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Right now, companies are racing to digitally transform their operations. As they grapple with new workflows and methods of communication, security risks and workflow inefficiencies are left overlooked.
Microsoft Teams (Teams) is a robust platform that can increase end-user productivity by elevating communication and collaboration in your Modern Workplace. Teams can deliver a variety of tools to your users, to help them work efficiently and effectively. It can mitigate security risks, integrate with your existing suite of tools, improve scheduling experiences and boost employee satisfaction.
Threat and Vulnerability Management
Timely identification, assessment, and remediation of vulnerabilities are vital for a healthy security system. Microsoft Teams can help on all counts by lowering the organisations’ exposure to risk with a range of endpoint-protection technologies that improve worldwide visibility of applications.
Instead of using third-party standalone software to mitigate threats, it leverages integrated solutions to highlight critical standpoints requiring urgent attention. Using an in-built security system also reduces the need for building access points, further mitigating the chances of cyber threats.
When it comes to end-user productivity, Microsoft Teams ensures that all user information is fully integrated with Microsoft endpoint security stack and application analytics knowledge base. This makes users more comfortable in sharing and uploading data and resources to the cloud.
It is important to note here that 86% of organisations that use Microsoft Teams as part of Microsoft 365 said that Microsoft Teams has better privacy controls, and 88% said that it was now easier to share and communicate securely.
The following are some of the ways that Microsoft Teams can help organisations maintain a secure workflow system:
- Real-time endpoint detection and response (EDR) insights
- Linked device vulnerabilities
- Built-in remediation processes through Microsoft Intune and Configuration Manager to eliminate security gaps and blind spots
- Bridging gaps between the security and IT department with an effective remediation process that allows configurations assessments to reduce risks
- Ease of reporting threat issues through a standard dashboard that offers appropriate security measures
Integration With Secondary Applications And Tools
The Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse Survey reported that organisations recognise the need for their employees to deliver high-quality work through efficient means. However, this can put undue pressure on internal IT teams, leaving them struggling to provide solutions that improve end-user productivity and experience.
It is no wonder that businesses often fail to strike a balance between in-house and third-party applications, resulting in challenges related to costs, integration, and scaling. It also makes it challenging to secure data and ensure that all measures meet compliance requirements.
This is where Microsoft Teams steps in to make processes flow better. It integrates well with other M365 products to enhance productivity, allowing users quick access to various collaborative tools. This not only lets them communicate efficiently but also safeguards information and ensures organisation-wide adherence to compliance measures.
This results in:
Improved Quality Of On-Call Meetings
Microsoft Teams provide high-quality audio and video for online meetings, which reduces additional time spent addressing voice or quality issues. Studies show that the total time savings can equate to $6.9 million.
An All-In-One Repository Of Resources
Organisations that leverage Teams as part of their workflows reduce downtime by 14.6% due to easy online access from any device to tools and information.
Moreover, having to monitor different applications separately makes security and compliance easier.
No Need To Switch Between Applications
The ease of accessing third-party business apps inside Teams creates better employee cohesion, especially for remote workers. This can also encourage a shared corporate culture across locations, leading to better end-user productivity.
One of the best things about Microsoft Teams is its integration with other Microsoft 365 solutions, including Office Apps, Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive. It also allows users to customise their working experience through third-party apps and devices and work confidently with enterprise-level security and compliance measures.
Improved Scheduling Experience
Microsoft Teams brings desktop users and browser clients and enhanced scheduling experience. The new form retains previous features while adding further improvements to increase end-user productivity.
Some of the new features include:
- The ability to manage multiple departments and staff within a single workflow. You can add tenant users, guest users, job candidate interviews, and external recipients as meeting attendees through their email addresses
- A scheduling assistant tab to display availability information of all your appointments
- Attendee Calendars – If no channel is associated with a particular meeting, a meeting request is sent from the organiser’s mailbox to the attendee, who can then RSVP to the invitation
The Microsoft Teams productivity strategy is not just about bringing more efficiency but also about aggregating all M365 applications in one place to provide a seamless end-user experience.
Compliant with HIPAA and certified with HITRUST, Teams also allows organisations to conduct direct B2C meetings by integrating the new Bookings app. For example, healthcare providers can easily schedule virtual consultations with new Virtual Consults capabilities.
Features like SMS sign-ins can make it quick and easy for frontline workers to access Teams securely from their mobile devices and ensure continued productivity when they are on-site and in the field.
The report on the Economic Impact of Microsoft Teams says that Enterprise collaboration helps workers share information, have a discourse, coordinate and collaborate on projects, and build communities within, across, and outside the enterprise.
Improved customer experience and business agility are a natural result of linear and structured communication encoded in traditional business applications. It can only be enhanced by using the inherent collaboration technologies of Microsoft Teams that facilitate real work.
Additionally, using the Microsoft Graph API, organisations can also integrate the options for scheduling and meeting-join links into their unique workflows and applications.
Improved Work Culture and Employee Satisfaction
New business models are disrupting industries, and the increased use of technology has further reduced work time-frames. This means that organisations have to develop new ways of collaboration and innovation to get things done faster and better than ever before.
Microsoft Teams delivers on all counts as it allows employees to stay connected all the time – sharing new ideas has never been easier. This makes it possible for firms to tap into the unique skills and ideas brought forth by their workforce. Additionally, it also allows companies to employ remote workers and regulate their progress with ease and efficiency.
Microsoft Teams provides its users with a central location to access all the tools required for communication and teamwork. The integration of Microsoft Teams Business Phone even includes an option for a cloud-based telephone system. This allows for better engagement and increased end-user productivity and satisfaction.
According to a study conducted by Forrester Consulting, 42% of employees reported improved work experience after six months of using Microsoft Teams. A further 46% agreed that Teams created more clarity in communication processes.
The companies surveyed also reported that using Teams better connected them to the organisation as a whole. Young workers are mostly expected to work with the same modern IT technology and innovations that they experience in their personal lives. With in-built modern software, employee turnover and training costs were reduced from 11.8% to 11.4%.
In short, Microsoft Teams can help your business save time and money by presenting leading productivity solutions in one place.
Microsoft Teams deployment with Experteq
At Experteq, we can provide you with an end-to-end Teams solution. From planning to user adoption, we can assist you with implementing Teams in your organisation to boost end-user productivity.
If you would like to learn more about our offering, please visit our Microsoft Teams page and get in touch with us.
