Service Summary

Microsoft (MS) Teams is an enterprise-wide collaboration suite within Mason’s Office 365. At its core, MS Teams provides chat, audio calling, video calling, screen sharing, and more with individuals and groups outside of a team structure.

MS Teams is available via web browser, desktop application, and mobile app.

MS Teams is a self-service application. Training and support provided by ITS are limited to account access questions. Additional training is provided via online tutorials and collaboration with other users.

2FA Requirement

As part of Office 365, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is required to access this service. For more information, see 2FA for Office 365 Tips.

Accessibility

Information on MS Teams accessibility features can be found at Accessibility support for Microsoft Teams.

Key Features

Within the structure of a formal team, team members have access to chat, audio calling, video calling, and screen share, as well as several Office 365 shared features:

• Team Collaboration
• Chat
• Call
• Recording
• Calendar
• Notebook with OneNote
• Shared file storage
• Planner, and more within Team Sites

Getting This Service

Eligibility

Accessing MS Teams

On the Web

Access MS Teams through the application launcher on your Mason Office 365 account at http://mso365.gmu.edu via supported browsers.

On a Desktop

ITS recommends using the MS Teams desktop application for full functionality. The application is available for direct download at https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app.

On Mobile

Get the MS Teams mobile app for Apple or Android from the app stores or https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app from a browser on your mobile device.

Linux Users

Microsoft has retired the Linux desktop client for MS Teams. All users on the Microsoft Teams Linux desktop client will have to transition to the web or PWA version.

Sign In

Sign in using your NetID, Patriot Pass Password, and Duo Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

Using MS Teams

Review the following information for an overview of the MS Teams structure and roles:  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-channels-overview

Team Owners

The Team Owner creates the team and controls who has access, including adding members and other owners.

Teams must have more than one owner to ensure any team members who are no longer active faculty or staff are removed from active Teams.

MyHub App

Mason uses MyHub for MS Teams to manage existing teams and create new ones. Access MyHub from Teams by clicking on the MyHub icon in the left navigation or via myhub365.gmu.edu.

• Getting Started: Creating a Workspace with MyHub
• MyHub Team Types

Teams Renewal Process

Teams workspaces must be renewed periodically to help ensure Teams are being maintained and retired when appropriate. Team owners will be notified when it is time to complete the renewal process, which includes archiving old or no longer-needed workspaces and confirming that the owner/member information is still correct. See MyHub Renewal Policies for more details.

Guests

For information and eligibility for adding guests to teams (members who do NOT have accounts on Mason's Office 365 system), see, Adding Guests in MS Teams.

Training

Microsoft Teams Training

Recorded sessions of MS Teams training are posted in the Files tab within the Collaboration Collective. See Additional Information for details on how to join the Collaboration Collective.

Microsoft Training Videos

The following information can help familiarize you with MS Teams and prepare you to collaborate with other MS Teams users.

• MS Teams Quick Start
• Intro to Microsoft Teams
• Start Chats and Calls
• Set up and Customize your Team
• Collaborate in Teams and Channels
• Work with Posts and Messages
• MS Teams Training Videos

Additional Training Opportunities

Additional training is available via Mason’s Subscription to LinkedIn Learning. Visit https://lil.gmu.edu, log in with your Mason credentials, and search for Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams Essential Training provides a popular overview.

Microsoft: Microsoft offers free instructor-led training webinars. See Instructor-Led Training for Microsoft Teams for a list of training topics and to register for sessions.

Policy

All users of the George Mason University network must adhere to University Policy Number 1301: Responsible Use of Computing.

Employee Security Bulletin

This service is intended for work-related public use data only. The University Data Stewardship Policy defines data classified for public use. Users are responsible for understanding and complying with this policy. For more information about data usage and classifications, reference the following:

• Standards for data storage and collaboration
• Data Stewardship Policy 1114
• Data Usage and Public Use vs. Protected Data

Recording Retention Policy

MS Teams recordings are stored with expiration dates attached to them. The default expiration period for MS Teams recordings may vary between 30 and 120 days. Check the expiration date on your recording to confirm the default expiration period. See MS Teams Recording for more information.