Dataprise, a consummate Managed Service Provider (MSP) and proud Microsoft partner, recently reviewed the most important features of New Teams to help everyone get a better sense of why changes were made and what organizations can do to extract more value from its many layers.  

Rollout Timelines  

Microsoft began the process of sunsetting classic Teams March 31^st, 2024. Depending on the “Use New Teams Client” policy your organization has set in the admin center, your organization may fall on two different timelines.  

For companies set to follow the Microsoft-controlled New Teams policy, New Teams will automatically be installed and set as the default app for users not already using it. After 14 days have passed, Classic Teams will be uninstalled.  

For companies using other policies—New Teams not enabled or Classic Teams as default—those policies will be overridden, and New Teams will become the default with users still able to switch between New and Classic Teams for a limited time.  

There are exceptions to these two main timelines, so organizations with special tenants like GCC, GCCH, or DoD or using VDI should investigate the updated timelines from Microsoft. New Teams affects the desktop and web apps, with no major changes planned for the mobile app at this time.  

Why Microsoft Is Automatically Installing New Teams  

There are a few key reasons why Microsoft is pushing New Teams:  

• Installs/loads faster: It’s easier to jump from one tool to the next without lag, making it a more seamless experience for the user.  
• Efficiency: New Teams runs faster while taking up less CPU. This helps your equipment run more efficiently.  
• Intuitive: Microsoft Teams is rolling out more intuitive features across the board, including the ability to link multiple accounts.  

Organizations may all use Teams differently depending on their priorities and workflow, but these changes were made based on broad feedback and requests. Despite the inevitable initial discomfort for some users, New Teams is poised to solve far more problems than it creates.  

How to Prepare  

While New Teams offers many new features to help you work more efficiently, there will still be a learning curve for many employees. Getting to know these changes before they’re set in stone will make it easier to transition from Classic Teams to New Teams.  

Settings  

The Settings of Microsoft Teams can be reached by clicking the three dots in the right-hand corner of the application. If the light, bright new look and feel of New Teams doesn’t feel quite right for you, you can visit the Appearance and Accessibility settings to change your theme to Classic, which brings back some of the iconic purple design elements from Classic Teams and may make the program instantly more familiar and easier to navigate.  

Microsoft will automatically migrate your default settings from classic Teams, though users are encouraged to check out the newest setting features available to them. Adjusting your settings can make it easier to organize and optimize your workflow.  

Channels  

Channels were redesigned in New Teams to put the most updated information right up front. In classic Teams, new posts were at the bottom, but they’ve now been moved to the top. Just like before, you can create regular posts or, for more important information, create eye-catching headlines with the help of the announcement feature. (If you’re no so sure about this new layout yet, you can use the three dots at the top of the channel to revert to the classic Teams structure of posts at the bottom.)  

Users can also now find quick summaries of channels, including the list of current members and pinned posts in the Channel Details pane, available at the top right of each channel. Posts can be docked in the Channel Details pane for easier access to team members. 

In addition, Loop Components, which are shareable content blocks that can be shared and edited across many Microsoft 365 apps, have been added to Channels (previously only accessible via Chats). These features can help leaders and teammates provide more structure when making ad-hoc requests to different team members.  

Chats  

In New Teams, it’s now possible to forward information from one chat to another. This can come in handy when sharing information from one-on-one chats to group chats so everyone can get up to speed. With New Teams, users can also send up to a minute-long screen recording (handy for fast tutorials). For those who love to express themselves in chat, they can also customize their quick-select reaction emojis, making it more seamless to react to peers in using the emojis that speak to you and your style.  

Meetings  

If you schedule a lot of virtual meetings, you might be able to take advantage of more readily accessible templates for different types of meetings like webinars or virtual appointments using the drop-down menu next to the New Meeting button on the Calendar page. These templates can save you time by automatically editing some of the meeting options to match the style of meeting you want to host (e.g., who can bypass the lobby, which invitees have screen-sharing privileges, etc.). It’s easy to deploy templates for different types of meetings, and it’s possible to edit the meeting options before and after the invite is sent (and even during the meeting if necessary). 

In Teams, starting a new meeting is as simple as clicking a button, choosing a video background, and starting the camera. To improve the visual experience for users, Microsoft added new background options, including animated backdrops, fun filters, and portrait blur. Users can also create up to three virtual avatars for use during meetings.  

Finally, the New Teams comes with many different meeting views and experiences. It’s now possible to see up to 9 video feeds on the screen in a meeting, regardless of the browser they’re using. Previously, users on the Teams web app were limited to four. Organizations can also take advantage of the Immersive Spaces in Teams, which simulates face-to-face interactions. There are two more formal meeting spaces as well as a casual lakehouse space where coworkers can relax and connect with one another using their avatars.  

Annotation Experience 

New Teams takes screensharing a bit further with the option for live annotations to help everyone understand a concept or what’s expected of them. You can annotate alone or give everyone the option to draw on your screen, giving each user a trackable cursor so employees know who is making the changes. 

There are a few limitations to the annotation feature. For instance, it’s currently not available in recordings, nor is there an intuitive way to save the changes as the meeting presenter (we recommend inviting a friend to take a screenshot from their end). However, Microsoft may be rolling out new functionality as soon as May, so organizations may see helpful adjustments in the very near future.  

New Applications for Organization  

In classic Teams, organizing information from meetings, particularly if they took place several months ago, was labor-intensive. Now, New Teams comes with the Meet app, where it’s easier to view meeting chats, search by keywords, and pin down files from meetings. It’s also easier to clean up your chat area as you no longer have to pin conversations to save the most important information from different meetings.  

In the new People app, you can find and pin your favorite contacts. While this is not new in Teams, New Teams makes it easier to list everyone, prioritize close colleagues, and still preserve even the most distant acquaintances or contacts in easily accessible places. 

In the OneDrive app, you can now access and work on all your files directly in Teams, even those in collaborative spaces. 

While there is still no monthly view in New Teams, Microsoft did add an Agenda option where users can see up to several weeks of all their appointments.  

Multi-Account Experience  

For organizations who collaborate in many Teams environments, it can get frustrating to keep everything straight. With the Multi-Account Experience in Teams, you can organize your work accounts and guest accounts for easy access and tracking. Click into chats, access files, and receive alerts without having to keep multiple browsers open.  

If you get a notification in an account you’re not currently in, New Teams allows you to click on banner notifications to respond in a flyout window. If you decide to come back later, the notification icon remains until you engage with it, so you don’t forget to get back to your colleagues in other accounts.  

One key drawback of the Multi-Account Experience is that you will still need to manually update your presence status and status message individually in each account to ensure everyone knows when you’re available and when you’re not. You can set custom durations for your presence and status message though, which can make it easier to tell everyone that you’ll be busy until a certain time.  

How an MSP like Dataprise Can Help  

Microsoft Teams may be easier to use now thanks to their latest rollout, but there will inevitably be questions about how to best use its many features within organizations. At Dataprise, the team has already been seeing plenty of inquiries about not just New Teams, but other Microsoft programs that are set to be unveiled in the very near future—like New Planner and New Outlook. 

Dataprise’s Training Services Team can help you develop a plan to help your users get ready for what’s ahead. User Training Specialists at Dataprise are busy testing out the capabilities and workarounds to share helpful tips and tricks with leaders who don’t want to waste any time.  

Microsoft is a juggernaut in IT thanks to the company’s ability to change with the times. While there are still some drawbacks to using Teams, the Dataprise staff are confident that their newest features are all moving in the right direction. If you’re looking for a partner that can support your networks and infrastructure, we’re here to fill in the gaps and give your IT staff back more time to focus on what they do best.  Contact us to see how Dataprise can help your team adjust to the new Teams!

The post What’s New in New Teams: a User Guide to Making the Switch  appeared first on Dataprise.

This quest to improve has led to an increasing number of tech tools being piled on, some of which are abandoned relatively quickly. The more tools firms add, though, the more complicated it gets. When it comes to communication, collaborations, and efficiency, Dataprise recommends Microsoft Teams as a solution, particularly when you need your platform to do several things at once.

Why should Law Firms Use Microsoft Teams?

With all of the other solutions around, including ever-present Google options and popular Zoom options, Microsoft Teams has proven to be reliable and, more importantly, cultivated specifically as a law firm software. Accessible in-browser, through desktop apps, and mobile devices, colleagues and clients alike have an easy way to stay in touch.

Instant messaging, quick conversations, long meetings: Microsoft Teams gives law firms an easy way to invite guests, share screens, schedule last-minute briefings, and participate in live chats. Of course, any law firm collaboration software should ideally be more than just messaging. When implemented correctly, it can actually be the central nervous system of the firm.

Collaboration Challenges Solved By Microsoft Teams

Lawyers are used to working on their own, and this isn’t a new phenomenon by any stretch. Collaboration can sometimes mean a sacrifice in profits, which has led legal professionals to solve issues on their own. However, in the modern system, it requires more than one person to get things done.

Microsoft Teams encourages people to work together, which can inspire more trust and teamwork on a larger scale. It streamlines everything down into one channel (instead of having to keep track of multiple requests from multiple sources), which can also cut through confusion for everyone.

Features of Microsoft Teams

As a law firm collaboration platform, Teams for legal firms features the following capabilities:

• Webinars, video conferencing, and online meetings are accessible through one-touch join.
• Voice and video calling are available across all devices (even a desk phone). Use either voice-over-internet services or traditional phone services to conference, manage, route, or integrate calls. Some law firms could replace their current phone system entirely with this small law firm legal software.
• Use messages to chat with individuals or groups. Work on documents and files with Microsoft 365 as you’re working with colleagues.
• Share files and collaborate on projects in real time. Sync with version tracking, so you can see the changes to any given document. Set permissions on important files, so you keep your data protected.
• Channels: Create channels for teams, departments, or specialties. This attorney software helps reduce distraction and keep everyone on the same page.
• Calendar: Track your meetings and calls with the Teams’ calendar. Sync your calendars with colleagues to avoid unnecessary cancellations.
• Tasks: The Tasks Bot allows you to create new tasks from chat messages. It makes it easier to track, so you don’t miss anything.

Teams makes it possible to bring people in, so if you have an outside organization that should participate in one of your channels, it would be simple for them to jump in and get working. It’s also simple to integrate teams into your other apps and software. The versatility and functionality of this law firm software is really designed to keep a firm running without the hiccups.

Use Teams’ Governance Policies to Protect Data

After repeated requests, Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Solution for Legal to ensure they had covered all their bases — particularly when it came to blind subpoenas. They installed additional controls to ensure that law firms were complying with the many laws that apply to their industry.

Microsoft offers Double Key Encryption, which renders all of your information unreadable in the cloud. The key to unlock this information is stored in your data center (with Microsoft Azure holding the other key). This satisfies even the strictest data governance policies (even if it can limit other services and processes within Microsoft). The team over at Microsoft Teams has admitted that their controls weren’t designed for those in the legal profession. However, after repeated requests, they have reworked their tools to ensure that their law firm collaboration software doesn’t break protocol.

Attorney Software That Works

It’s easy to be skeptical of adding a new platform that everyone has to get used to. At least with what you have now, people are comfortable with its limitations. However, whether you have a remote work law firm or not, it’s not helping anyone to settle for a system that isn’t working. Microsoft Teams may take some time to implement, but once you do, the benefits are noticeable and immediate. It translates to more productivity and profits when people can actively work together.

Learn more about Dataprise’s IT Services for Law Firms and download our brochure below.

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Chances are you’ve done at least one, if not all, of the above today. Virtual communication is an integral part of everyone’s daily life, both personal and professional. From simple “Hi, how are you” calls to Mom and Dad to conference calls with prospective clients on the other side of the country, we all rely on carrier and telephony services day in and day out. And when it comes to a businesses’ carrier and telephony services, having a system that has the least downtime and fosters the most efficiency and productivity is critical. But unlike the calls you make in your daily routine, finding the right carrier and telephony solutions for your business isn’t just a phone call away…or is it?

Get the Most Out of Carrier and Telephony Solutions

If you’re looking for the best way to get the most out of your carrier and telephony solutions, it’s time to consider a telecommunications consultant. Just like an IT consultant, a telecommunications consultant will work with you to find the best solutions for your business and ensure that you’re getting the most efficient and effective services for your budget. Here are a few more benefits to using telecommunication consulting companies:

1. Spend Time Running Your Business, Not Vetting Vendors

Time is a precious thing, and when you add up the countless hours that could be spent calling providers, comparing plans, and working with different sales reps, the time it takes to research and find carrier and telephony solutions can quickly add up. Wouldn’t it be easier if an expert could handle that for you and provide a deliverable outlining the best solutions for business objectives? By utilizing third-party telecommunication consulting companies, you can spend time focusing on your business rather than doing countless hours of research and calling vendor after vendor. A telecommunications consultant has extensive knowledge on different providers’ strengths and weakness and will provide in-depth overviews of the best options for your business and work with you to implement and manage your carrier and telephony solutions.

2. Increase Cost-Savings and Productivity

When’s the last time you’ve taken a look at a carrier or telecom invoice? Do you fully understand each charge and service that’s being paid for? With a telecommunications consultant, an expert can provide a telecommunications price review to ensure your business is getting the most bang for its telephony buck. They can analyze invoices and contracts to make sure not only that you are fully using the services you are being charged for, but can find opportunities to utilize communications products and services that allow your business to be more productive and efficient while staying within budget. Additionally, a telecommunications consultant will have a wide range of relationships with partners that they can utilize to make sure your business is getting the best price possible.

3. Make Educated Decisions

Are you ready to move to a VOIP/Cloud Solution? Are circuits being provided or are you bringing your own? Do you know how much bandwidth is needed now and in the future? Education is key in deciding upon a carrier or telephony solution and can play a large role in picking a solution that will fit your business long-term. It’s important to understand what carrier and telephony solutions and features can grow with your business and which ones will cause more headaches and risks for downtime. Third-party telecommunication consulting companies can work with you to ask the right questions of vendors and ensure that solutions will adequately integrate with and support your business.

4. Leave the Long-Term Heavy Lifting Behind 

Working with telecommunication consultant companies not only saves time during the decision-making process, but also relieves you of the heavy lifting long-term. Rather than working with various vendors and handling each on your own, a third-party consultant serves as your one point of contact and manages those relationships for you. Have a problem with your internet? Rather than spending hours on hold trying to talk to your provider, a telecom consultant will handle that for you. They will also handle contract negotiation, solution design, configuration implementation and continued support across each vendor, removing stress and finger-pointing from the process.

5. Ensure a Smooth Process from Start to Finish 

By picking the right telecommunication consulting companies, you can ensure that your carrier and telephony solution is smooth from start to finish. A good telecom consultant will work with you from beginning to end to make sure your organization meets its carrier and telephony goals. Additionally, if you choose to work with a telecom consultant who is part of an IT managed services provider, implementation and support can be made even easier. Using an MSP for carrier and telephony needs means that they will have the expertise to configure your LAN and firewall properly to ensure your implementation is successful.

Get a Competitive Edge with Telecommunication Consulting Companies

Using the right carrier and telecommunication consulting companies can give your business a competitive edge and a telecommunications consultant can help you make the most of your telecom implementation services.

Contact Dataprise for Expert Telecom Consultation

Interested in learning more? Contact us today to find out how your business can succeed with carrier, telecommunication, and managed collaboration services.

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Today, employees are mobile and your staff may be located all over the country. In order to foster team collaboration, your business needs flexible business communication tools that enable quick teamwork to solve business problems. 

Communication Tools that Drive Collaboration

Effective employee collaboration relies on convenient tools that encourage team members to share information, as well as plan and innovate together. However, many businesses lack the communication equipment their teams need to collaborate efficiently.

Your employees access information from their desks, laptops, cell phones, and a variety of other devices and locations. To share that information they use email or separate web applications that require additional steps to use. Even with web conferencing, the personal cell phones that remote employees rely on may not be connected to the company’s main phone system to join a conversation.

Your current phone system may have limitations for both you and your team that hinder collaboration. It’s drastically more difficult for remote employees to access company systems for conferencing and voicemail with personal landlines and cell phones. Thankfully, there’s a relatively simple way to solve that problem: implementing a company-owned communication system that’s flexible, mobile, and collaborative.

Functional and Professional Tools to Connect Employees

A unified communication system encourages collaboration between team members. Utilizing a basic Internet connection, it becomes easier to receive company calls, access corporate voicemail, and setup virtual conferences. It takes only one click to start a meeting or share a document rather than having separate emails, links, and phone numbers that interrupt the flow of conversation. 

Traditional phone systems often restrict collaboration because of their limited mobile capability, resulting in lost money, lost productivity, and lost opportunities. Plus, you may be paying more for multiple carriers and disparate systems. Cloud communication systems give you a continuous connection to your partners, co-workers, customers, and suppliers from almost any location at which your employees work, and opens the door for improved collaboration.  

Encourage your employees to connect and collaborate with a unified communication system. Contact Dataprise today to learn how your business can benefit from cloud communications.

The post Connect & Collaborate: Empower Your Business with Unified Communications appeared first on Dataprise.

Today’s organizations must find ways to empower all of their employees to work effectively and efficiently from any location at any time. It is estimated that up to half of workforces will be working outside of traditional offices by 2020, and your business will need to adapt. Your phone system needs to support your business. If you want to unify your communications system with the changing work environment, it’s time to consider migrating to the cloud.

Your Phone System and the Changing Workforce

Workplaces need to meet the changing demands of your employees and customers which includes having a phone system that supports the new-age workforce. Cloud technology allows the kind of flexibility towards which the workplace is moving. With a cloud phone system, you can hire staff wherever and whenever you need them, and ensure they are able to connect consistently and professionally. 

Meet Your Employees Where They Are

Cloud phone systems allow team members to receive company calls, access corporate voicemail, and setup virtual conferences from a basic Internet connection. When employees step out of the office, calls can be forwarded and certain features can be accessed from their cell phone. Traditional phone systems often hinder remote workers’ communication effectiveness due to their limited mobile capabilities. This often results in lost money, decreased productivity, and big headaches. Even worse, businesses often pay more for traditional phone systems in the form of equipment maintenance and outages.

Unified communication systems create an overall user experience that makes people feel like part of the team, wherever they are. If you want to unify your communications system with your business, employees, and customers, then it’s time to make the switch to a cloud phone system. Contact us today to see what moving to a cloud phone system can do for your business.

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