
  
• Consolidation: How would you feel about less email? Fewer meetings? We thought so. Teams can help because it streamlines the number of places information and files can be found. So, no more scouring through emails for that attachment your customer support team sent last week. Or having meeting number three to consolidate feedback on your proposal. Your documents are secure in channels and chats, and team members can work on them simultaneously in real time.
  
• Ownership. You own and control any data stored in Microsoft Teams (and all of Microsoft 365). Microsoft can’t access your emails and documents and doesn’t scan them for any purpose (e.g., advertising) that is not service-related.

As a bonus, a lot of companies find that Teams is simply fun — allowing users to leverage bots, emojis and other features.

The Latest on Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products and it no longer costs anything extra to add it on. Microsoft is also rolling Teams into Windows. So, soon anyone running Windows will have MS Teams. 

Microsoft is always rolling out new features and functionality for Teams. Recent improvements include the ability to: 

• Record calls organization wide (important for many companies to satisfy IT compliance needs).
  
• Share your computer’s sound during a meeting (not you speaking, but the actual sound of your computer).
  
• Share a window or one specific screen on your device.
  
• Share PowerPoint slide decks.
  
• Collaborate on a whiteboard.
  
• Mute and unmute meeting participants (for presenters).
  
• Remove an attendee’s ability to mute or unmute (for presenters).

Security Concerns for Moving to Microsoft Teams 

Microsoft Teams is only as secure and redundant as you configure it to be. That’s why it is important to partner with an IT provider that can properly configure your MS Teams environment to meet the needs of your business.

Here is a look at the cyber security features that are and are not built in to MS Teams  by default:

Expert Tips for Moving to Microsoft Teams 

At Aeko Technologies, we not only manage Microsoft Teams for our clients, we also use it ourselves. Here are some tips from our team to yours for making the most of MS Teams for your business.

• Record meetings by default. That way anyone who misses the call can catch up later. This is also important for compliance at some companies. Of course, make sure recording is allowed by your organization’s policies first.
  
• Hang out the do not disturb (DND) sign. This is a great Teams feature that allows you to signal when you are not available to meet. Using it makes sure people’s personal time is respected when meetings are started or scheduled.
  
• Mute channels. DND is for signalling you’re not “at work” at all. But what if you ARE at work but just trying to focus on something specific? That’s where muting channels comes in handy. When a channel is muted, you won’t be distracted by conversations and notifications. You can unmute later.
• Exit projects. If your part in a project is complete (or the whole project is) exit the project to avoid unnecessary notifications.
  
• Integrate applications. Whether you use Mail Chimp, Webex, Hubspot or many other applications, they can be integrated right into Microsoft Teams.

Done right, moving to Microsoft Teams makes it easier for your team to collaborate, provides needed continuity and improves security for your business. If you are thinking about making the move, contact us or book a meeting.  We can help you make the right IT decisions for your company.