Teams Manager structures Microsoft Teams for AEWB

After AEWB (Agency for Adult and Continuing Education) started with Microsoft Teams at the beginning of 2020, all employees created new teams at will. Arbitrary team names and unregulated file storage created the danger of uncontrolled growth. With Teams Manager, AEWB is now able to create team templates with channels and apps for uniform teams. Lifecycles for archiving inactive teams and naming conventions for consistent naming help employees stay on top of things. AEWB plans to establish Microsoft Teams as a central tool for all employees. With Teams Manager, Teams can be kept under control and at the same time meet the needs of the different departments.

“Teams Manager offers an immense relief for us with lifecycle management. The fact that team owners can regularly decide whether a team is still needed is a good reassurance.“Katharina Schepker, Pedagogical Employee at AEWB

AEWB’s Challenges

AEWB started with Microsoft Teams in February 2020. The transition to more home office due to the COVID-19 situation and the different processes of the educational and the administration department of AEWB made the start difficult. Initially, employees created new teams at will. There were no fixed rules for naming or how cloud filing corresponded with the regular drive. This resulted in uncontrolled growth and confusion. AEWB realized that more structure was needed while still securing the existing data.

Our solution for AEWB

AEWB followed the recommendation of its IT service provider, epc GmbH, and deployed Teams Manager. With this governance tool, AEWB now creates team templates with channels and apps for uniform teams. Teams Manager offers an enormous relief through lifecycle management: team owners are regularly asked whether their team should be archived, which is especially relevant for planning professional meetings and projects with a limited duration. In addition, AEWB creates naming conventions: teams for projects or internal departments receive abbreviations in front of the name for better clarity.

AEWB’s Benefits

With Teams Manager, AEWB can accommodate the differences between the various departments in team templates. The lifecycle helps to keep the Microsoft Teams environment clear and to remove unused teams from the list. The naming conventions provide clarity for everyone at first glance. It was a major concern of AEWB to ensure that all employees gain the same level of knowledge. Teams Manager supports AEWB in this goal by giving structure to the teams.