Microsoft Teams

What differentiates Microsoft Teams from other similar products?

Co-editing (like Google Docs) is a big win in collaboration. Plus, features for instant messaging, and more organizing of groups (private & company wide). Plus utilizing 3rd party Apps integration such as Zoom, Egnyte to name a couple. This product continuously evolves for the better. There are a lot of great features, which are many to list.

What is your favorite aspect of this product?

We use this product in Real Estate on the IT side to better organize our new Property Development for onboarding (IT wise), and it makes the flow so much easier. The other item would be that we converted all of our expensive (and limited) Polycom conference rooms into Teams rooms (uses touchscreen tap). Much easier to manage and utilize.

What do you dislike most about this product?

Microsoft is always changing their licensing tiers and makes them a nightmare for IT staff. There's too much time and research involved to make sure you have the right product features. I'd say training would be another item Microsoft should focus on such as Teams phones, Teams phone licenses, plus never-ending changed to Teams Room licenses.

What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?

This product has a lot of features, plus essential integrations, plus it doesn't break the bank. It's easy to use/setup once Azure AD has all employees and data integrated.

What differentiates Microsoft Teams from other similar products?

Simply put: you can implement Wire if your #1 interest is privacy and security. Or, you can implement Google Workspace if you can live with reasonable security/privacy and easy widespread adoption and authentication. Who doesn't already have a Gmail account, these days?

What is your favorite aspect of this product?

In fairness I'm not a fan of MSFT teams and have wholesale loss of confidence so it would be disingenuous to say I had a favorite option.

What do you dislike most about this product?

It's management from the mess of a system called Azure. You will pull your hair out trying to manage it, and waste a lot of time configuring it for clients to self manag themselves only to eventually arrive at some embarrassing roadblock that will force you to send out a hat-in-hand update that you're rolling out a new product that everyone needs to get on board with. Out your best foot forward from the start and stay away from MSFT products.

What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?

Don't do it.

What differentiates Microsoft Teams from other similar products?

With its seamless integration into the Microsoft 365 suite, Microsoft Teams distinguishes itself from other products of a similar nature and offers a comprehensive and coherent digital office experience. A unified platform is created by its powerful capabilities, including video conferencing, chat, file sharing, and collaboration tools, for effective teamwork. Further enhancing productivity and customization choices are its broad integration features with third-party apps and services.

What is your favorite aspect of this product?

One valuable feature of Microsoft Teams is its ability to effortlessly connect with various Microsoft 365 applications, such as Github, as well as Atlassian products like Jira and Confluence. This seamless integration enables streamlined collaboration with multiple teams from a single platform, simplifying the workflow and enhancing productivity.

What do you dislike most about this product?

In certain instances, Microsoft Teams experiences lag during video calls and does not function optimally in areas with low internet connectivity. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of reducing latency and enhancing performance, particularly in low internet areas.

What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?

When considering Microsoft Teams, it is advisable to thoroughly explore its collaboration features, integrations, and compatibility with existing workflows. If managing a remote team, this tool is highly recommended. Ensuring reliable internet connectivity is crucial for optimal performance, and utilising training resources can help maximize the benefits of this powerful collaboration platform.