In this article you will discover the features and how Microsoft Teams works. A fundamental integrated application to manage remote work.
The Coronavirus epidemic has made clear the importance of smart working and remote working, a solution that in many cases can offer several advantages. For example, it is possible to reduce operational costs, decrease the environmental impact of the company, speeding up cooperation between collaborators, employees and managers. Let's see how Microsoft Teams works, an integrated application with which to better manage remote work.
What is Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a multimedia platform, a telematics structure that allows you to manage telework and smart working teams. In particular, it is a series of technologies for companies and professionals, with which it is possible to simplify the organization and coordination of remote work.
The American company offers two versions, a free basic one with some restrictions, the other instead a paid and fully customizable, to adapt the interface and functionality to the needs of your business. In the standard free option are included some basic services, such as video calls, online chat, collaborations in the applications of the Office package and a certain storage space in the cloud.
How Microsoft Teams works
To access the Microsoft Teams service you can start with a free plan, just go to the official website of the company and sign up for the program. To register, it is essential to have a Microsoft account, or an Outlook email address. At this point you need to download the package for the installation of the application, to be loaded into your PC.
Alternatively you can use the web version, accessing from the Microsoft portal to take advantage of the services included directly online. In addition, there is also an app for mobile devices, compatible with Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple Store. Of course, not all features are available in the app, in fact, a limited version is provided with all the most important options.
After activating Microsoft Teams you can create work teams, inviting people into the platform, creating custom profiles for each. The only requirement is to have a Microsoft email account, otherwise you can activate one for free, without any additional cost.
Microsoft Teams: chat, meetings and other features
After building a work team on Microsoft Teams, you can use all the services included in the free package, or in the paid plan you purchased. For example, you can organize virtual meetings, in which each member of the team can participate remotely live, just by having a compatible webcam.
According to your needs, the online meeting can also be without video, thus activating only the audio system with appropriate microphones. The program allows you to make various settings, to configure the graphic interface of the screen and control the flow of data. During the session it is also possible to share files and documents, such as resources in Word, Excel and PowerPoint presentations.
Another feature of Microsoft Teams is live chats, to communicate at any time with each team participant remotely. The chats can be individual or group, you can send GIFs, emoji and stickers, or split the screen to show all members of the professional conversation on the display.
With the Microsoft Teams platform you can also create tabs, to match each task with specific projects. This allows you to organize everything more accurately, for optimal management of every chat and meeting carried out. La configurazione del pannello di controllo è abbastanza semplice e intuitiva, con diversi permessi e autorizzazioni come amministratore o membro.
Quanto costa Microsoft Teams
Come abbiamo visto Microsoft Teams è disponibile nella versione di base gratuita, un’opportunità concreta per coordinare piccole squadre e semplici attività di smart working. Questa versione free include diversi servizi, tra cui quelli principali sono:
- 300 utenti;
- allegati fino a 2GB;
- 10 GB di spazio in cloud;
- chat e messaggi;
- accesso a 250 app integrate Teams;
- riunioni dal vivo.
In alternativa, per necessità più avanzate, Microsoft propone due piani tariffari a pagamento, Essentials con un prezzo a partire da 4,20 euro al mese a persona e Premium con un costo da 10,50 euro al mese per ogni utente. Both options require an annual subscription, and the prices shown are exclusive of VAT.
The paid versions of Microsoft Teams include differentiated services, such as cloud storage space of up to 1TB or unlimited, specific apps to increase productivity and advanced security systems. At the same time, you can get dedicated support, with more sophisticated tools for managing the platform with administrator access.