Leap in Microsoft Teams popularity
Reading Time: 2 minutes26th May 2020 | Modified: 19th December 2022Categories: Tech News
The Microsoft Teams collaboration suite is becoming a force to be reckoned with, as it now has 75 million daily active users. That’s an increase of 62 million since July 2019.
Only a few months ago it overtook its rival, Slack, but it’s still less popular than Microsoft’s other business chat platform, Skype for Business.
Microsoft has announced several updates for Teams including a simple sign-on mechanism for front-line workers and new integrations with Yammer and Skype. And its Advanced Threat Protection suite has been expanded to cover messages within Teams.
Slack has questioned whether Microsoft’s latest numbers represent active users, unlike its 12 million . It recently overhauled the underlying technology of its collaboration tool to help reduce RAM usage by 50 per cent and improve loading times by 33 per cent. Slack’s also added new features that help administrators manage permissions, plus a new Workflow Builder which helps to automate routine functions.
But for many Sussex businesses already using Microsoft’s services, Teams may be more attractive because it’s now an integral part of Office 365 .
Independent advice
It’s a good idea to get advice from an independent IT consultancy before choosing a collaboration suite for your business because a consultant can help you fully evaluate the right tool to suit the needs of your company.
There’s still a long way to go for Teams if it is to dominate the market because it has around ten per cent of Office 365’s commercial users. But Microsoft is clearly on the offensive to attract many more users and has published research that reveals that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the UK are seeing a disconnect between leaders and employees, which is “fostered by a culture of poor communication”.
The research suggests that the biggest cause of stress for SMB employees is a failure to communicate effectively. This rated higher than work-life balance. Some 45 per cent of workers surveyed have to make decisions without having all the information they need.
Gary Jowett, from Computer & Network Consultants in Brighton, said: “Effective communication is an integral component of any successful organisation. The latest collaboration tools on the market can have a major impact on the way your employees are informed, engaged and motivated. They can reduce the need for face-to-face meetings, lower travel costs and cut your company’s carbon footprint. And it’s worthwhile considering Teams because Microsoft plans for it to supersede Skype so there will be a growing number of your potential business partners and customers using it.”
