If you are looking to maximize the communication and collaboration efforts of your employees, you ought to procure a robust platform that can handle your company’s daily processes and information sharing. While there are several options to choose from, your business requires the best of the best. And that is Microsoft Teams.
From its capabilities that support real-time file sharing to integrating with existing Microsoft solutions, Microsoft Teams can provide your company with all the tools it needs to remain communicative and competitive. But with different iterations of the platform available—Microsoft Teams Free and Teams Premium—it can be confusing to see which collaboration tool your organization needs.
This article will provide an overview of both versions to help you determine if your company needs them.
Microsoft Teams explained
Microsoft Teams (MS Teams or Teams) is a collaboration platform that helps organizations manage their communication needs. It offers a variety of features, including instant messaging, group chats, video conferencing solutions, and more.
MS Teams makes it easier for team members to share information, manage projects, and coordinate employee schedules. The secret to its usability is in its breadth of communication solutions.
As it allows you to take advantage of audio and video calling and text-based correspondences, Teams makes sure that you and your colleagues have the means to communicate and collaborate in the format that is most convenient for the occasion.
What is the free version of Teams?
Also known as Teams Free, the free version of Teams offers businesses the foundational tools of MS Teams without requiring any payment. It is a great solution for companies that want to enhance employee engagement with a reliable set of tools, but may not need the advanced solutions that come with Teams Premium.
Regardless, with this version of Microsoft Teams, you will be able to take advantage of Teams’ core features to foster dynamic teamwork and open communication within the workplace.
Specifically, Teams Free gives you access to:
- Encryption for meetings, files, calls, and chats.
- Poll creation capabilities, task management, and file sharing.
- Limitless chat capabilities for customers and team members.
- 5 GB of cloud storage (this is offered per user).
- A meeting limit of 100 participants (for each meeting).
- Limitless group meetings (60 minutes max each).
- Limitless one-on-one meetings (30 hours max each).
What is Teams Premium?
An add-on license, Microsoft Teams Premium adds additional features to your company’s Teams solution for greater communication and collaboration. It is offered to organizations in a paid plan—it requires you to pay per person, each month. With Teams Premium, you will be given the ability to further customize your team meetings for a more personable experience. It also provides you with extra advanced security tools to keep your meetings safer.
Teams Premium is a worthwhile investment for businesses that are on the cusp of growing their market influence and company operations. Moreover, it can also be an excellent choice for large-scale organizations that require greater security for their communication and collaboration channels.
With the Premium add-on, you will be able to use the following features:
- Advanced meeting protection.
- Branding (for meetings).
- Advanced webinars (including virtual green rooms).
- Translated captions (done in real time).
- Intelligent recap.
- AI-generated tasks.
- Meeting guides.
- Advanced virtual appointments.
How to decide between Microsoft Teams Free and Premium
When it comes to deciding between MS Teams Free and Premium, it is essential to consider the nature of both versions.
As it has less advanced capabilities, Teams Free may be a better option for smaller businesses that may be just starting out and need a set of hardy communication and collaboration tools that do not require payments. While it does offer all the features that make project management and coordination a breeze, it may not have enough features for a large business.
On the other hand, Teams Premium may be better suited for larger teams and organizations that need more advanced features and functionality. With Premium, you get access to additional security and customization tools, allowing you to create customized meeting experiences for your organization.
This can help you better protect the information that is shared—and the conversations that take place—within your meetings, organize your work more efficiently, and allow the overall look and feel of your meetings to mirror your company’s brand and values.
When deciding on either solution, you should also take the following points into account:
- Your company's budget.
- Your specific business needs and goals.
- The security features within each solution.
- The general capabilities of each solution.
Microsoft Teams Free and Teams Premium: Ask the MS Teams experts for advice
The modern business world is an ecosystem that runs on communication and collaboration, customer demands, and high-energy operations. The wrong collaboration solution can throw obstacles into your organization’s path, frustrating your employees and making your company less productive. The right solution can uplift all aspects of your business, empowering your team to deliver the best work they can.
When it comes to Microsoft’s collaboration solutions, no matter which Teams option you go with, you can feel confident knowing that you will have a powerful suite of tools to help you strengthen the ties between your team members and achieve the productivity goals you set for your company.
The Microsoft Teams experts at Everconnect specialize in upgrading business’ collaboration tools with the latest Microsoft solutions. With their expertise and skills, the Everconnect team can work with you to determine whether Teams Free or Premium is right for your company before deploying it securely and efficiently.
