If you are using Microsoft Teams, then you may already know what can happen when the gates are opened before putting the proper controls and policies in place. Without a Microsoft Teams governance strategy, organizations can experience immense Teams sprawl, confusion on where data should reside, and concern over the secure control of corporate information.
With a Microsoft Teams governance strategy, you can:
- Streamline the deployment of Teams by defining the clear objective for its use and mapping out the structure.
- Keep data secure and stay compliant with expiration and retention policies that manage the lifecycle of a team.
- Avoid user adoption confusion, data sprawl, and ensure the greatest return on your Teams license investment.
When it comes to putting together a Microsoft Teams governance strategy, it is extremely important to keep in mind that there is far more to Teams than just IM, file sharing, and video conferencing. Teams is interconnected to the full Microsoft 365 ecosystem. You own the tools; be sure to take the time to understand and use them. iV4 and ProArch can help you get the most from your Microsoft Teams license investment and figure out the right add-on phone plans, without it being overwhelming.
To help you get started here are three Microsoft Teams governance best practices:
Understand your business requirements across departments for communication and collaboration both internally and externally and how the Microsoft 365 suite of tools can help you be most efficient. Defining the use of these applications and the data flow in the organization can significantly improve the overall efficiency and limit the time it takes for people to gather and disseminate data.
Develop policies for data protection and use security labels to classify the confidential information shared over Teams to ensure it does not end up in the wrong hands and compliance requirements are met.
Create guidelines and define processes around sites, teams, and channel creation. This should include company-wide team and channel naming conventions, permissions, roles, and guest access. Defining who can create a team and how to properly set it up will control Teams sprawl.
Many companies focus on the adoption portion of a Teams implementation and leave governance as an afterthought. ProArch’s Microsoft Teams Governance Plan Development includes the creation of a formal governance plan, with policies and procedures, around the use of Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
More helpful Teams resources:
- Microsoft Teams User Resources & Services
- Blog: Microsoft Teams License Options
- Blog: Quick Tips for Getting Started With and Using Microsoft Teams
- Watch webinar on-demand: How To Use Microsoft Teams as Your Business Phone
