There is an increasing need for online collaboration tools at Drake. This includes everything from shared documents, calendars, announcements, email distribution lists, and conversation tools. ITS has been exploring options that could enable easier collaboration across campus. After careful evaluation, Microsoft Teams (or Teams) stands out as the best option for the University. Teams already exists within our Office 365 platform and integrates seamlessly with other tools we use on campus. Microsoft Teams is a product that combines tools and resources like group chat, calendars, and file sharing to create one location for meaningful teamwork. ITS is just launching an initiative to consolidate the tools and infrastructure used for group work and file sharing into one intuitive and cross-functional system.

The project team has created Microsoft Teams for a few campus organizations and is creating an initial schedule to roll out Teams to departments and other collaborative groups. For each new site, we will work closely with the group to begin using tools, review any existing shared file storage, and migrate shared files to the Cloud as needed.

We will keep you informed on the progress of this project. You can also check the project’s weekly status and watch for regular updates in OnCampus. There’s also a FAQ on the project, which shares more details.

Jeff Regan, ITS