By Stephanie Baskerville on September 24, 2018

Microsoft Teams Roadmap: A Brief Guide

 

In one of our recent blog posts, we talked briefly about the Microsoft Teams roadmap, which is Microsoft’s plans for moving Skype for Business over to Microsoft Teams as a part of their new vision for Intelligent Communications in Office 365. Microsoft’s decision will affect all current Skype for Business users, so in this blog, we’ll talk more about the Microsoft Teams roadmap in an effort to help you get ready for this transition.

 

Microsoft Teams Roadmap: New Timelines Proposed

As of October 1st, 2018, if you are a new Office 365 customer with 500 users or less, you’ll be onboarded directly to Microsoft Teams, with no access to Skype for Business Online.

If you’re already using Skype for Business Online, you’ll be able to continue doing so (including adding new users to your tenant) right up until you complete your transition over to Microsoft Teams. Some automatic upgrades from Skype for Business online to Teams will be available for direct customers of Microsoft. If that’s your organization (and you didn’t go through a Microsoft partner), be sure your Office 365 administrators start checking for these automatic upgrades from November 1st, 2018 onward. Notifications will come either via email, or through the Office 365 Message Centre.

If you’ve been working with a Microsoft Partner, like ProServeIT, get in touch with them to start planning your upgrade. Not sure how to get started? Contact our experts today for some more help.

 

Microsoft Teams Roadmap: New Communication Features Added to Teams

Updated messaging capabilities, Cloud-based meeting recording, and calling are just a few of the newest features that Microsoft has rolled out as part of their Microsoft Teams roadmap. Here are these new features in greater detail:

  • Messaging: Teams is able to offer your users unified messaging capabilities, including in-line translation abilities that can help your team members hold conversations in their native languages.
  • Meetings: Need to record a meeting? Need to host a meeting for up to 250 participants? Need to host meetings across multiple organizations? Teams now provides all these capabilities, and more! Like dial-in fallback support, which lets people join a meeting even if they’re having network issues, or the new meeting lobby that gives you the chance to qualify anyone who’s dialed into the meeting before they join.
  • Calling: With Teams, you can take advantage of several calling features, like call queues, auto-attendant, forwarding calls to groups, out of office support, and more. Also, you can bring your own telephone service to Teams using Direct Routing.

 

Microsoft Teams Roadmap: Resources and Tools to Make The Move

In the past few weeks, Microsoft has made sure to release various resources, tools, and guidance in order to help their current Skype for Business online customers to upgrade to Teams. If your organization is currently using Skype for Business, take a look at these resources below:

 

Be Proactive and Move to Teams – Let Us Help You!

Microsoft Teams is now your complete meeting and calling solution, allowing you to meet your messaging, meeting, and calling needs as soon as you transition. Over 200,000 organizations are currently using Teams, so why not join them and move to Teams today?

ProServeIT is your expert for getting started. We can help you along your Microsoft Teams roadmap journey. Join our Skype to Teams webinar to have your questions answered or get in touch with our expert team today!

Microsoft Teams Roadmap

 

Published by Stephanie Baskerville September 24, 2018