Who We Serve: M365 Apps for IT Administrators

IT administrators face numerous challenges in maintaining security, compliance, and efficiency within their organizations. This is especially true in heavily regulated sectors like banking, energy, and local government.

Teams Manager and External User Manager, two governance apps for Microsoft 365, can significantly ease these burdens. They simplify processes, enhance Microsoft 365 security, save time, and reduce workload. Here’s exactly how these apps can help IT administrators and specifically M365 administrators.

Workflows and Automation in Microsoft 365

Teams Manager provides a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline the creation and management of teams in Microsoft Teams as well as Microsoft 365 groups. One of its key functionalities is the request and approval workflow for new teams and groups. This ensures that only authorized and necessary teams are created, maintaining organizational structure and reducing clutter.

Request and Approval Workflow

• Ensures only authorized and necessary teams are created
• Maintains organizational structure and reduces clutter

Templates

• Teams templates, but also for Microsoft 365 Groups, SharePoint sites, and Planner
• Ensure consistent setup with predefined channels, folders, and documents

Lifecycle Management

• Automatically archive or delete teams that are no longer needed with lifecycles
• Keeps the environment clean and efficient

Naming Conventions

• Set naming rules for Teams, OneNotes, and Planners
• Improve clarity and uniformity

Custom Metadata

• Enhances organization
• Can be used as triggers for automations

Governance Policies

• Include lifecycle rules, naming conventions, classifications, and confidentiality labels
• Ensure compliance with internal and external regulations
• Powerful Microsoft Teams governance by combining different automations

Native App for Microsoft Teams

• Quick and hassle-free installation and operation
• Start in just a few minutes
• Get it directly in the Teams app store

Teams Manager also offers templates for Teams, Microsoft 365 Groups, SharePoint sites, and Planner. These templates ensure that all required channels, folders, and documents are included from the start, providing a consistent setup across the organization. Additionally, the app handles lifecycle management, automatically archiving or deleting teams that are no longer needed.

Naming conventions for Teams, OneNotes, and Planners improve clarity and uniformity, while custom metadata for teams further enhances organization. Governance policies, including lifecycle rules, naming conventions, classifications, and confidentiality labels, ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.

For IT administrators, this means less time spent on routine tasks and more focus on actual IT work. Teams Manager is a native app for Microsoft Teams can be installed and operational within minutes, making deployment quick and easy.

Improved M365 Security and Compliance

External User Manager addresses the challenges of managing external guests in Microsoft Teams. This app increases security and ensures compliance by controlling access for external users.

Access Control

• Automatically approve or reject users from specific external domains (blacklist/whitelist)
• Reduce the risk of unauthorized access

Request and Approval Process for Guests

• Adds an extra layer of security
• Team owners or selected users act as approvers

Guest Access Management

• Disable guest access for all teams, block guest access for specific teams or create a whitelist for teams that allow guest access
• Maintain a secure environment while facilitating external collaboration
• Apply naming conventions to guest names

Automated Access Review

• Regularly check and validate guest access
• Ensure permissions are up-to-date and necessary

Automated Lifecycle Management

• Remove guests after a set period or due to inactivity, with automated guest lifecycles
• Reduce security risks

Onboarding and Compliance Portal for Guests

• Set up a customized onboarding for guest users according to your requirements
• Guests acknowledge and agree to the organization’s privacy policy or confidentiality agreement before gaining access
• Ensure external collaborators adhere to company standards and regulations

The request and approval process for new guests adds an extra layer of security, with team owners or selected users acting as approvers. External User Manager can also allow or disable guest access for all teams or create a whitelist for specific teams that allow guest access. IT administrators can configure the app to automatically approve or reject users from specific external domains, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. This level of control helps maintain a secure environment while facilitating collaboration with external partners.

Automated access review processes regularly check and validate guest access, ensuring that permissions are up-to-date and necessary. The app also supports automated lifecycle management for guests, removing guests after a set period or due to inactivity, further reducing security risks.

The onboarding and compliance portal for guests is another key feature. Before gaining access, guests must acknowledge and agree to the organization’s privacy policy or confidentiality agreement. This ensures that all external collaborators are aware of and adhere to your company’s standards and regulations.

Time Savings and Reduced Workload for M365 Admins

Both Teams Manager and External User Manager offer significant time savings for IT administrators. By automating routine tasks, these apps free up valuable time. For example, the automated onboarding process for external guests reduces the need for manual intervention, while lifecycle management ensures that obsolete teams and guest accounts are dealt with automatically.

Automation of Routine Tasks

• Free up valuable time
• Automated onboarding for external guests reduces manual intervention

Automated Lifecycles

• Archive or delete obsolete teams
• Remove guests automatically after a collaboration project has ended
• Keep the responsible users in the loop with automated notifications and reminders

Dashboards and Reports

• Provide a clear overview of all activities and statuses
• Simplify monitoring for IT administrators

Guest Access Visibility

• Clear visibility of guest access across teams and Microsoft 365 Groups
• Simplifies management process

Regular Reminders

• Users receive reminders about their guests’ access needs
• Maintains security without continuous manual oversight

Dashboards and reports provide a clear overview of all activities and statuses, making it easy for IT administrators to monitor the environment. For External User Manager, the clear visibility of guest access across teams and Microsoft 365 groups simplifies the management process. Regular reminders to users about their guests’ access needs or old/inactive teams help keep the system secure without continuous manual oversight.

Benefits Of Using Teams Manager and External User Manager

Teams Manager and External User Manager are great tools for IT administrators, particularly in strictly regulated industries. These apps automate complex processes, enhance security and compliance, and significantly reduce the workload. By implementing these tools, IT administrators can ensure a more secure, efficient, and compliant Microsoft 365 environment, while at the same being able to focus on more strategic tasks.

If you want to learn more, book a free demo for External User Manager or Teams Manager!

More control over M365? Easy – with Teams Manager.