The ongoing pandemic has brought remote learning and working from home to a new extent. Technology has been the saving grace with many services under the essentials umbrella operating on reduced manpower and keeping things in motion. Communication during times like these becomes more and more important and education is one of the main focus areas. How do we leverage technology and keep the education sector right in place - keeping in mind the brains of tomorrow? For those educators who need a way to provide remote learning (even in parts) for their students, Microsoft Teams for Education offers a gateway for schools to navigate through the coming school year.
At the end of the day, teachers will have to deal with a lot of new responsibilities as a direct result of the crisis. Teachers will need to adjust to new platforms and, in some cases, completely reimagine their lesson plans. As a result, school districts will need to provide the right tools and training to prepare for the coming semester. This preparation should begin with Microsoft Teams.
So, what exactly does Microsoft Teams offer teachers? Microsoft Teams is an offshoot of Microsoft 365, the standard Microsoft productivity platform. While it handles many of the same tasks as other tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams also works with Microsoft 365. In other words, it is integrated with many of the programs that schools already use (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc).
When you look at the basic features — meetings, file sharing file sharing, instant messaging, etc. — Zoom and Microsoft Teams seem pretty similar. They both allow groups to share info quickly and perform multiple tasks in one place. That said, Microsoft Teams is a better fit in an educational environment for a few reasons.
First, Microsoft Teams has some of the best security measures of any platform of its kind. Microsoft Teams allows for two-factor authentication to keep accounts secure. Additionally, Microsoft encrypts data storage and transfers via SharePoint. Notes are also safely secured through OneNote encryption.
While Zoom does have security features as it was the victim of a cyber security attack. This breach left the private data of millions of users exposed. It caused Zoom to bolster its security protocol, but the company continues to deal with the PR nightmare. In the end, Zoom cannot yet compare to Microsoft when it comes to security.
PBX systems do not meet the needs of the modern classroom. Yet, thousands of schools around the country still use outdated legacy phone systems. With many schools shifting to a virtual environment in 2020, the need for modern communication tools has never been greater.
That’s why Microsoft Teams provides the opportunity to replace your PBX system for good. When students learn in a virtual class, the faculty cannot use a legacy phone system to stay in touch. Instead, they need a modern application that keeps the conversation in one easy-to-use hub. This is why Microsoft Teams is one of the best alternatives to legacy phone systems.
SoftwareOne is a leading solutions provider with 30 years of experience in software and technology. Our offering spans from software licensing and procurement to software lifecycle management. We also manage every aspect of cloud-first advisory, delivery, and managed solutions. In short, SoftwareOne has the expertise to support our clients in today’s digital world.
As your school started for the new academic year, we recommend Microsoft Teams to help ease the transition to remote classrooms. Microsoft Teams has all of the tools teachers need to work effectively during the pandemic. In the end, it could save your teachers a great deal of time and provide your students with a safe, productive learning environment.
Watch our On-Demand webinar “Leveraging Microsoft Teams for Education” for more information.
Watch our On-Demand webinar “Leveraging Microsoft Teams for Education” for more information.
