Microsoft Teams has continued to expand its suite of services, integrations, and coverage over the past year. Even though the shift to remote work has largely taken place, there's still room to innovate when it comes to user experience. Teams has expanded its collaborative offerings, decreasing the need to work outside the application. Microsoft 365 has also strengthened native malware and ransomware prevention tools, whereas other collaboration tools may leave your data vulnerable. For those still on the fence about migrating to Microsoft Teams, here are some common misconceptions about the platform - and why Teams is right for your business.
Here Are 6 Common Myths About Microsoft Teams:
Common Misconceptions About Teams
- Other Providers Are Easier to Deploy - The true cost of picking a 'quick' solution will burden your IT and end-users in the long run. Poorly deployed solutions, or those without layered security could be a serious liability. Teams is included in your Microsoft 365 subscription and is easy for IT administrators to manage within your dashboard.
- I Want the Best Meeting Solution - Teams is a best-of-breed solution and, combined with Microsoft 365, gives users the best set of organizational tools. The productivity suite delivers similar experiences to other platforms, without the need for a multi-vendor solution. Lastly, Teams is a Gartner leader in the Meeting Solutions and Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) Magic Quadrants.
- Other Meeting Platforms Are Secure Enough - Since the start of the pandemic, common collaboration platforms such as Zoom have faced numerous security issues. Why rely on a solution that's "secure enough" and risk the potential data loss, ransomware, or corporate fallout from a breach. Microsoft is a global security vendor and Teams has enterprise-grade security, privacy, and compliance built into it.
- Other Meeting Providers Are Better for External Meetings - With Teams, you can work seamlessly with people inside and outside of your organization. You don't need another meeting provider, saving on IT spend and document sharing/recording management across two platforms. Teams can help you connect with customers outside of the organization while being secure and allowing you to have full access to critical resources and collaboration apps.
- Other Solutions Work Better with My Existing Tools and Devices - Teams complements modern and legacy conferencing and phone equipment. Teams Rooms allow you to make any space ideal for a Teams meeting, regardless of location or device type. Teams Rooms work with older video teleconferencing (VTC) investments.
- It's Better to Use a Separate Calling System - If you're using Microsoft Teams and paying for a separate calling solution, you're far from optimizing your IT budget. Microsoft's VoIP phone system provides a seamless experience in Teams. With cloud voice you can track usage, call performance, and customize solutions to meet your client needs.
Comparing Collaboration Platforms: Teams Versus Zoom
| Teams |
Zoom |
| Teams offers a plethora of remote collaboration tools within a single platform. As an extension of the Office 365 suite, users can get more done within a single native app. |
Doesn't include the same caliber of tools for collaboration and productivity. Zoom promotes a meeting-first mindset that translates to the platform's design and usability. |
| Maximize value and minimize costs. Teams provides a lower total cost of ownership by reducing subscriptions. |
May need to be supplemented with a third party app, which increases complexity for your IT Team and licensing issues. |
| Simplify every day work and complex processes. You can connect to hundreds of third party apps before, during, and after meetings. |
Zoom often leads to fragmented user experiences since it lacks the proper integrations that allow users to work beyond the meeting screen. |
| You can collaborate with confidence in Teams. Microsoft 365 offers protection against malicious software hidden in links and attachments . |
Zoom has fewer built in security policies, which puts your data at greater risk. |
Highlights of Microsoft Teams
Teams allow us to break down geographical barriers, boost productivity, and ensure that your business remains competitive in a remote environment. In fact, 66% of leaders say that their company is considering redesigning office space for hybrid work, which means that working remotely is here to stay. Teams is for everyone. You can instantly be connected through chat, calls, or video- engaging with anyone at any time:
- Collaborate with confidence
- Meet, chat, call and collaborate
- Maximize value and minimize costs
- Simplify everyday work and complex
Teams allows you to make and receive calls directly in the Teams app alongside shared documents, chat history, meeting notes to make collaboration easier. Teams experienced an 11x growth in calls in October 2020 with Team users making over 650 million calls. If you want to learn more about Microsoft Teams and how it can help your organization contact us at iCorps.