Teams provides a centralized hub for teamwork, enabling users to chat, make audio and video calls, conduct virtual meetings, and share files and documents. It integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, allowing users to co-author and collaborate on documents in real-time. Teams also supports third-party app integrations, extending its functionality and enabling users to bring in external tools and services.
- Chat and messaging: Teams allows users to have one-on-one or group chats, send instant messages, and share files within a conversation. It supports threaded conversations, mentions, and emojis.
- Audio and video calls: Users can make voice and video calls within Teams, either one-on-one or in groups. Teams also supports screen sharing during calls, making it useful for remote collaboration and presentations.
- Meetings and video conferencing: Teams offers a robust meeting functionality, allowing users to schedule, join, and conduct online meetings. Meetings can include audio, video, screen sharing, and presentation features.
- Channels and teams: Teams are organized into channels, which are dedicated spaces for specific topics or projects. Within a team, members can collaborate, share files, and communicate within the designated channels.
- File sharing and collaboration: Teams provides integration with Microsoft's cloud storage service, OneDrive, allowing users to easily share and collaborate on files. Multiple team members can work on documents simultaneously and see real-time changes.
- App integrations: Teams supports integration with a wide range of third-party apps and services, such as project management tools, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and productivity apps. This allows users to bring external tools into the Teams platform.
- Security and compliance: Teams includes various security features, including data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with industry standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA.
Microsoft Teams is available for desktop (Windows and macOS), web, and mobile platforms (iOS and Android). It offers both free and paid plans, with the paid plans providing additional features and advanced administration capabilities.