How We Saved Our Culture of Collaboration: Tech Was the Means for Easing the Pain of Rapid Growth

What qualifies as a successful collaboration tool? The short (and kind of obvious) answer is: one that gets people to use it. In other words, your large investment in a new platform may have proven useless unless that platform resonates with your workforce. This is why today's leading platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Workplace by Facebook have put customization and convenience at the top of their to-do list. And it's paying off immensely, with the industry expected to reach a value of $60 billion by 2023. So what's the secret sauce behind the success and massive adoption of these platforms? Read this article to gain spot-on insights into how modern collaboration software has evolved to earn its place in the hearts—and devices—of today's millennial workforce.

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Catholic Education WA (CEWA) fires up Teams and Office 365 for Virtual School Network, expands student opportunities | Microsoft EDU

Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) uses Microsoft Teams to promote equity of access to learning opportunities for students. This online school originated out of needs associated with distance and limited class offerings at small schools—but shortly after opening, they discovered that it was also beneficial for several other categories of students, such as elite athletes who frequently traveled or students experiencing health concerns and needed to work remotely. After only two years of operation, CEWA sees a continued demand for its service. Though the schools looking at online education due to the COVID-19 outbreak did not originally intend to offer virtual learning, it will likely lead to a discovery of benefits that may not have been previously considered. This blog provides an insight into what CEWA experienced during its transition, the advantages and peculiarities of virtual learning, and how Teams made communication and collaboration possible: "We believe that when you have strong relationships between students and teacher you get a great connection, and with a great connection you get great collaboration. Teams gives us the flexibility to collaborate in one spot," shares CEWA program manager Meredith Roe. Share this blog with educators for insight into what it's actually like in remote learning classrooms.

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Lizo | Digital transformation in the oil & gas industry: seamless scaling and automatic updating

Our final video in the Lizo series shows how a business can push the boundaries of what's possible for a data-driven company. To do this, they needed to be as agile and informed as possible. See how companies can move to Azure to enjoy the freedom and possibilities of the cloud.

Keep your citizen and patient information secure with the power of the cloud. Learn more about Microsoft for Government.

Accurate client information is the holy grail of customer service. And it's no secret that keeping your customer service teams' data constantly updated is key to securing happier customers and brand loyalty. Less talked about, however, is the fact that people feel comfortable sharing their most intimate problems because they trust that their data is being kept safe and far away from prying eyes or cybercriminals. Subscribe now to stay updated on how the Microsoft cloud is empowering governments and health providers to keep their citizen and patient data secure while enabling their growth, trust, and digital transformation.

View: Keep your citizen and patient information secure with the power of the cloud. Learn more about Microsoft for Government.

Office 365 Empowers a School to Take a Different Approach

In this clip, AZ Datacom, LLC takes a look at how technology is transforming learning and preparing students for the future at Broadclyst School. Microsoft Office 365 and devices form the foundation for a rich curriculum that teaches children important skills they'll need as they enter the workforce and move through life. Let us show you how Office 365 can help your business take the same forward-looking approach to empower your future.

5 Things to Avoid While Using a Team Messenger

Team messenger apps are a great addition to the workplace, especially in today's environment where working from home and flexible work schedules are the norm. However, it's easy to forget that just like unbulleted emails and leaving used Tupperware in the company fridge, there are some behaviors that are frowned upon when using office communication tools. In this article, you'll review 5 basic rules that professionals must be mindful of when using a team messenger application in the office or remotely. Always keep them in mind to avoid awkward situations and the office blacklist.

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Empower your entire organization with Microsoft Teams

You've just arrived at the office, booted up your computer or laptop, and filled your first cup of coffee. You sit back down, take a sip, and what do you see? Chances are it's a login screen. Hastily, you type in your username and password and get on with a productive day. At least that was the idea, until you remember you forgot to send Karen from HR your vacation request form. You try to reach her by email but to no avail, so you boot up the informal messenger that everyone in the office uses because the legacy messenger set up years ago crashes when you send so much as an emoji. But of course, you once again need to type in your login info, only to see that Janice is not online. So ultimately you end up making two trips to HR (on the first trip, you forgot to staple your vacation balance because the document is stored in a separate internal SharePoint) to finally get your vacation approved. Ready to throw your computer out a window yet? We don't blame you. This scenario may seem comical, but it's a reality that thousands of employees must endure thanks to the lack of a single, unified digital workspace. Preferably one that can be implemented across your entire organization and serve as a hub for all documents and teams to collaborate, within and across projects. After reading this infographic, you'll learn how each department within your business can utilize Microsoft Teams to become more efficient, store documents securely, and collaborate seamlessly with any peer or colleague.

View: Empower your entire organization with Microsoft Teams

Bringing Apps and Start-ups Together

More frequently than ever, consumers are utilizing apps for news, food, information, social networking and more. Of course, the cloud forms the core of the app economy and small to medium businesses need service providers that support their financial needs and requirements. In his article, "Bringing Apps and Start-ups Together," Prabhakar Jayakumar writes that 90% of all data used over the last two years was created using an optimized data management tool. For digitization to progress, modern app development requires efficient data management and processing. The app must engage users and generate content, "and then process the data generated to garner insights, which can enhance the performance of the app or brand," writes Jayakumar. He adds that this is where cloud service providers can be of great help, in setting up databases to be quick and fail-proof. In short, Jayakumar sees service providers can help SMBs deploy applications quickly and cost-effectively: "Less coding, limitless scalability, exceedingly fast deployments, and fool-proof security are the pillars of tomorrow's app economy, powered by the cloud." Read Jayakumar's entire article and contact us for cloud migration support.

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J Walter Thompson Unlocking creativity with Microsoft Teams

Creativity is like a living organism. It requires the right conditions to appear, careful nurturing to become more capable, and a diverse ecosystem to thrive. However, just like any organism, it can disappear in an instant if its environment doesn't provide the conditions it needs to grow and reach its full potential. Ironically, nothing generates the mass extinction of creative ideas faster than alienating cubicles. So organizations quickly began to change from the inside to create environments that foster innovation and dynamic work methodologies. With the advent of digital, they realized that not only did physical spaces need to change, but also their digital counterparts. Let's face it—when was the last time you read a company-wide email reply and thought it was a good thing? In this video, you'll learn the inspiring example of how J. Walter Thompson—one of the largest communication agencies in the world—has mastered the art of digital collaboration thanks to Microsoft Teams. From collaborating with the world's leading experts in prosthetics to give a veteran the ability to once again swim with his family, to simply networking and having fun, you'll see how Teams is much more than a work tool—it's a hub for inspiration and creativity.

J Walter Thompson Unlocking creativity with Microsoft Teams

Creativity is like a living organism. It requires the right conditions to appear, careful nurturing to become more capable, and a diverse ecosystem to thrive. However, just like any organism, it can disappear in an instant if its environment doesn't provide the conditions it needs to grow and reach its full potential. Ironically, nothing generates the mass extinction of creative ideas faster than alienating cubicles. So organizations quickly began to change from the inside to create environments that foster innovation and dynamic work methodologies. With the advent of digital, they realized that not only did physical spaces need to change, but also their digital counterparts. Let's face it—when was the last time you read a company-wide email reply and thought it was a good thing? In this video, you'll learn the inspiring example of how J. Walter Thompson—one of the largest communication agencies in the world—has mastered the art of digital collaboration thanks to Microsoft Teams. From collaborating with the world's leading experts in prosthetics to give a veteran the ability to once again swim with his family, to simply networking and having fun, you'll see how Teams is much more than a work tool—it's a hub for inspiration and creativity.