New Report: Provisioning and Governance Solutions for Microsoft Teams

2020-12-22

Why should you be considering a third-party provisioning and governance solution for Microsoft Teams?

Reason #1: Provisioning

Let's talk about provisioning first, because out of the box, Microsoft does provide you with access to a rudimentary templating system. You use a set of built-in templates or even copy from an existing Team. Or your administrators can create custom templates.

But while most Teams properties can be included in a custom template, Microsoft advises that there are still a few properties and features that aren't yet supported. In itself, this limitation may not be a strong enough business case to argue why you need a third-party solution to fill that gap unless it is creating a critical blocker for you. If you are happy to wait, Microsoft will eventually roll out support for those missing pieces.

The other option is to use the PowerShell Patterns and Practices (PnP) Provisioning Engine or the Microsoft Graph API. One advantage of this approach is that you can solve for more complex deployment scenarios, like provisioning Teams and SharePoint at once. Or maybe you just want to remove the Wiki tab!

If you don't want to write your own code or maintain it, then the self-evident benefit of a third-party solution is that the vendor has done this work for you.

Reason #2: Governance

But this only addresses one part of the solution, because what about governance?

Features in the Microsoft Teams admin centre go someway to helping Microsoft 365 administrators address governance requirements, but you can not create dynamic or rules driven-controls. Some native aspects of Teams governance also rely on features provided by Microsoft 365 groups, so we need to coordinate several different elements in Microsoft 365 to implement effective governance. And don't forget about SharePoint and all the other Microsoft 365 and external apps you need to manage to create a useful work hub.

Of course, you could deal with these through the Powershell or the Microsoft Graph API. Power Automate also offers a set of Teams connectors, but are probably a better solution for integration rather than deployment and lifecycle management.

Reason #3: User Experience

However, there is also one other benefit from third-party solutions, which is how they can help to improve the overall end-user experience beyond just providing a more tailored Teams environment. Those extra features can include dashboards, bots, and directories that contribute to usability and discoverability.

The Role of Third-Party Solutions

The reality is that the functionality provided to you by Microsoft in your tenant are only ever going to skim the surface of what is possible and what might be needed to meet the particular IT, governance, and operational requirements of your business.

But while we believe that third-party provisioning and governance solutions for Microsoft Teams are well worth considering, our review of the solutions included in this report also highlighted that there are some crucial differences and issues to consider when picking a solution.

What’s in the Report

The report is written for Microsoft 365 administrators, power users, and governance and risk managers and is packed full of insights and an independent review of seven solutions for Microsoft Teams. We explain how these solutions work, why they are worth purchasing, and who they benefit most.

Each review is five-pages long and follows the same structure, to help you compare products. Our reviews focus on highlighting the functionality or technical issues we think are essential across the following topics:

• Provisioning
• Templates
• Governance
• End-User Experience
• Management Dashboard
• System

Plus we provide information about the vendor's product roadmap and ecosystem. You can find a definition for each of these elements on the next page.

The reviews also include:

• A dot point list of template & provisioning features
• Information about how they support customer success and how to buy
• Two pages of screenshots

The Review Team

Lisa Gallagher, Lead Reviewer - Lisa is an experienced technology consultant who has worked across a variety of industries as a data and information management consultant, educator and technical professional. She has worked across the Microsoft stack since the early 1990s and has deep experience in SQL and SharePoint technologies. Her current Microsoft certifications include MCSE Data Management and Analytics and Microsoft Certified Trainer. More about Lisa.

James Dellow, Editor and Reviewer - James is the founder and director of Chief Technology Solutions. He specialises in consulting on digital workplace technologies that help people connect, communicate and collaborate, including Office 365 and SharePoint. James works with SharePoint and Office 365 advising on strategy, governance, user experience design, information architecture and content management. More about James.

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