Three years ago, Microsoft launched Teams, a powerful component of Office 365 (now Microsoft 365), ushering in the next phase of cloud-based collaboration. Now, with the majority of employees working from home, the service and providers that support Microsoft 365 prove more essential than ever. Organizations around the world depend on Microsoft 365 for remote work. They tap into its robust and secure options for online meetings and collaboration.
Feature-Rich Video Conferencing
Online meetings help to bridge the gap created by social distancing, bringing team members into a virtual conference room. Because much of communication depends on nonverbal cues, video conferencing boosts engagement and improves morale. And Microsoft Teams includes a host of features, such as the following, to take online meetings to the next level.
- Variable meeting size – Hold a one to one meeting, gather your team together or even host a live event for up to 10,000 participants.
- Meeting recording and transcription – Record meetings and take advantage of the automatic transcription option. Team members who missed the meeting or need to review for clarification can access the recordings and transcriptions at their convenience. Security tools provide encryption and control access to recordings and notes.
- Tools to improve focus – Teams now includes both background blur and noise suppression, minimizing distractions from kids, pets and other household noise.
- AI for assistance – AI tools help identify the right information to share before and during a meeting. Additional tools can take meeting notes, manage action items and even monitor the meeting for negative behaviors.
- Quick and easy audio only – Participants with limited internet connectivity (or those having a bad hair day) can join online meetings via audio.
- Ability to include outside participants – Easily include external guests in your meeting by emailing them a link. They simply click the link, without any need to download Teams or a plug-in.
Collaborate Seamlessly with Microsoft 365 for Remote Work
In addition to online meetings, Microsoft 365 provides a host of tools to help team members collaborate over distance. Cloud-based storage in OneDrive and SharePoint makes coauthoring documents easy. Universal cloud availability ensures that all team members have access to the latest document version.
- Gathering spot for all related information – Store all information related to a meeting in a Teams meeting thread, made secure with encryption and permissions. This can include recordings and meeting notes, as well as agendas and related documents.
- Integration with Microsoft 365 – Teams includes full integration with all the collaboration features of Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). For instance, you can message team members or collaborate on a document without leaving the meeting.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 enables communication in the way that makes most sense, from email to chat to video conferencing. And you can switch from one communication method to another in an instant. For example, you can open a chat within Microsoft Word while editing a document and then click the video button to initiate a video call when needed.
Security and Privacy You Can Count On
With concerns surfacing over the security of Zoom video conferencing, the security and privacy controls in Microsoft 365 for remote work can give you peace of mind. For example, Microsoft provides for conditional access policies that require multi-factor authentication for risky situations.
Additional security tools include encryption of data in transit and at rest, as well as data loss prevention to protect from leakage of sensitive data. And device management solutions allow you to apply appropriate policies to endpoints, even in BYOD scenarios.
Security controls for video conferencing allow you to define different levels of access for various participants. For instance, you can specify whether an outside participant can join a meeting directly or wait to be admitted. Likewise, meeting organizers control who has the ability to share and access content, including recordings.
eMazzanti Provides Tools for Remote Work
At eMazzanti, we provide the tools and expertise to help you transition smoothly from the office to working from home. In addition to Microsoft 365 for remote work, we can help you implement business phone services and secure connectivity solutions. Call us now to schedule a free, one-hour consultation to determine how Microsoft Teams can keep you competitive.
