Connect and collaborate with Microsoft Teams

Good news! Microsoft Teams desktop application has been rolled out. With over 82 per cent (since the rollout of Friday 13 March) of ACU staff having access to the application, this rollout now means everyone has the opportunity to collaborate, manage documents, and chat with their colleagues. For more information, check out the IT Advisory email sent on Thursday 12 March.

To help get you started on your Teams journey, we wanted to share some of these handy Teams features.

Check out some of these handy Teams features

Microsoft Whiteboard
Liven up your online collaboration session by using Microsoft Whiteboard. You can work together to draw up diagrams, draft out plans and brainstorm (you’ll never get stuck with the half-dried marker) and then save your whiteboards straight to your Teams space. Whiteboard works with touch screens and mice, so you can collaborate and share ideas from anywhere.

Background blur
Working from anywhere isn’t always pretty. Save your colleagues from distraction (and your own dignity) with the background blur feature. Blur will help your meeting attendees focus on your face, and not on the laundry pile behind you!

Planner
Got a big project on the go? Plan and manage work across your team with the Microsoft Planner tab.

Files tab
Wouldn’t it be great if all your Team files were in one place? Microsoft Teams has got your back. You can build your own file storage structure, link to live documents, edit, search and download in one completely secure platform.

Wiki
Retain valuable knowledge and collaborate in real time by building a Microsoft Teams wiki. Wiki is a pre-formatted text document perfect for instructions, histories and processes. A good wiki will help your new people get up-to-speed, and keep everyone in the team on the same page. 

Getting help

Here are some good places to start if you’re ready to explore Teams:

• try out Microsoft’s tutorials via the Training tab in Teams
• we’ll list training opportunities on the IT Directorate SharePoint site to get you started with Teams
• if you need technical assistance with Microsoft Teams, contact Service Central on EXT 7272
• Change Champions across ACU are here to provide extra support and advice – here’s the full list of champions.

Our Service Central articles will help you use Teams for your meetings.

If you’re not ready to try out Teams, that’s okay. You’ll receive updates over the coming weeks and months to help you get the most out of Teams, but until then Skype for Business is still available, so you can take your time.

Already using Teams?

We’re keeping you up to date with the latest policies and processes. Check out ACU’s latest advice for Teams on the IT Updates on Workplace