June 29, 2021

Taming Microsoft Teams for the Long-Run

Microsoft Teams is evolving in many ways and so has the Digital Workplace. From going completely remote to adapting to a hybrid work environment, organizations have adopted and adapted to Microsoft Teams in different ways. But the chaos around engaging with the platform has been a common denominator for all.

In this blog, we will cover the common hurdles that arise when businesses let MS Teams run wild and go over remediation strategies that help regain control.

Learnings from the Past Year

In the past year, we have seen organizations work with Microsoft Teams and build strategies to make collaboration more efficient. We have seen active usage of the platform with now estimated about 145 million daily active users on Microsoft Teams. This number is growing exponentially and is skyrocketing faster than even Microsoft imagined.

A key takeaway is an organization must be prepared in what they are doing and how they are managing this vastly adopted and used tool to make it sustainable for the long run.

Another noteworthy realization has been that remote work is here to stay. As a lot of businesses have opened back up and they are still maintaining a hybrid work model. So, the presence of MS Teams is prominent when it comes to balancing such a dynamic digital workplace.

Shaping Collaboration

MS Teams is pivotal in shaping collaboration and productivity for end users. Here are some of the ways in which it has impacted workplace productivity:

Accessibility to Files: With files being stored in MS Teams, users are able to work on the go and from different locations and devices, no matter where they are or when they are.
Working Any Time: Users have the flexibility to work at their convenience and availability.
Reclusing to Chat: One-to-one chats have become increasingly common among users and they now need to be guided to utilize teams in MS Teams for more efficient communication and collaboration.
Staying Consistent: Staying consistent in the MS Teams environment was a common problem for organizations but with the use of templates, standardization became pivotal in improving employee experience.

The Role of Microsoft 365 Tools in MS Teams Management

Out-of-the-box (OOTB) Microsoft 365 tools have not proven to be sufficient to manage MS Teams setup or environment. For many, Microsoft Teams did not start with strict controls around the creation and overall management permissions, enabling it to turn into the wild wild west of Microsoft 365 applications.

So far, we are back to working with reactive IT teams as the MS Teams environment spins out of control. What we need is a proactive strategy that can pre-plan to prevent a messy deployment. Other issues that are causing chaos in organizations are the duplication of teams and forgotten MS Teams that are constantly adding to the unruly sprawl in Microsoft Teams. As of now, OOTB Microsoft 365 tools do not have capabilities in place to prevent the creation of duplicate MS Teams.

The Ultimate Taming Teams Tool: Orchestry

To rectify the issues many organizations have identified using Microsoft Teams you have Orchestry. Orchestry brings together Microsoft Teams and the real-world needs in a simple easy to use interface. Let us take a look at the many powerful ways that Orchestry proves to be the right fit:

Transparent and Balanced Governance

Orchestry’s informative Workspace Directory allows you to bring tagging in and set up your SharePoint & Teams in order. After installing Orchestry, you have the ability to bring in your existing teams and modern SharePoint sites into the Orchestry Workspace Directory and tag each one of the workspaces. By adding custom metadata, you have the ability to better organize your collaboration assets, you can even leverage your existing taxonomy such as Managed Metadata from SharePoint.

Screenshot - Office 365 Digital Directory — *Image: Orchestry Workspace Directory for Better MS Teams Management*

Standardization of MS Teams

It is frustrating for users to have an inconsistent experience between different teams workspaces, as it can cause a lot of confusion around what to use when and where to collaborate with other members. Orchestry can deliver Microsoft Teams and SharePoint sites to your users that are consistent, repeatable and help them get their tasks done more efficiently.

With Orchestry’s Pre-Built Workspace Templates, you can have your channels, tabs, backend SharePoint site and even documents preconfigured allowing everyone to have a streamlined experience across the platform.

customize microsoft teams templates with orchestry — *Image: Microsoft Teams Template Customization Capabilities with Orchestry*

Eliminates Confusion

Taking care of the confusion around ‘what to use when’ in Microsoft 365, Orchestry provides the option of creating Workspaces that address your business goals and requirements. You are empowered to create tailor-made Workspaces that are organized around the business problem you are trying to solve. Users even have the ability to customize and brand the Workspaces to better suit their organization’s culture and appeal to their users.

creating orchestry workspaces with microsoft teams templates — *Image: Using Microsoft Teams Templates from Orchestry*

Improving MS Teams Performance with Upcoming Features

Orchestry is currently releasing some very useful and much-awaited features that will soon be made public without the baggage of additional licensing fees. Some of the remarkable capabilities that are to impact Microsoft Teams users are:

Archival Policies: As simple as Orchestry’s approval workflows, these policies are built in to allow users to archive unutilized collaboration assets with ease based on the inactivity period or set end date.
Lifecycle Management: Orchestry will soon offer a history and tracking dashboard that allows you to see how the usage of a particular workspace has evolved over time.
Analytics and Insights: Actionable insights will be available in the unified interface of Orchestry, empowering users to make targeted decisions to improve the performance and engagement of MS Teams.

So what are you waiting for? Orchestry is here to make work simple in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and across Microsoft 365. There is only more to come with Orchestry and how it addresses the many challenges of a digital workplace. See Orchestry in action by requesting a free trial with us today!

Tag(s): How-to Guides Microsoft Teams

Orchestry Platform Guide

Provisioning & Templates Overview

Guest & User Management Overview

OneDrive Management Overview

Security & Permissions Feature Sheet

Reporting & Insights Feature Sheet

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Taming Microsoft Teams for the Long-Run