Microsoft Teams (Features/Benefits)

Microsoft Teams (Features/Benefits)

Written by Joe Cannata

Posted on July 20, 2020

A Closer Look at Microsoft Teams Technology Features

Many companies and organizations continue to operate with a largely remote workforce. That’s meant having to create new business processes and deploying new technologies that allow for employees to remain connected and productive.

Microsoft Teams is one of the top products in use today to address the challenges of a remote workforce. Understanding how Microsoft Teams works and its top features can help your organization make an informed choice about technology needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Is Microsoft Teams?

At its core, Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication tool. It integrates with the popular Microsoft Office 365 cloud-based suite of applications. That means users can access Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other technologies in a shared space that facilitates collaborative work among team members.

Microsoft Teams usage has skyrocketed. In July 2019, the platform had 13 million daily users. In April 2020, it had more than 75 million.

Users can create teams and use the virtual space for posts by members, shared files and chat rooms. Teams easily lets users hold video or voice chats with members and others.

When working on projects together, team members can create and edit Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents with progress automatically saved. A copy is synced into OneDrive cloud storage and locally on SharePoint, allowing all team members access to shared content whenever needed. Edits are saved in real time.

What Are the Main Benefits of Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is an ideal tool for workers who have to work together or communicate from remote workspaces. Here are the main benefits of using Microsoft Teams.

• Familiarity. Teams integrates with familiar Office applications. It’s accessible across all leading browsers and uses intuitive navigation on both web and desktop versions.
• Customization. Teams lets you add channels within each team. These are tracked conversations and work that lets team owners organize information and tasks in a clear-to-read format. In addition, Teams has hundreds of available apps to organize work. Among the most popular apps are those that manage workflows, plan tasks and monitor progress, build and add surveys, and automate team tasks.
• Email Reduction. Teams lets you move away from email to communicate quickly. When all team members are using Teams, quick questions are answered faster. It also allows for easier sharing of documents — all stored within the Teams application. Teams keeps track of attachments, is searchable and can promote teamwork and transparency.
• Access Anywhere. With Teams, members can access files on desktops, laptops or mobile phones. It’s available on Android, iOS and Windows operating systems. And content syncs across all of your devices when using the same account.
• Real-Time Access. Teams eliminates the maddening challenge of remote collaboration. Multiple users can work on files together at the same time, fostering better conversation without static back-and-forth email chains.
• Broader Collaboration Teams lets you collaborate with not just people on your team but also business partners, vendors, customers and volunteers. Users outside your organization are tagged as guests. Guest access can be limited using administrative controls to protect company assets.
• Secure Interactions. With Teams, you can be confident that files, data and information are protected. With information in one secure location, you can reduce the risk of files being emailed or shared inappropriately, stolen or lost.

Microsoft Teams is a powerful solution for companies looking to strengthen collaboration during a challenging time. At Techsperts LLC, we help companies throughout New Jersey address complex technological challenges. Our strategic IT planning, cybersecurity, and business continuity planning services keep companies looking forward, prepared and protected. To learn more about our IT services, contact us today.