Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a chat-based collaboration hub for UQ staff that allows remote or distributed groups to collaborate. Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft 365 suite.
Microsoft Teams provides an inclusive and customisable online collaboration platform for your group. It enables group members to co-author documents, have individual or group chats and meetings, and use audio or video communication features.
UQ staff should not use electronic devices to make video or audio recordings of work-related meetings, discussions or other private conversations without approval. For more information, refer to the guidance note (PDF) (staff login required), which supplements UQ's Privacy Management Procedures.
4. Before you adopt Microsoft Teams
UQ support for Microsoft Teams is still being developed. ITS will support faculties, schools, institutes and large organisational units with planning, governance, information management and information architecture.
Your use of Microsoft Teams must comply with all UQ policies including the Code of Conduct for staff.
Identify your information management, security and privacy requirements
By default, all channels and their associated shared files in Microsoft Teams are accessible to all Team Members and Guest Members of the team, but private channels and private chats can be created to collaborate more securely. Consider what information needs to be more secure.
Documents uploaded or shared via Microsoft Teams are hosted in data centres outside UQ premises. Microsoft states that 'at rest' (i.e. stored in persistent storage like disk or tape), all data shared via SharePoint or OneDrive and Microsoft Team's search indexes are stored in Australia. Services that do not have 'data at rest' components (for example: SIP signalling, conferencing, meetings etc.) are still served out of Microsoft's regional data centres. Consider if the hosting location has any implications for your organisational unit's data.
Each Microsoft Team is provisioned with a file storage capacity of 100 GB. Files can be created in or uploaded to the 'Files' tab within individual Team channels. ITS encourages all staff members to follow the advice for storing digital files.
ITS is currently developing UQ's future file storage strategy. All staff members should follow the advice for storing digital files. Until further advised, Microsoft Teams should not replace existing file storage or shared network drive.
TRIM integration is not available for Microsoft Teams yet.
Usage of Microsoft Teams as a file storage system must comply with records management requirements prescribed under UQ's Information Management policy.
Identify who needs to be part of your Microsoft Team
Identify:
- which groups or sub-groups regularly work together
- what information is regularly shared between these groups
- any people outside your organisational unit who need to closely collaborate with your group
- whether students or non-UQ parties collaborate with your group.
It will depend on your organisational unit's size and ways of working on whether you require multiple, separate Teams or a single Team. However, we recommend creating separate Microsoft Teams for:
- collaboration outside UQ
- collaboration with students (as guided by Digital Learning sub-committees)
- cross-UQ collaboration involving sensitive information.
Find out about roles and permissions in Microsoft Teams.
Identify your Microsoft Teams Owners
A Microsoft Team must have at least two owners to ensure somebody is always available to manage the team.
Microsoft Team Owners are responsible for managing overall settings for your private Microsoft Team.
Microsoft Team Owners must familiarise themselves with the University's information management and Information and Communication Technology policies.
Plan the implementation of Microsoft Teams for larger groups
As a faculty, school, institute or large organisational unit, you should create the following before implementing Microsoft Teams:
- a governance plan – who will manage and make decisions about your Team
- an adoption plan – how will Team Members find out about the Team and onboard into it
- a training and support plan – who in your organisation unit will help your unit members use Microsoft Teams
- an information management plan – what kind of files and documents can be shared and stored in Microsoft Teams as per the advice for storing digital files
- an information architecture – how you will organise the channels, files and information in your Microsoft Teams.
Special circumstances and requirements
Access to Teams is restricted to the members of the Team only. Teams is not suitable for building an org unit intranet or for publishing information outside your org unit. Submit an IT request to discuss your publishing requirements first.
If you have an existing SharePoint site, submit an IT support request to discuss your options.
Need help?
Ask the Teams community for help through our Microsoft 365 Implementation Support Team.
If you can't find your answer through the community, submit an IT request: