Microsoft Teams Integration With Apps, OneDrive, And SharePoint
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), with Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive, is designed to be a comprehensive suite of software tools to provide optimal productivity, allowing users integrated and flexible ways to work on projects, tasks, and files. Microsoft Teams allows users to stay connected regardless of geographical location, which is ideal for remote and hybrid working, and Teams users can connect via desktop app, web app, and mobile devices. Teams provides an all-in-one communications solution, and Teams users can access files and apps from within the Teams interface and integrate with SharePoint and OneDrive.
Teams provides a dedicated workspace, with integrated video conferencing, voice calls and telephony, instant messaging, calendar integration, and cloud document management. Teams users can also add a wide range of applications to allow collaboration, analysis, and process and workflow management.
Collaborative Editing and Co-Authoring Files
Each channel in Teams has its own files library, accessible by clicking the Files tab, allowing users to create and upload files directly to Teams. Users can share files from other applications, e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and work on them together in real-time within Teams. Shared files can be accessed in Teams, using online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other familiar Office applications (opening files in a web browser rather than installed desktop apps).
Teams and SharePoint Integration
When a team is created in MS Teams an Microsoft 365 group and a SharePoint team site is created and connected to the team. The Files tab in a teams channel is connected to a folder in the parent SharePoint site’s document library. Whenever you create or upload a file to the Files tab you are accessing the parent SharePoint site.
Sync Teams and SharePoint files with OneDrive
Microsoft 365 users who use Teams and SharePoint can synchronise files to their OneDrive, their online storage service, and display them in Windows Explorer. This gives access to files directly from Windows Explorer, even when working offline. Once online again changes made to files automatically sync to OneDrive.
Integrating New Apps with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams users can access a range of additional apps, which can be integrated into Teams, providing users with additional functionality without having to open and manage separate windows. Users can interact in real-time using whiteboards, forms, planners, lists and many more apps.
Adding Office tools, such as OneNote and Visio, or online content from websites and SharePoint, allow users to work more effectively and increase productivity.
Automating routine tasks has become an integral part of personal and organisational requirements. Power Automate (previously Microsoft Flow) provides workflow automation of Teams activities, and connects to other apps and services. Users can access a range of pre-configured templates to stay on top of tasks, and help manage their daily routines.
Integrating Power BI in Teams offers ways for users to share, collaborate, and distribute reports and dashboards with colleagues and clients. Power BI collects and stores data from across an organisation, analyses it, and creates reports and data visualisations. Users can add a tab to a channel for each Power BI report and edit and share content through email or directly from Teams.
Ronnie McGovern