How To Use Microsoft Teams With Other Platforms
How to use Microsoft Teams with other platforms is fast becoming one of the most frequently asked questions into the Mio team.
Be it other collaboration apps like Slack, Webex, and Zoom, or even other Teams tenants, hundreds of people install Mio each week to solve their cross-platform collaboration concerns.
In this post, we cover:
- Is Microsoft Teams cross-platform?
- Can I use Microsoft Teams with someone outside of my organization?
- Why can’t I add guests to Microsoft Teams?
- Can I use Microsoft teams on multiple devices?
1 — Is Microsoft Teams cross-platform?
In the Teams world, cross-platform can mean two things:
- Platforms means operating systems like Android, iOS, Windows, Linux
- Platforms means other collaboration apps like Slack and Webex
What platforms does Microsoft Teams work on?
Across operating systems, Microsoft Teams is cross-platform.
Teams is supported on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux.
This means you can choose to use Teams on any device that use these operating systems.
You can also use a combination of platforms. For example, you can use Teams on your Windows laptop and your iPhone.
Everything is synced between devices so you can continue messaging your colleagues while you’re on the move.
Other collaboration apps (Slack, Webex, Zoom)
You can send messages from Microsoft Teams cross-platform to any of Slack, Webex, and Zoom by installing Mio.
Create a universal channel where you can invite users of Slack, Webex, or Zoom to join your Microsoft Teams channel and message cross-platform.
Once you’ve created a universal channel, you can opt to direct message any members of that channel for more private conversations.
See how they work in this video:
The best thing is that you don’t have to switch platform.
There’s no UI change either.
You stay in Teams.
They stay on their platform.
Now you can chat with every single colleague, regardless of their preferred platform.
2 — Can I use Microsoft Teams with someone outside of my organization?
Microsoft enables both guest access and external access in Teams.
There are subtle differences between the two options. They may be different to the options to you are used to from Skype for Business.
If you used to have direct messaging federation with contractors or suppliers, you can enable Microsoft Teams direct messaging federation.
If you’ve moved to Teams but your external contacts are using other platforms like Slack, Webex, or Zoom, you can use a universal channel to chat with them cross-platform and cross-company.
Mio enables intercompany collaboration for Microsoft Teams — and beyond!
If you use Microsoft Teams and your external contacts use Slack or Webex, all you need to do is invite them to join the channel by sending them a link.
Install your first universal channel for free here.
3 — Why can’t I add guests to Microsoft Teams?
If you’re not the Teams administrator, you need to ask your Teams administrator for permission to add guests to Teams.
Some IT teams like to lockdown their Teams tenant for governance reasons.
If you need to add guests to Microsoft Teams, make sure you communicate why the external users need access — and ensure they are accessing from a secure domain.
If they are an approved supplier or contractor, you’ll stand more chance of getting approval to add guests to Microsoft Teams.
Your IT team may ask you to get your external contact to complete a security review before granting you the necessary permissions.
4 — Can I use Microsoft Teams on multiple devices?
Yes, you can use Microsoft Teams on multiple devices.
You can also use a combination of platforms. For example, you can use Teams on your Windows laptop and your iPhone.
Everything is synced between devices so you can continue messaging your colleagues while you’re on the move. You can access files, call your contacts, and set up meetings from any device.
You can even use Teams on multiple devices at the same time.
For example, if you’ve joined a Teams call from your mobile, you can join the same meeting from your laptop to share content.
Likewise, you can use a separate device like a Bluetooth headset for your mobile to join the audio portion of your Teams meeting while using your laptop to watch the video meeting.
How to use Microsoft Teams with other platforms
Mio has been connecting Microsoft Teams to Slack and Webex for several years now.
“Before finding Mio, we had to use multiple chat apps to maintain our high standard of customer service, but Mio allows for a seamless and unified experience.”
Chris Jones, Promethean IT.
To use Microsoft Teams with other platforms like Slack and Webex, click here to install Mio.
