Microsoft Teams will likely be offered for free to users even without an Office 365 account. Learn more about what was discussed during the latest developer preview and let us do a recap on why Microsoft Teams is the best bet for the modern collaboration platform in your organization.
Exciting news from the latest developer preview of Microsoft’s communications platform! Microsoft Teams will likely be offered for free to users without an Office 365 account. Several references to a freemium tier of the platform were made during the developer preview and this could be Microsoft’s strongest response to the alternative platform, Slack. With Microsoft Teams reaching its first birthday this month, releasing this limited but free version of Teams could draw an end to the Microsoft Teams versus Slack debate. Here is a recap of why Microsoft Teams trumps Slack; your organization can soon make that switch.
Seamless and Full-featured Integrations
Microsoft Teams not only offers integrations with other collaboration apps but its seamless integration with Microsoft Office 365 is a clear stand out compared to Slack. With Microsoft Office 365 fully integrated, users can add any and all apps from the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 suite to Microsoft Teams, without losing any functionality or leaving Teams. Furthermore, as a SharePoint directory is provisioned for all teams that are created, users can search for and interact with content and files more efficiently and easier than ever.
Advanced Security and Deep IT Control
Microsoft Teams and Slack both encrypt content and files, as well as enforce team-wide and organization-wide two-factor authentication, however, Microsoft Teams allows for deeper administrator management to fine-tune security controls for calls, apps, user profiles, various content and more. This ability to manage IT controls is enabled through the Microsoft Office 365 Admin Center, allowing users to customize security restrictions all under one application.
Painless and Secure Third-Party Collaboration
Microsoft Teams will begin rolling out guest access in Team rooms to allow for any guest to be invited to chats, documents in channels, resources, applications and more. Expanding your collaboration with external members provides a more efficient and secure way to share resources and collaboration assets.
Adopting new technology takes time. With 63% of managers in an MIT/Capgemini study saying the pace of technological change in their workplace is too slow, organizations need to be more cautious of the messaging platform they choose to adopt.
Although Slack is a well-developed messaging platform, it operates in a silo and does not integrate well with organizations already running or looking to use business platforms like Office 365. Finding a messaging platform to grow alongside your business is crucial for proper adoption. Microsoft Teams provides an integrated experience for Microsoft customers and with announced phase over from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams, the value of adopting a platform like Teams is a more calculated bet.
If you currently are running on Office 365, Microsoft Teams is already including in your licensing. For organizations that are not currently using Office 365, the advent of Microsoft’s Teams Freemium tier will provide a low-barrier for your organization to test and adopt what will soon be the messaging platform for businesses.
If you’re looking to demo Microsoft Teams, visit Microsoft’s demo site: https://teamsdemo.office.com/
If you’re in the Vancouver area, plan a visit to our office where we can demonstrate the value of Microsoft Teams within a Customer Immersion Experience – held every first Tuesday of the month: /vancouver-office365-cie
Written By:
Softlanding
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