Microsoft Teams -The Day After

The main aspect in the context of the current challenge with the COVID-19 situation is that ad hoc solutions are needed to keep companies operational. This includes solutions for homeoffice as well as for meetings with customers and partners.

Regardless of which technical solution is used, at the end of the day the common organizational governance topics come up during the technical planning.

If users can decide individually and independently to create new Teams and channels, invite external users and share content, chaos results.

Who is supposed to organize this again afterwards, and especially, who is supposed to decide which data and which guestuser is still needed?

The fear of this often prevents that Microsoft Teams is used. But in the current situation, solutions and platforms like Microsoft Teams are needed to keep companies and business running.

The Solution

Automated solutions to resolve governance topics such as data chaos, duplicates and orphaned guest accesses are the Azure features around the topics of Identity Governance and Lifecycle Management.

Entitlement Management

Azure AD Entitlement Management is an identity management feature-set that enables organizations to manage identity and access cycles by automating access request workflows, access assignments, reviews and expiration. The following graphic shows an example of the different elements of Azure AD Entitlement Management.

Access Package 1 includes a single Group as a resource. Access is defined with a policy that allows users from a specific Azure AD group to request access.

Access Package 2 includes a Group, an Application and a SharePoint page as resources. Access is defined by two different policies. The first policy allows a group of users in the directory to request access. The second policy allows users from another / external Azure AD to request access.

When an access package is created, we can defines how long the access remains active before it is deactivated again:

An individual access URL is generated for each package. Users then use this to activate the package for themselves:

Access Reviews & Groups Expiration Policies

Azure AD Access Reviews automate the regular review of group memberships, access to enterprise applications and role assignments. This ensures that only those people who need it continue to have access.

Overview:

When an Access Review is created, a user is assigned who must perform the review. This can also be done dynamically based on the Groups / Teams Owner. The reviewer then receives an e-mail that directs him to his upcoming reviews:

The example shows that the first two groups each have only one member and were probably created for test purposes only. The third group has 16 members. Clicking the Begin review button will show the details and the automatically generated recommendations:

Groups Expiration Policies are not shown in the Identity Governance section and must be accessed via Azure AD -> Groups -> Expiration:

Again, the group owner receives a mail in which he must confirm that the Group is still needed. If he does not do it, the Group is automatically deleted. If a Group is deleted, it is "soft-deleted". This means that it can be restored by an administrator for up to 30 days.

Further options

If all this is not sufficient to implement necessary requirements, there are extended possibilities with the features Azure AD Conditional Access and the feature App Management.

Conditional Access controls access to applications based on specific conditions. Conditional access policies are used to implement access control based on the specific context.

Example:

• Microsoft teams can only be accessed from a company device.
• E-Mail can be accessed from any device. However, if access is from outside the corporate network, multi-factor authentication is enforced.

App Management (MAM) focuses on compliance with data security policies and data protection requirements as well as actions in case of data loss.

Example:

• Data from Microsoft Teams is not allowed to be included in the iOS or Android backup.
• Access with a "jailbroken device" is blocked.

MAM without device registration or MAM-WE (WE=without enrollment) allows IT administrators to manage apps on devices that are not registered in Intune MDM.

Best Practis

At the end, it is not a question of what Azure features and functions are available, but rather what is to be achieved and what exactly the business case looks like. Therefore, start with your scenarios. The second step is then the mapping to the Azure features in order to implement the necessary governance aspects.

Microsoft Teams - technology is one thing, but...

Meanwhile, it is well known that the solution Microsoft Teams for remote and home office is very suitable. In the context of COVID-19, Microsoft has made teams available free of charge until February 2021. How you can use this offer is described in this article: Welcome to Microsoft Teams free.

This means that we now have the prerequisite that we already know from other case studies and from other industries, namely: "People are creative and help themselves". The example of a toy store was in the press in the last weeks - the shop is currently closed; however, customers can phone the owner and order toys. The owner then places the order with the butcher across the street because the butcher is still open.

The depositing of the goods at the butcher across the street and the option to pay by bank transfer is only one aspect of the whole thing. Toys can also be ordered at Amazon and are delivered to your home by the postman. The key point is the individual advice to the customer on the phone before the purchase. And it's the same with online meetings. Whether or not a Teams meeting is successful or not is not dependent on the fact that a free version of the product is now available. Preparation is the key.

Successful online meetings with Microsoft Teams

(Some features not available in the free version)

Before the meeting: Successful meetings require preparation. This is more important in an online meeting because we usually lack feedback channels such as body language etc. or have only limited access to them. Here are a few useful tips:

• What do you want to achieve in the meeting and what does your customer / partner get out of it?
• If necessary, prepare alternative options.
• As you prepare for the meeting, ask yourself: Is what I am offering relevant to my partner / customer? And if not, why not?! And if so, how do I have to communicate it so that my counterpart understands it?
• Provide information about the attendees, their roles and responsibilities etc. for all participants.
• Share the agenda and context before people get together. This allows participants to chat and share content before the meeting. This information can then be brought directly into the meeting.

After the meeting: After the meeting, all meeting content is retained for 30 days so that participants can review the meeting, continue the discussion and move forward with their work. You can return to the meeting to use the chat, meeting notes, digital whiteboard, and shared files. Nothing gets lost.

Summary

The technique is one thing. Your preparation for a meeting is the other that makes the difference in the success of an online meeting. This includes knowing the features of Microsoft Teams from the attendee perspective. Of course, the topic Security & Compliance also has an administrative perspective. The following Microsoft article summarizes these aspects: Security and Compliance in Microsoft Teams

3 more topics in the context of Microsoft Teams

In the current situation almost no day goes by without new possibilities and options to deal with the challenges around COVID-19.

Here 3 more topics in the context of Microsoft Teams:

• Microsoft Teams Interactive Demo for end users and users who have not worked with teams until now: http://teamsdemo.office.com/. In this interactive demo, you’ll get a guided tour of Teams to understand the app and learn about key features.

• Remote collaboration with Microsoft teams: https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoftteams/support-remote-work-with-teams
• How to quickly optimize Office 365 traffic for remote staff & reduce the load on your infrastructure: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/office-365-blog/how-to-quickly-optimize-office-365-traffic-for-remote-staff-amp/ba-p/1214571

Don’t make me think about security in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a part of Office 365 and must be licensed along that way. Due to the current situation with the COVID-19 virus, Microsoft has made the Office 365 Feature Teams available free of charge for everyone until 01.2021. The details can be found in this article: https://news.microsoft.com/en-my/2020/03/17/our-commitment-to-customers-during-covid-19/

Many companies and schools around the world have now taken advantage of this offer. The topics Data Security, Data Protection and IT Security often fades into the background behind urgent business needs.

13 steeps to quickly secure you Microsoft Teams environment

Security and also Compliance aspects in Microsoft Teams are configured in the Teams Admin Center. Multiple policy packages can be created for different scenarios, users and groups. A policy package combines settings that relate to typical work processes of these users and groups.

Teams Settings

1. E-mail integration - Security impact: low

E-mail integration allows mail to be sent directly to a Team channel. The content of the e-mail is displayed in the chat in the channel and is visible to all members.

2. Files - Security impact: medium

Enable or disable file sharing and cloud file storage options for the Files tab in teams.

3. Devices - Security Impact: low

Settings for devices in the meeting room.

Meetings & Messaging Policies

Meeting policies are used to control what features are available to users when they attend Teams meetings.

4. Audio & Video - Security impact: medium

The audio and video settings can be used to turn on or off specific functions used in Teams.

5. Content Sharing - Security impact: high

Content Sharing" controls which functions are available in a Teams meeting in this context.

6. Participant & Guest - Security impact: high

The settings for participants and guests control access to Teams meetings.

7. Meeting Settings - Security Impact: high

Meeting settings are used to control whether anonymous users can attend Teams meetings.

8 Live Events Policies - Security Impact: high

Live event policies are used to configure, for example, whether participants can transcribe or whether live events can be recorded.

9. Messaging Policies - security impact: high

Messaging policies are used to control which chat and channel messaging features are available to users in Teams.

Teams Apps

10 Org-wide App Settings - Security Impact: high

This function controls which applications are available to users in Teams. Furthermore, it can be configured which 3rd party apps can be used.

11 App Permission Policies - Security Impact: high

The App Permission Policies control which apps users can use, depending on the settings in the previous step.

Org-Wide Settings

12 External Access - Security Impact: high

External access allows users to communicate with other users outside your organization. By default, users can communicate with all external domains.

13 Guest Users - Security Impact: high

Teams allows users to invite external users to join Teams. When external users are added to a team, they receive an invitation that they must accept before they can access it. Microsoft has provided a checklist for Guest Users in Teams: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/guest-access-checklist  

What rights guest users have is set in the Team Admin Center.

Some permissions are configured directly in Teams.

Advanced Features (Office 365 E3 / E5) - Information Protection and Labeling for Teams

Microsoft has consolidated the topic of classification / labeling under the name Unified Labeling, which can be found in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center. The menu Classification->Sensitivity Labels let you create labels that also affect Microsoft teams.

Encryption:

Who can access files and e-mail messages that are labeled, regardless of the user rights that person has in Teams.

Content labeling:

Add custom headers, footers, and watermarks to email messages or documents that are labeled.

Prevent data loss:

Currently, only endpoint DLP features offered by Windows Information Protection (WIP) are available. DLP settings for Office 365 applications will be available soon.

Site and Group Settings (also affecting Microsoft Teams):

Note that these settings are not applied to files, so they have no effect on downloaded copies of files.

Auto-labeling for Teams:

An auto label policy always includes the location of a file. For example, all files that are stored in a particular Team can automatically get a label. This function can be supplemented by rules that only assign the label if the defined parameters also exist, such as a specific phrase in a document.

Microsoft Teams und die Herausforderungen in Zeiten von COVID-19

Wie Ihnen Microsoft Teams bei den Herausforderungen in Zeiten von COVID-19 hilft

• Was passiert, wenn sich eine Person mit Anmeldedaten eines Arbeitgebers oder einer Schule anmeldet?
• Was beinhaltet die kostenlose Version von Teams?
• Gibt es in der kostenlosen Version eine Beschränkung in der Anzahl der Nutzer?
• Kann ich in der kostenlosen Version Meetings planen?
• Wie können IT-Administratoren auf Teams for Education zugreifen?

Details und Antworten auf diese Fragen sowie weitere Informationen unter: https://news.microsoft.com/de-de/engagement-fuer-kunden-covid-19/

• Kostenfreien Office 365-Tenant für Ihre Schule einrichten
• Benutzerkonten für Lehrende und Lernende manuell einrichten
• Benutzerkonten für Lehrende und Lernende per CSV-Import einrichten
• Bereitstellen von Office 365 für Lehrpersonen und Lernende

Details und weitere Informationen: https://news.microsoft.com/de-de/covid-19-fernunterricht/

Szenarien und Best Practices mit Microsoft Teams

Wie sollen wir mit den Teams beginnen?

• Erstellen Sie einen Chat zum Plaudern / eine virtuelle Kaffeeküche in Teams.
• Erstellen Sie ein Team pro Bereich, wie z.B. Marketing, Finanzen oder im schulischen Umfeld pro Klasse, z.B. Klasse 9a.
• Erstellen Sie Kanäle pro Thema, wie z.B. Marketing -> Newsletter, oder im schulischen Umfeld z.B. Klasse 9a -> Mathematik.
• Laden Sie Mitarbeiter / Schüler dazu ein.
• Beginnen Sie den Austausch zu Themen in Teams, nicht per E-Mail.
• Beenden Sie die Verwendung von WhatsApp. Laden Sie die Team-App herunter.

Was sollen wir tun, um das Management von Teams zu überzeugen?

• Teams ist eine sichere und DSGVO konforme Lösung.
• Sie ermöglicht das virtuelle Arbeiten an Themen und den Austausch der Leute untereinander.
• Alle Daten und Informationen in Microsoft Teams sind und bleiben Ihre Daten. Sie werden nicht durch Microsoft analysiert oder zu Marketing-Zwecken ausgewertet.
• Wenn Daten in Microsoft Teams gelöscht werden, sind sie nach Ablauf der Wiederherstellungsfrist physikalisch gelöscht und werde nicht länger von Microsoft aufbewahrt oder ausgewertet.

Was ist, wenn ich meinen Kopfhörer oder mein Mikrofon nicht zum Laufen bringe?

• Wählen Sie sich per Telefon in Teams ein.

Was, wenn ich mit einem Externen kommunizieren möchte?

• Laden Sie die Person als Gast ein. Es entstehen keine zusätzlichen Kosten.

Wie kann die Zusammenarbeit verbessert werden?

• Tauschen Sie Dateien über Microsoft Teams aus und bearbeiten Sie Dateien gemeinsam in Microsoft Teams (co-authoring).
• Arbeiten Sie virtuell in Teams zusammen, anstatt Daten und Informationen per E-Mail zu verschicken.

Wie bekommen wir das alles zum Laufen? Und wie können wir die Mitarbeiter / Schüler dafür begeistern?

• Benennen Sie einen „Teams Hero“ für jedes Team / für jeden Kanal. Diese Person steht mit Rat und Tat zur Verfügung, wenn Fragen oder Probleme aufkommen.
• Erstellen Sie einen Teams FAQ Kanal für Fragen und Unterstützung.

Microsoft Teams auf privaten Geräten (Laptops, Tablets, Telefon)

Microsoft Teams kann problemlos auf privaten PC´s, Laptops, Smartphones oder Tablets genutzt werden. Die private Hardware kann problemlos in den Firmenkontext oder den Kontext von Schulen eingebunden werden. So können Risiken wie z. B. Malware, Trojaner, rechtliche Fallstricke etc. abgedeckt werden. Mit den Funktionen von Microsoft 365 können Zugriffs-, Speicher- und Freigabefunktionen auf privaten Geräten eingeschränkt werden. Die Microsoft Teams App steht in den jeweiligen App Stores für Windows, iOS- und Android-Geräte kostenlos zur Verfügung. Eine Verifizierung per PIN/Fingerabdruck lässt sich problemlos einrichten und Firmendaten oder schulische Unterlagen können wieder von den privaten Geräten entfernt werden.

Tipps und Empfehlungen für die Netzwerk-Konfiguration

Endpunkte sind für Konnektivität zu jedem Office 365 Dienst erforderlich und machen über 75 % der Bandbreite, Verbindungen und Datenmenge aus. Hier finden Sie eine Liste von IP-Subnetzen, die den wichtigsten Office 365 Workloads wie Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Skype for Business Online und Microsoft Teams zugeordnet sind. Zusätzlich enthält der Artikel detaillierte Informationen für eine optimal Internetanbindung / Konfiguration beim Einsatz von Microsoft Teams und Office 365 allgemein: https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/office365/enterprise/office-365-network-connectivity-principles