Last Updated 5th May 2022
MS-700 Overview & My Tips
MS-700 or Microsoft Teams Administrator Associate is the certification for Teams Administrators.
As a Teams Administrator you do need to have a good grounding in all things Microsoft 365 as Teams is the tool that pulls it all together and exposes any weaknesses in your security and compliance settings within your tenant. A Teams administrator can benefit from a good grasp of SharePoint architecture and features if your organisation is using Teams for files storage. However that isn’t essential for this course or certification.
As a final thought, Teams Administration can be very simple. Those of you who are coming from a VOIP background, leave it at the door. The level of detail needed for this certification is no where near as detailed as you are used to. And if you were a Skype Administrator you’ll be amazed at how simple Federation is – don’t make it difficult for yourself by looking for complexity where there is none!
Disclaimer: All these links were correct at the time of posting. But the Cloud changes regularly, so the referenced articles my change/be removed. Please do post a comment if you spot a broken link or have suggestions to add so others can benefit too.
This style of page isn’t new. These are two that I like from a couple of Microsoft MVPs
https://vladtalkstech.com/ms-700-study-guide-managing-microsoft-teams
General References
- MS-700 Exam page https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/ms-700
- MeasureUp Official Practice Test https://www.measureup.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=&q=MS-700
- Microsoft Learn. Provides searchable learning paths and modules for a variety of roles and levels. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/
- Learn TV. Digital content so you can always keep updated on the latest announcements, features, and products from Microsoft. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/tv/
- Microsoft Teams Blog https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/bg-p/MicrosoftTeamsBlog
- Channel 9. Informational videos, shows, and events on variety of technical topics. https://channel9.msdn.com/
- Microsoft Learning Community Blog. Get the latest information about the certification tests and exam study groups. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/community-blog.aspx
- Microsoft 365 Documentation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365
- Microsoft Teams Documentation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/
- Compare Teams Versions https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-options
- Portals for Administrators https://msportals.xyz/
Taking a Microsoft Professional Exam
- Certification process overview | Microsoft Docs
- Microsoft Certification Routes https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWtQJJ?keywords=Microsoft%20365%20Certified%20Teamwork%20Administrator%20Associate
- Microsoft Certifications – Microsoft Exam duration and question types – tiagocosta.com
- An MCT’s perspective on taking a Microsoft Fundamentals Exam (FAQ’s) – @Microsoft365Pro
- How to take a Microsoft Certification Exam Online – Thomas Maurer
Pre-study References
- My MS-900 Extras Page https://m365train.co.uk/2021/08/15/ms-900-course-extras/
- Teams Admin Training Resources https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/itadmin-readiness#technical-training
- Microsoft 365 licensing guidance for security & compliance https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/microsoft-365-service-descriptions/microsoft-365-tenantlevel-services-licensing-guidance/microsoft-365-security-compliance-licensing-guidance#information-barriers
- License Comparisons https://github.com/AaronDinnage/Licensing
- Service Trust Portal https://servicetrust.microsoft.com/
- Compare Azure AD licenses https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/pricing/details/active-directory/
- Teams on MS Learn https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/teams/
- Microsoft Teams help & learning – Microsoft Support
- Teams PowerShell Overview Microsoft Teams PowerShell Overview – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- An Introduction to PowerShell Introduction to PowerShell – Learn | Microsoft Docs
Microsoft Learn Learning Paths (MS-700)
- Manage team collaboration with Microsoft Teams https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/m365-manage-team-collaboration/
- Upgrade to Microsoft Teams https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/m365-teams-upgrade/
- choose an appropriate upgrade coexistence mode to meet specific requirements
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/teams-client-experience-and-conformance-to-coexistence-modes
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/hybrid/configure-hybrid-connectivity
- https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/configuring-teams-calendar-access-for-exchange-on-premises/ba-p/1484009
References by Exam Objectives
From 4th May 29022
Plan and configure a Microsoft Teams Environment (35-40%)
Plan and configure network settings for Microsoft Teams
- calculate network bandwidth capacity for Microsoft Teams voice, video, meetings and Live Events
- analyze network usage by using Network Planner
- specify requirements for outbound network ports and protocols for Microsoft Teams
- determine WAN optimizer, proxy, and load balancer recommendations for Microsoft Teams
- configure Tenant Data Upload in Microsoft Call Quality Dashboard
- configure reporting labels for Microsoft Teams
- assess network readiness by using Microsoft 365 network connectivity test and dashboard
- configure QoS port range and DSCP markings
- QOS =Quality of Service (QoS); DSCP = Differentiated Services Codepoint (see https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2474#section-3)
- Implement Quality of Service in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
Identify licensing requirements for Microsoft Teams
General Reference:Microsoft Teams service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Docs
- identify required licensing for compliance features
- identify appropriate licensing for advanced lifecycle management of teams
- identify appropriate licensing for guest access
- identify appropriate licensing for calling, Phone System, and resource accounts
- identify appropriate licensing for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Common Area Phones
- identify appropriate licensing for apps in Microsoft Teams
Plan and configure security and compliance settings for Microsoft Teams
- plan alerts for Microsoft Teams
- choose appropriate administration roles
- plan threat policies
- plan and configure retention policies
- plan and configure sensitivity labels
- plan Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies
- plan for conditional access and MFA for Microsoft Teams
- plan information barrier policies
Plan and implement governance and lifecycle management for Microsoft Teams
- plan and manage Microsoft Teams preview features with Microsoft Teams update policies
- create and manage policy packages in Microsoft Teams
- plan policy assignment for users and groups
- set up policies for Microsoft 365 Groups creation
- configure an expiration policy for Microsoft 365 groups
- configure a naming policy for Microsoft 365 Groups
- archive, delete, or unarchive one or more teams
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/archive-or-restore-a-team-dc161cfd-b328-440f-974b-5da5bd98b5a7#:~:text=Archive%20or%20restore%20a%20team%201%20Select%20Teams,the%20SharePoint%20site%20read-only%20for%20team%20members.%20
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/archive-or-delete-a-team
- restore or troubleshoot deletion of one or more Microsoft 365 Groups
- manage Azure AD access review for members and guests
- perform bulk user operations with PowerShell
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/user-access#using-powershell
- Adding bulk users from a .csv file to a Microsoft Teams team | by Joaquin Guerrero | Medium
- See also the blog series on Teams PowerShell, starting here MS-700 Useful PowerShell – Part 1 – The Teams Queen Blog
- CsBatchPolicyPackageAssignmentOperation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/teams/new-csbatchpolicypackageassignmentoperation?view=teams-ps
Configure and manage external and guest users
General References – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/communicate-with-users-from-other-organizations and https://m365train.co.uk/2020/06/22/external-guest-communication-in-ms-teams/
- configure SharePoint and OneDrive organizational level sharing settings
- manage external file sharing setting for OneDrive users
- manage external file sharing setting for SharePoint sites
- manage external access-federated domains
- manage guest users for Microsoft Teams from the Microsoft Teams Admin Center
- configure guest access to Microsoft Teams from Azure AD admin center
- allow or prevent owners from adding guests
- configure guest access to a specific team
- remove guests
Configure and manage Microsoft Teams devices
- configure Microsoft Teams for VDI
- manage configuration profiles for Teams Devices
- manage Microsoft Teams device tags
- manage device settings and firmware
- provision and configure remote sign-in for new devices
Manage chat, teams, channels, and apps (25-30%)
Create and manage teams
Do not focus solely on the Admin capabilities here remember users can create & manage Teams too – see Teams and channels (microsoft.com) for Team Owner guidance
- create teams
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/get-started-with-teams-create-your-first-teams-and-channels#create-a-team
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/create-groups/choose-domain-to-create-groups?view=o365-worldwide
- https://sharepoint-tricks.com/export-the-private-channels-on-your-organisation/
- manage privacy levels for a team
- create a team from a default or custom template
- create a team from existing resources
- plan and manage org-wide teams
- add and remove users in a team
- assign and modify user roles in a team
- configure dynamic membership
Plan and manage channels
- plan for channel types
- Overview of teams and channels in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Private channels in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Manage the private channels in Microsoft Teams with Graph API – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Plus Shared Channels coming soon – Shared Channels: Collaborate beyond borders in Microsoft Teams – Vesa Nopanen – My Teams & Microsoft 365 Day (myteamsday.com)
- create channels
- manage Microsoft Teams channel settings
- create and manage Microsoft Teams policies for private channels
- manage private channel membership
Manage chat and collaboration experiences
- create and manage messaging policies
- configure email integration from Microsoft Teams settings
- manage cloud file storage options
- choose an appropriate coexistence mode
Manage apps for Microsoft Teams
This section covers all of this module Manage your apps in the Microsoft Teams admin center – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- manage Org-wide app settings
- create and manage app permission policies
- create and manage app setup policies
- add apps, connectors, tabs, and messaging extensions to a team
- customize the app store
- publish and configure a custom app to Microsoft Teams
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/app-policies#custom-app-policies
- Manage custom app policies and settings – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Customize apps in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Get started with App Studio for Microsoft Teams – Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Public Preview Features are not included in the exam this link is for info only Manage your apps with the Developer Portal – Teams | Microsoft Docs
- Build apps for the Microsoft Teams platform – Teams | Microsoft Docs
Manage calling and meetings (15-20%)
Manage meeting experiences
- configure meeting settings
- create and manage meeting policies
- create and manage conference bridges
- configure live events settings
- create and manage live events policies
- Configure and manage Teams cloud meeting recording
Manage phone numbers
- evaluate when to use Calling Plan versus Direct Routing
- plan and configure emergency calling policies
- add, change, or remove an emergency address for your organization
- provision and manage organizational phone numbers for users, services, and conferencing bridges
- assign, change, or remove a phone number for a user
- assign a phone number to a resource account
Manage Phone System for Microsoft Teams
- create and manage call park policies
- create and manage calling policies
- create and manage caller ID policies
- manage user voice settings
- create and manage dial plans
- interpret a dial plan
- identify potential issues by using the Health Dashboard for Direct Routing
- create and manage resource accounts
- create and manage call queues
- create and manage auto attendants
Monitor and troubleshoot a Microsoft Teams Environment (10-15%)
Monitor and report on a Microsoft Teams environment
As an overview for this section on analytics & reporting see Microsoft Teams analytics and reporting – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs and Manage and monitor Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs for manage & monitor teams.
- monitor and report on voice and meeting quality
- report on user adoption, including Productivity Score, team usage, app usage, active users, and per-meeting metrics
- monitor and report on creation and deletion of teams
- monitor and report on guest access
- manage Notifications & alerts rules from the Microsoft Teams admin center
Troubleshoot audio, video, and client issues
Troubleshooting Teams information can be assessed from here Information about Teams known issues – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- troubleshoot chat and presence issues
- IM & Presence start here: A contact’s presence is unknown in Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- identify, collect, and interpret client logs
- troubleshoot issues by using Call Analytics
- troubleshoot Microsoft Teams sign-in issues by using Azure AD sign in logs
- identify potential issues by using Call Quality Dashboard
Extras
This section contains links which may be of interest to Teams Administrators generally.
Some Knowledge Check Quizzes
- Teams Scenario Quiz – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12Gigaukkc-QRLPOBClsG7Er7AanVUM1RIU0hBTTJWT1NTMzZHUVFGMzRBSkJMNi4u
- Overview of Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtURElFUkM3WkpNQlVXOVFYVUxYU1NGMjlEVyQlQCN0PWcu
- Overview of Teams Security & Compliance – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtURVBIM0U1Q0hRNkdRR0IwMzhIV0tLQkNFRyQlQCN0PWcu
- Overview of Managing Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUNFRRU1lPRTIzVVdMS0tYRkJKSlE0VUtQTiQlQCN0PWcu
- Implement Teams Lifecycle Management – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUMUdRUFROOFVWWEZYSDNDSDJVV0FWU0hZQiQlQCN0PWcu
- Implement Security for Microsoft Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUQUVQUDBINjBTVkVZV1VPMFBBNDdBRE80OCQlQCN0PWcu
- Implement Compliance for Microsoft Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtURDBSVUo3R085SVlCWkdKUVcwWDBFRTIwViQlQCN0PWcu
- Upgrade from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUMDVZTVBCVDZKVFpLNTVFUk85VU1RSlVCSiQlQCN0PWcu
- Plan and Configure Network Setting for Microsoft Teams – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUMUFCVEIzOFBTSzJIV0JGTEs2QVlGVUtQTiQlQCN0PWcu
- Teams Owner Knowledge Check – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pkISNZbQ1USU6s12GigautyNP8nxr85OjaulBfjWtXtUMFVaV1ZHM1NZWExHRURSMjI4TktBSzBEUCQlQCN0PWcu
- Teams in Education https://bit.ly/2MlRjOZ
Give Feedback, Get Help, Keep up with Changes
Teams Tech Community https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams/ct-p/MicrosoftTeams
Microsoft Feedback is replacing user voice – the Teams feedback board is found at https://aka.ms/TeamsFeedback Teams UserVoice (if you still need it) https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/
Teams Roadmap https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=Microsoft%20Teams
Microsoft 365 User Adoption Resources https://aka.ms/MicrosoftAdoption
Going Further
What else can I do with teams?
You may also be interested in Blogs I’ve written for Administrators http://teamsqueen.com/administrator/
Additional Apps for Teams https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/samples/app-templates#request-a-team-app
Contact Center in Teams https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/teams-contact-center
How to fix authentication issues with personal apps which use SharePoint Pages https://teams.handsontek.net/2020/02/13/how-to-fix-the-authentication-issues-with-personal-apps-using-sharepoint-pages/
Discover all Private Channels https://sharepoint-tricks.com/export-the-private-channels-on-your-organisation/
Microsoft Lists Quick start Guide https://teamworktools.azurewebsites.net/lists/Lists%20Quickstart%20guide.pdf
Teams Features by Platform https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/teams-features-by-platform-debe7ff4-7db4-4138-b7d0-fcc276f392d3?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
Phone Numbers – What you Need to Know https://online.commsverse.com/microsoft-phone-numbers-what-you-need-to-know/
You can do lots with the Graph and Teams, here is an example. Teams Meeting Tenant To Tenant Migration! | A blog about automation and technologies in the cloud (alexholmeset.blog)
Education Specific
Teams for Education Teams for Education – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
Reflect for Emotional Well Being https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/reflect-in-teams-for-emotional-well-being-27ce1df4-7c6f-4cb2-9a82-fe4e8a8ab92f
Previous Version based on exam Objective from May 25, 2021
Plan and configure a Microsoft Teams environment (45-50%)
Upgrade from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams
- choose an appropriate upgrade coexistence mode to meet specific requirements
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/teams-client-experience-and-conformance-to-coexistence-modes
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/hybrid/configure-hybrid-connectivity
- https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/configuring-teams-calendar-access-for-exchange-on-premises/ba-p/1484009
- plan and troubleshoot meeting migration
- configure Microsoft Teams upgrade notification and meeting app preferences
- configure coexistence mode for the organization and per-user
- use Teams Advisor to assess and identify steps to roll out Microsoft Teams
Plan and configure network settings for Microsoft Teams
- plan for successful network deployment by using Network Planner
- calculate network bandwidth capacity for Microsoft Teams voice, video, meetings and Live Events
- assess network readiness by using the Network Testing Companion
- configure network ports and protocols used by Microsoft Teams client application
- configure media optimizations by using QoS
- configure and manage locations including reporting labels, emergency addresses, and network topology, and networks & locations
Implement governance and lifecycle management for Microsoft Teams
- create and manage Teams templates and template policies
- set up policies for Microsoft 365 group creation
- configure Microsoft 365 groups, expiration policy, and naming policy
- archive, unarchive, delete, and restore a team
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/archive-or-restore-a-team-dc161cfd-b328-440f-974b-5da5bd98b5a7#:~:text=Archive%20or%20restore%20a%20team%201%20Select%20Teams,the%20SharePoint%20site%20read-only%20for%20team%20members.%20
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/archive-or-delete-a-team
- configure and manage Update policies
Configure and manage guest access
General References – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/communicate-with-users-from-other-organizations and https://m365train.co.uk/2020/06/22/external-guest-communication-in-ms-teams/
External & Guest Communication in MS Teams – Sara Fennah’s Blog (m365train.co.uk)
- configure guest users for Microsoft Teams
- configure guest permissions for a team
- configure meeting and live events experiences for guests
- configure messaging and calling options for guests
- remove guests
- manage Azure AD access review for guests
- configure guest access from Azure AD portal
Manage security and compliance
- assign Microsoft Teams Admin roles
- create and manage compliance features, including retention policies, sensitivity labels, and data loss prevention (DLP) policies
- Teams DLP Playbook https://lnkd.in/eUfHaK8
- Conduct an eDiscovery investigation of content in Teams https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/ediscovery-investigation#ediscovery-of-private-channels
- Overview of security and compliance – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- create security and compliance alerts for Microsoft Teams
- create an information barrier policy
- interpret security reports for Microsoft Teams
Deploy and manage Microsoft Teams endpoints
- deploy Microsoft Teams clients to devices, including Windows, VDI (Virtual Desktop), Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), MacOS, and mobile devices
- manage configuration profiles
- manage Microsoft Teams device tags
- manage device settings and firmware
- configure Microsoft Teams Rooms accounts
Monitor and analyze service usage
- interpret Microsoft Teams usage reports
- interpret Microsoft 365 usage reports
- optimize call quality by using Call Analytics
- analyze organization-wide call quality by using Call Quality Dashboard
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/cqd-data-and-reports
- Use CQD to manage call and meeting quality in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs
- An additional guide to what the metrics mean can be found in the Martello Teams Performance Guide: https://www2.martellotech.com/ebook-microsoft-teams-performance-guide.html
- use Power BI to identify call quality issues
Manage Chat, Calling, and Meetings (30-35%)
Manage chat and collaboration experiences
- configure messaging policies
- manage external access
- manage channels for a team
- manage private channel creation
- manage email integration
- configure external access for SharePoint and OneDrive for Business
- manage cloud file storage options for collaboration
Manage meeting experiences
- configure meeting settings
- create and manage meeting policies
- configure settings for live events
- create and manage policies for live events
- configure conference bridge settings
Manage phone numbers
- recommend a PSTN connectivity solution based on specific business requirements
- order phone numbers
- manage service numbers
- add, change, or remove an emergency address for your organization
- assign, change, or remove a phone number for a user
- manage voice and audio conferencing settings for users
- configure dynamic emergency policies
Manage Phone System
- manage resource accounts
- create and configure call queues
- create and configure auto attendants
- manage call park policies
- manage calling policies
- manage caller ID policies
- interpret the Direct Routing health dashboard
Manage Teams and app policies (20-25%)
Manage a team
- create a team
- upgrade an existing resource to a team
- manage privacy levels for a team
- manage org-wide teams
- Create and manage policy packages in Teams
Manage membership in a team
- manage users in a team
- configure dynamic membership
- manage access review for team members
Implement policies for Microsoft Teams apps
- manage Org-wide app settings
- create and manage app permission policies
- create and manage app setup policies
- manage apps store customization