​What is Microsoft Teams? 

Microsoft Teams is a communications and collaboration platform. It can be viewed as an advanced version of Skype for Business and is comparable with Slack. It will allow the same one on one instant messaging chats, impromptu group chats, internal video and audio calls.  

What is the difference from Skype? 

  • Built in group chats that will focus communication in a couple key areas with BU / Group function level Teams, Office level Teams as well as client and department level Teams.  
  • Teams will offer some substantial advantages over Skype for Business including a fully unified messaging platform. This means all communications will be available to review on all devices. No more missing IM’s from the computer or from the phone.  

What is remaining in Skype vs moving to Teams? 

  • The telephony services and Meetings will remain in Skype for the short-term. Both Telephony and Meetings functionality will move to Teams in 2020 – likely 1 to 3 months in the future. Global IT is coordinating this as it is a worldwide project. The infrastructure is being setup and tested in Teams now but is not yet built for production use so should remain in Skype for now.
  • Other communication (IM, group chat, internal calls and screen shares) are moving to Teams.  

What Teams will I be included in by default?  

We are planning a limited set of Teams to focus on BU & Group function, office level Teams and Teams based on clients or for some BU’s department level groups.  

What if we want other Teams? 

  • Talents are asked not to create any new Teams without the assistance of IT. We would like to ensure IT staff can support the Teams for the US offices and adhere to a naming convention.  
  • We would also like to avoid Teams sprawl. It can be very daunting to be included on too many Teams so we want to start slow but can add new Teams as needed. 

What are the next steps? 

There is a rolling set of trainings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3pm EDT through March. Anyone can join. We will keep it short to a 30-minute overview and these will be. Join using the meeting info below. 

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting  

+1 571-360-4739  United States, Arlington (Toll) / Conference ID: 894 547 441#  

You will start to see emails from MS Teams. These welcome emails will be distributed as we populate Teams.  

What if I am busy Tuesdays and Thursdays for the meetings or a self-paced learner? 

If there is a need, we can reschedule a couple of these to another time to accommodate. There are also a number of items we have created already including a Teams overview document here and one of the initial trainings recorded here. 

 

 

 

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