Microsoft Teams For Dummies. Rosemarie Withee

meetings. In Part 5, you learn about Teams administration. You might need to jump straight into Teams administration if you find yourself as an “accidental admin,” or you might want to start at the beginning of the book and build up your knowledge bit by bit. The book is designed so you can read the chapters and parts in any order and jump back and forth as you explore and use Teams.

      Part 1: Getting Started with Microsoft Teams

      In Part 1, you get up and running and using Teams in no time at all. You learn how to sign up for a trial Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, learn how to navigate around Teams, and learn how to start your first team.

      Part 2: Exploring Chat, Teams, Channels, and Apps

      In this part, you learn about some of the main features of Teams. You learn how to send messages to other people and groups using chats and channels. You also learn about third-party apps that build functionality into Teams. You learn how to find and install these add-on apps and how to use some of them.

      In this part, you also learn about using Teams on a mobile device so that you can stay connected regardless of where you are or what you are doing. And if being so connected sounds a bit creepy, you learn how to tame and mute the noise coming into Teams so that you are only as connected as you want to be. You learn how to stay up-to-date on the things you find important and tune out and save for later things that are less important.

      Finally, you learn about staying connected with people outside your organization.

      Part 3: Staying in Sync with Meetings and Conferencing

      Part 3 dives into the world of meetings and conferencing. You learn how to create new Teams meetings in your calendar, how to use Teams with the tried and true Outlook email and calendar client, and how to meet instantly with others when necessary.

      You also learn about some of the physical devices designed especially for Teams such as video cameras, phone systems, headsets, and speakerphones. These devices can make all of the difference when it comes to communicating and collaborating with others over the Internet or in person in a meeting room. This part walks you through some of the certified devices at your disposal.

      Part 4: Taking Communications to the Next Level with Voice

      In Part 4, you learn about how Teams can replace your office phone and organization’s entire phone system. You learn how you can obtain a phone number so you can call anyone else with a phone number through Teams and they can call you. You also learn how to set up Teams to be your personal operator and direct and deal with calls in the way you decide is best to configure it.

      Part 5: Becoming a Microsoft Teams Administrator

      Part 5 dives into the world of administration. Microsoft has created a website, known as the Teams Admin Center, where you can manage and administer Teams. This part gets you familiar with the Teams Admin Center and walks you through some of the common tasks you will need to do in order to manage Teams in your organization.

      Part 6: Molding Teams to Fit Your Unique Organization

      In Part 6, you learn about how Teams can be molded to fit the size of your organization and the specific industry in which you work. Whether you are a solo consultant or part of a large enterprise, and whether you are working in the healthcare industry, government, or private consulting services, Teams can work for you. This part provides you guidance on using Teams in a way that fits your individual needs.

      Part 7: The Part of Tens

      This wouldn’t be a For Dummies book without one of my favorite parts, The Part of Tens. In this last part, I provide three top ten lists: tips for getting the most out of Teams, the best apps to install in Teams, and the best places you can go to learn more and continue your Teams journey.

Icons Used in This Book

      

The Tip icon marks tips (duh!) and shortcuts that you can use to make learning about Teams easier.

      

Remember icons mark the information that’s especially important to know. To siphon off the most important information in each chapter, just skim through these icons.

      

The Technical Stuff icon marks information of a highly technical nature that you can skip over if you don’t want all the technical detail.

      

The Warning icon tells you to watch out! It marks important information that may save you headaches when getting up to speed with Teams.

Beyond the Book

      As you continue to learn and work with Microsoft Teams, you may want to find shortcuts. I maintain an online cheat sheet that you can use as a quick reference to get common tasks done in Teams in a hurry. You can find this cheat sheet online by going to www.dummies.com and searching for “Microsoft Teams For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the search box.

Where to Go from Here

      Now that you know a little about this book, it is time to get started. If you are new to Microsoft Teams, then jump right into Chapter 1 where you get up and running in just a few minutes. If you already have Teams installed, then skip ahead to the area of Teams you would like to learn more about right away. If you find yourself with Teams administration tasks on your plate, then head straight to Part 5. There is no right or wrong answer in where to start when learning Teams. The best advice I can give is to just jump in and start using it to communicate with others!

Part 1

      Getting Started with Microsoft Teams

IN THIS PART …

      Discover what makes Teams so special and why it has surpassed SharePoint as the fastest growing product in Microsoft’s history.

      Find the Teams app online and take a quick spin around the Teams interface.

      Learn the basic Teams terminology.

      Get a feel for the Teams layout and how Teams can be used across multiple devices.

      Create a new team and invite others to that team.

      Discover how to manage the team you created and set personalized settings for each team.

Chapter 1

      Getting Up and Running with Microsoft