In this chapter, we will show you how to manage devices to use Microsoft Teams. This will include deploying the Teams client to devices such as Windows, virtual desktops, macOS, and mobile devices. You will also learn how to manage the settings that are deployed to these devices by setting up configuration profiles. Finally, we will examine the subject of Teams Rooms and explain the principles of configuring Teams Rooms devices and collaboration bars.
After reading this chapter, you will understand the different endpoint devices that can be configured with Microsoft Teams and the settings and controls that can be applied to them.
In this chapter, we're going to cover the following main topics:
In this chapter, you will need to have access to the Microsoft Teams admin center, which you can reach at https://admin.teams.microsoft.com. You will need to be either a Global Administrator, a Teams Service Administrator, or a Teams Communications Administrator in order to carry out the steps covered in this chapter.
In this section, we will examine how Microsoft Teams may be installed or deployed across many devices and platforms, including Windows, virtual desktops, macOS, and mobile devices.
Important note
The technologies that we will be discussing in this section, such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Group Policy, and Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure, are beyond the scope of this book. These technologies will be described only at a very high level to provide you with a basic awareness of how these technologies relate to Microsoft Teams.
First, we will look at the methods available to install or deploy Microsoft Teams to Windows devices.
Microsoft Teams may be deployed to your Windows devices using several methods. The simplest method is to use self-service. Microsoft Teams has been included in Microsoft 365 apps for some time now, so when a user installs Microsoft 365 to their Windows computer, Microsoft Teams will be part of that installation.
To install Microsoft Teams for Windows, please note the following minimum requirements:
To install Microsoft Teams as part of the Microsoft 365 apps installation, your users will need to have a valid license for Microsoft 365, which includes Microsoft Teams. The user may carry out the installation by completing the following steps:
However, for many organizations, it is often more effective to deploy Microsoft Teams by using a method such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or Group Policy. To facilitate this, Microsoft has provided some MSI files, which can be used for bulk deployment scenarios. In this situation, users will not be required to install Microsoft Teams themselves.
The MSI files are available in either 32-bit, 64-bit, or ARM64, and there are versions for Commercial, Federal Government – GCC, Federal Government – GCC High, and Federal Government – DoD.
When you identify which MSI file you need, the steps required to deploy Microsoft Teams are as follows:
Once executed, the MSI package will copy an installation package to the Program Files folder of the Windows device. When the user logs into their computer, the installer will be triggered, and the Microsoft Teams application will be installed on that device. The application is installed in the AppData folder for the user. Should Teams already be detected in this folder, the installation process will be skipped as it is not necessary.
You can also deploy Microsoft Teams to Windows devices in your environment by using the Office Deployment Tool. This tool allows you to include or exclude Microsoft Teams from an Office installation package that you download and configure. The following example shows Microsoft Teams being excluded from an Office XML installation file:
<Configuration>
<Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Current">
<Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail">
<Language ID="en-us" />
<ExcludeApp ID="Teams" />
</Product>
<Product ID="VisioProRetail">
<Language ID="en-us" />
</Product>
<Product ID="ProjectProRetail">
<Language ID="en-us" />
</Product>
<Product ID="LanguagePack">
<Language ID="de-de" />
</Product>
</Add>
</Configuration>
Important note
Further reading on the Office Deployment Tool can be found at the end of this chapter.
It is also possible for users to download and install the Microsoft Teams app from the Microsoft Teams web client by clicking on their username at the top right of the screen and selecting Download the desktop app.
Next, we will look at virtual desktops.
Microsoft Teams is also supported within Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments, where desktop operating systems are hosted at a central source. The following VDI platforms support Microsoft Teams:
In the preceding environments, Microsoft Teams supports chat, collaboration, calling, and meetings.
It is possible to configure virtualized environments for multiple configuration modes, which include the following:
It should be noted that some advanced features of Microsoft Teams may not work in VDI environments.
Microsoft Teams used in VDI environments will require the following components:
Microsoft recommends the following as the minimum configuration:
To deploy the Microsoft Teams application to a VM, you must download the MSI package and install it on the VM by running one of the following commands:
msiexec /i <MSI path> /l*v <logfilename> ALLUSERS=1
msiexec /i <MSI path> /l*v <logfilename> ALLUSER=1 ALLUSERS=1
Next, we will look at macOS.
Microsoft Teams for macOS is installed by using a PKG installation file, which can be downloaded from Microsoft. Administrative access will be required to complete the installation, which will be placed in the /Applications folder.
The installation of Microsoft Teams to macOS devices is machine-wide as opposed to user-wide.
The application can be installed on a per-machine basis, or by a broader deployment approach such as Jamf Pro.
Now, let's look at mobile devices.
The Microsoft Teams app may be downloaded from the Apple iOS and Google Play for Android app stores and installed on devices by users.
The currently supported platforms are as follows:
Important note
The mobile client for Microsoft Teams may also be deployed using Intune app protection policies. Further reading on this option may be found at the end of the chapter.
In this section, we have explained how the Microsoft Teams app can be downloaded and installed or deployed to devices and platforms in your organization such as Windows, VDI, macOS, and mobile devices.
Next, we will show you how to manage your device settings from the Microsoft Teams admin center.
Any devices that are used with Microsoft Teams may be managed from the Microsoft Teams admin center. It is possible to carry out device-related tasks such as updating, restarting, and monitoring devices.
To carry out these tasks, you must be either a Global Administrator, a Teams Service Administrator, or a Teams Device Administrator.
When assigned one of these roles, you may manage the following devices:
To manage devices in the Microsoft Teams admin center, we need to complete the following steps:
Let's take a closer look at the functions you may carry out in relation to these devices, starting with Teams Rooms devices.
The following table lists the functions that are available to administrators in the Microsoft Teams admin center in relation to Teams Room devices:
Next, let's examine more closely the settings available for managing phones, collaboration bars, and Teams displays.
The following table lists the functions that are available to administrators in the Microsoft Teams admin center in relation to Teams phones, collaboration bars, and Teams displays:
In this section, we have shown you how you can manage Teams devices from the Microsoft Teams admin center, including IP phones, Teams Rooms, Collaboration Bars, and Teams displays.
Next, we will show you how to manage configuration profiles.
Configuration profiles are used to manage settings for Teams phones, collaboration bars, and Teams displays. These profiles may be configured to include settings you wish to add or remove from a device or several devices.
To create a configuration profile, we need to complete the following steps:
In this section, we explained how configuration profiles are groups of device settings that may be quickly and easily applied to your Teams devices from the Microsoft Teams admin center.
In the final section of this chapter, we will show you how to set up Microsoft Teams Rooms.
With Microsoft Teams Rooms, you can use HD video and audio, and share content in meetings on supported devices in your organization's meeting and conference rooms. The Microsoft Teams Rooms software is run on device hardware that can be provided by a number of different vendors and that runs Windows. It is also possible to mix devices for separate functions, such as one device for the camera and another for Microsoft Teams Rooms itself.
There are many Microsoft Teams Rooms devices available for purchase, but before we talk about these devices, we need to configure accounts for Microsoft Teams Rooms to use.
The accounts that you create for Microsoft Teams Rooms will need to be set up in line with the following available deployment options:
A device account must be set up for every Microsoft Teams Rooms device that you configure. This account is used to host the calendar for the device and to manage connectivity. The result of this is that your users can schedule a meeting on the device.
Important note
It is Microsoft's recommendation to create device accounts for your Microsoft Teams Rooms at least 2 to 3 weeks before you plan to install the actual device.
You should also be aware of the license requirements for using Microsoft Teams Rooms and common area phones. Further reading is included at the end of the chapter.
The following table shows the minimum requirements for the configuration of a device account:
The simplest method to create these accounts is by using Windows PowerShell, and Microsoft provides a script for this.
In the example that follows, we will explain the process of deploying a Microsoft Teams room with Microsoft 365. To do this, you will need to be aware of the following requirements:
To add a device account, we need to complete the following steps:
$Cred=GET-CREDENTIAL
$s = NEW-PSSESSION -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://ps.outlook.com/powershell -Credential $Cred -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection
$importresults=import-pssession $s
New-Mailbox -Name "Conference-01" -Alias Conference1 -Room -EnableRoomMailboxAccount $true -MicrosoftOnlineServicesID [email protected] -RoomMailboxPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString -String 'Password' -AsPlainText -Force)
The mailbox account is now created. Next, we will show how you can configure your Microsoft Teams Rooms console device.
Now that we have a device account ready, we can configure a Microsoft Teams Rooms console device. You will need to meet the hardware and software requirements that are laid out in this Microsoft guidance: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/rooms/requirements.
Once you have fulfilled these requirements, you can start to configure your Microsoft Teams Rooms device by completing the following steps, which include the optional step to create USB media. Most Microsoft Teams Rooms devices now come pre-deployed with the required software:
Once you have the preceding steps completed, you can complete further steps to complete the setup of the device depending on the type of device and your environment. For example, you may need to use the Configure Domain option to set the settings to connect to your Skype for Business Server if applicable. You may also configure microphone and speaker settings at this point.
In this section, we have explained the principles of Microsoft Teams Room devices. These are certified devices that can be used to book meeting and conference rooms when an appropriate device account is set up and associated with a compatible device.
In this chapter, we explained how to install or deploy Microsoft Teams client apps to your devices, including Windows, VDI, macOS, and mobile devices. We also showed you how to configure settings for Teams devices such as IP phones, Teams Rooms, collaboration bars, and Teams displays from the Microsoft Teams admin center. You also learned how configuration profiles may be used to apply a collection of settings to the devices listed in the Microsoft Teams admin center. Finally, we introduced you to Microsoft Teams Rooms devices and explained the prerequisites and steps to configure them within your environment.
In the next chapter, we will introduce you to the principles of monitoring Microsoft Teams. We will show you how to view and interpret Teams-related usage reports in both the Microsoft Teams admin center and the Microsoft 365 admin center, and set up per-user call quality optimization with the call analytics feature. In addition, we will demonstrate how to access and understand the Call Quality Dashboard, and finally, how to use Power BI to detect call quality issues.
a. Teams displays
b. Teams Rooms
c. Collaboration bars
d. IP phones
a. 5
b. 6
c. 4
d. 2
a. True
b. False
a. NET Framework 4.5 or above
b. Windows 8.1 or above
c. Windows Server 2012 R2 or above
d. Recommended minimum of 2 GB of disk space available for each user profile
a. 2
c. 4
d. 5
e. 6
a. General
b. Device settings
c. More settings
d. Network settings
a. True
b. False
a. User phones
b. Common area phones
c. Shared phones
d. Conference phones
a. True
b. False
a. Machine
b. User
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