Elly Yates-Roberts |
Ahead Microsoft Inspire 2018, which will take place next week in Las Vegas, Microsoft has announced a free version of Microsoft Teams – its teamwork-focused hub that brings together chat, meetings, calling, files and apps into a shared workspace in Microsoft 365.
“Now, more than 200,000 businesses across 181 markets use Teams to collaborate and get work done,” said Ron Markezich, corporate vice president for Microsoft. “Beginning today, Teams is available in a free version worldwide in 40 languages. Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or part of a team inside a large organisation, you can start using Teams today.”
Teams is designed for small and midsize organisations, and it offers them unlimited chat, search and app integrations, built-in Office Online (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and the ability to integrate audio and video calling for individuals, groups, and full team meetings.
The teamwork hub is built on top of Microsoft’s secure global infrastructure and it also includes the capability to work with anyone in or outside of the organisation, including being able to translate messages in 40 languages.
The free version includes the following for up to 300 people: unlimited chat messages and search; built-in audio and video calling for individuals, groups, and full team meetups; 10GB of team file storage plus additional 2GB per person for personal storage; Integrated, real-time content creation with Office Online apps, including built-in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote; unlimited app integrations with over 140 business apps including Adobe, Evernote and Trello; and the ability to communicate and collaborate with anyone inside or outside your organisation, backed by Microsoft’s secure, global infrastructure.
“This new offering provides a powerful introduction to Microsoft 365,” said Markezich. “Teams in Microsoft 365 includes everything in the free version plus additional storage, enterprise security, and compliance, and it can be used for your whole organisation, regardless of size.”