MS-700 Exam Guide: Become a Certified Teams Administrator

Microsoft Teams has become the centerpiece of modern workplace collaboration. As a part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Teams integrates seamlessly with tools like SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, and Microsoft 365 Groups. This integration allows users to work efficiently within a unified environment that supports chats, calls, meetings, file sharing, and collaborative app experiences.

For administrators, understanding how these components interact is critical to ensuring a seamless Teams experience. Teams isn’t just a messaging or meeting app—it’s a deeply integrated platform that connects people, conversations, and content.

Role of the Microsoft Teams Administrator

A Microsoft Teams administrator plays a vital role in delivering a stable, secure, and productive Teams experience. This role involves planning the architecture, deploying Microsoft Teams across the organization, managing chat and collaboration experiences, configuring Teams Rooms and devices, and ensuring compliance with enterprise policies.

The administrator is also responsible for integrating Teams with third-party apps and custom-built solutions, managing user access, supporting voice and video communication, and troubleshooting client-related issues. This requires collaboration with other roles such as identity, access, network, and security teams.

Planning the Microsoft Teams Deployment

Before rolling out Microsoft Teams, planning is essential. A successful deployment begins with an assessment of the current environment. This includes evaluating network infrastructure to meet performance requirements, ensuring Microsoft 365 service readiness, and aligning deployment goals with organizational collaboration needs.

Teams deployment planning should account for:

The number of users and devices
Organizational structure and how Teams will be used
Governance strategies for naming, retention, and expiration
Policies for apps, meeting experiences, and guest access
Bandwidth and connectivity requirements for real-time communication

This planning stage ensures that Teams will function optimally and meet both end-user and business expectations.

Lifecycle Management and Governance

Governance is a key element in managing Microsoft Teams effectively. Without it, organizations can experience Teams sprawl, compliance risks, and inconsistent user experiences. Governance involves defining policies for team creation, naming conventions, expiration, and archival.

Lifecycle management includes:

Setting up group expiration policies
Using classification labels for Teams
Controlling who can create teams
Applying policies for guest access and external sharing

Administrators use tools such as the Microsoft 365 admin center, the Teams admin center, and PowerShell to enforce governance settings.

Monitoring the Microsoft Teams Environment

Monitoring is critical to ensure that Teams services are running smoothly and securely. Administrators can use Microsoft Teams Admin Center and Microsoft 365 Defender portal for visibility into usage, security threats, and service health.

Key monitoring tasks include:

Checking service health dashboards
Reviewing audit logs and reports
Monitoring call quality using Call Analytics and Call Quality Dashboard
Reviewing user activity and app usage trends

By actively monitoring Teams, administrators can quickly detect and respond to issues, maintain compliance, and optimize user experience.

Managing External Access and Guest Access

One of the core features of Microsoft Teams is its ability to support collaboration beyond the organization. There are two primary ways to enable this: external access and guest access.

External access allows users to find, call, and chat with users in other domains, while guest access enables inviting users to join specific teams. Administrators must carefully configure these settings to balance collaboration with security.

Administrators can:

Define allowed or blocked domains for external communication
Set permissions for guests within teams and channels
Use sensitivity labels to manage access rights
Monitor guest activity for compliance

Proper management of external and guest access ensures secure collaboration with partners and clients.

Implementing Security and Compliance

Security and compliance are at the heart of any Teams deployment. Administrators are responsible for ensuring data protection, regulatory compliance, and safe user interactions. Microsoft Teams supports a range of security features such as conditional access, data loss prevention (DLP), information barriers, and compliance eDiscovery.

Key actions include:

Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Configuring conditional access policies
Applying DLP policies to protect sensitive data
Using Microsoft Purview for eDiscovery and audit logs
Setting up communication compliance policies

Teams’ security must be integrated into the broader Microsoft 365 security framework to maintain a secure collaboration environment.

Network Requirements for Teams

Since Teams handles real-time communication like voice and video, network configuration is essential. Bandwidth availability, latency, jitter, and packet loss must meet Microsoft’s recommended thresholds for optimal performance.

Administrators must:

Assess and upgrade network capacity as needed
Prioritize Teams traffic using Quality of Service (QoS)
Optimize routing using direct routing or Microsoft calling plans
Configure proxies and firewalls to support Teams protocols

Ensuring that the network infrastructure is prepared for a Teams deployment can dramatically improve the user experience and reduce support incidents.

Setting Teams Policies and Settings

After deployment, managing Teams policies helps tailor the experience for different user groups. This includes policies for messaging, meetings, apps, and calling. Administrators can create custom policies and assign them to individuals or groups via the Teams admin center or PowerShell.

Common policy settings include:

Enabling or disabling private channel creation
Restricting who can schedule meetings or use meeting recording
Managing app permissions and app setup policies
Controlling calling features like call forwarding and voicemail

By defining and applying the right set of policies, administrators can ensure consistent and secure use of Microsoft Teams across the organization.

Managing Microsoft Teams is more than just adding users and creating teams. It requires a comprehensive understanding of how Teams fits within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, the ability to deploy and configure services strategically, and a firm grasp of governance, security, and networking principles.

In the article, we’ll dive deeper into how to prepare your environment for Microsoft Teams deployment, focusing on access control, compliance configurations, and network planning.

Preparing the Environment for Microsoft Teams Deployment

Preparing the environment for Microsoft Teams starts with understanding how to handle external access. This includes both external access and guest access, each requiring distinct policies and controls. External access allows communication between domains, while guest access brings outside users into Teams themselves.

Configuration should begin by determining what level of access is acceptable based on business needs. Organizations might allow open communication with all domains or restrict access to trusted partners. Admins configure these settings through the Teams admin center and can use PowerShell for more advanced customizations.

Security-conscious organizations should consider using sensitivity labels and conditional access to protect internal content. These tools help ensure that only the right people, from the right places, under the right conditions, can interact with company resources.

Implementing Security for Microsoft Teams

Security readiness is essential. Teams relies on Microsoft Entra ID for identity and access control. Administrators must ensure multi-factor authentication is in place and that conditional access policies enforce geographic and device-based access constraints.

Security also involves protecting chat messages, files, and meetings. Microsoft Teams supports Microsoft Purview Information Protection, which enables classification, labeling, and encryption. These measures help safeguard sensitive information while ensuring that collaboration continues securely.

Advanced Threat Protection and Safe Links should be enabled to guard against phishing and malicious file downloads. Admins should routinely monitor for compromised accounts and maintain strict session timeout and token expiration policies.

Implementing Compliance for Microsoft Teams

Compliance requirements must be addressed before a full Teams deployment. Admins should first identify the industry and legal obligations their organization must meet. This could include GDPR, HIPAA, or other data retention and privacy laws.

Teams offers built-in tools for eDiscovery, legal hold, audit logging, and communication compliance. Microsoft Purview provides these capabilities through intuitive interfaces. For example, admins can set retention policies for chats and channel messages, define data loss prevention rules, and enforce data residency requirements.

Compliance settings are typically configured at the tenant level, ensuring that Teams and other Microsoft 365 services follow the same organizational rules. It’s important to regularly review policies to ensure they meet evolving regulatory standards.

Implementing compliance in Microsoft Teams involves aligning the platform with organizational, industry, and legal regulations that govern data retention, auditing, user behavior, and information protection. As the central hub of communication and collaboration, Teams can be subject to various compliance obligations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or industry-specific standards.

A strong compliance framework in Teams starts with data governance. Microsoft Purview provides powerful tools like retention policies, sensitivity labels, and records management. Retention policies help ensure that messages, files, and channel content are preserved or deleted according to regulatory requirements. Teams administrators can configure retention based on creation date, last modified time, or even content keywords.

Sensitivity labels enable content classification and access control. Administrators can define sensitivity labels that automatically encrypt messages or restrict sharing based on the information type. For example, messages labeled as “Confidential” can be prevented from being forwarded or copied.

Another important compliance tool is eDiscovery. With Microsoft Purview eDiscovery Standard and Premium, organizations can identify, hold, and export content across Teams. These capabilities are essential for legal investigations, audits, or HR-related reviews. Premium eDiscovery adds the ability to analyze content and identify relationships between messages, people, and actions.

Audit logging is critical for tracking user activity and administrator actions. Through the Microsoft 365 compliance center, Teams administrators can generate detailed audit logs showing message deletion, file sharing, policy changes, or user sign-ins. These logs are indispensable for forensic analysis and internal investigations.

Communication compliance is another layer of protection. It helps detect and mitigate inappropriate messages, insider risks, and policy violations. Communication compliance policies can flag offensive language, harassment, or unauthorized sharing of sensitive data. Teams can then automatically alert compliance officers and take corrective action.

Information barriers restrict communication between users to enforce ethical walls. This is particularly important in industries like finance or law, where conflicts of interest must be managed. For example, analysts and traders may be placed in separate barrier segments to prevent unauthorized collaboration.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies further enhance Teams’ compliance. DLP allows administrators to detect and prevent the sharing of sensitive information such as credit card numbers, health data, or proprietary business information. If a DLP policy is triggered, the user may receive a notification explaining the issue, and the message may be blocked or logged.

Teams administrators should also configure customer lockbox and advanced data residency settings if required. Customer Lockbox ensures that Microsoft engineers cannot access data without explicit approval from the organization. This provides an extra layer of assurance, especially for regulated environments.

A complete compliance strategy also includes secure app governance. Teams supports a broad range of third-party and custom apps, which may introduce data exposure risks. Using app governance tools, administrators can track app permissions, assess usage, and apply access policies. Blocking unverified or high-risk apps helps maintain data integrity and compliance posture.

To manage compliance effectively, administrators must maintain close collaboration with legal, compliance, and data protection teams. It’s also important to educate users about compliance best practices and acceptable use policies. Compliance is not just a technical requirement; it’s a shared responsibility across the organization.

Microsoft regularly updates its compliance capabilities, and administrators should stay informed through the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, compliance center updates, and training resources. As regulations evolve, so must the tools and strategies used to ensure Teams compliance.

Planning and Configuring Network Settings

To prepare the network for Teams, admins must understand the impact of audio, video, and live events on existing infrastructure. Teams requires low latency, minimal jitter, and sufficient bandwidth. Poorly optimized networks lead to poor call quality, dropped meetings, and frustrated users.

Start by estimating bandwidth needs. Microsoft provides bandwidth calculators to assist in this process. Next, Quality of Service must be implemented on routers and switches to prioritize real-time traffic such as voice and video.

Organizations using proxies, VPNs, or firewalls must ensure these devices allow Microsoft Teams URLs and IP address ranges. Split tunneling should be considered to reduce VPN congestion, particularly for remote or hybrid workforces.

Microsoft Teams also supports Direct Routing, which allows organizations to use their existing telephony infrastructure. Planning for Direct Routing requires coordination between network, voice, and Teams administrators to ensure a seamless voice experience.

Readiness Assessment and Testing

Before deploying Teams at scale, organizations should perform readiness assessments. Microsoft provides tools like the Network Testing Companion and Teams Advisor to help validate configurations and readiness.

These assessments ensure:

DNS records are correct
Bandwidth is sufficient and properly prioritized
Access and compliance configurations are active
Devices and endpoints meet requirements

Pilot programs can help identify problems before a full rollout. Select a small group of users, monitor their experience, and adjust settings as needed. Gathering feedback from pilot users can reveal gaps in training, support, or configuration.

Environment preparation is one of the most critical phases in a Microsoft Teams deployment. By addressing access control, security, compliance, and network readiness, administrators create a foundation that supports reliable and secure collaboration. In Part 3, we’ll explore how to manage chat, teams, channels, and apps to shape collaborative experiences within Microsoft Teams.

Managing Teams, Channels, Chat, and Apps in Microsoft Teams

A foundational task in Microsoft Teams administration is the creation and management of teams. Teams serve as containers for collaboration, allowing users to communicate and work together using channels, apps, and integrated files.

Administrators can manage team creation through the Teams admin center or by using PowerShell for more granular control. Settings may include naming policies, guest access, team expiration, and classification.

A well-structured team follows an organizational logic that supports project-based or department-based collaboration. Admins should establish guidelines for team naming conventions and encourage the use of templates to ensure consistency.

Additionally, it’s important to control who can create teams. This reduces redundancy and supports lifecycle governance by limiting sprawl. Admins can implement Microsoft 365 Groups creation restrictions or use automation to archive inactive teams.

Managing Channels for Focused Collaboration

Channels are sub-sections within teams designed for focused discussions. There are three types of channels: standard, private, and shared. Each serves a unique purpose in terms of audience and visibility.

Standard channels are open to all members of the team, making them ideal for general updates and collaboration. Private channels are used when a subset of team members needs a confidential space. Shared channels enable collaboration with people outside the team, without requiring them to join the entire team.

Admins can configure who can create channels, manage channel moderation settings, and determine retention policies for channel content. Clear naming conventions and defined purposes for channels can enhance clarity and usability.

Enhancing Collaboration Through Chat

Chat is a powerful feature within Microsoft Teams, allowing one-on-one or group conversations outside the structure of teams and channels. Administrators manage chat settings to ensure a productive and secure environment.

Settings include controlling who can initiate private chats, whether users can edit or delete sent messages, and enabling read receipts. These settings can be adjusted for different groups within the organization based on need and sensitivity.

Retention and compliance policies should also extend to chat. Admins can use Microsoft Purview to ensure chats are preserved for legal or regulatory purposes. For sensitive roles, communication compliance features can help detect policy violations or insider risks.

Managing Messaging Policies

Messaging policies define what users can do in chats and channels. These policies are critical in shaping the communication experience within Teams.

Admins can create multiple messaging policies and assign them to different user groups. Common settings include:

Allowing or blocking memes, stickers, and GIFs
Enabling or disabling chat message editing and deletion
Enabling priority notifications

These configurations ensure Teams remains a professional communication platform while still fostering engagement.

Managing Apps in Microsoft Teams

Apps enhance the functionality of Teams by integrating tools, workflows, and services. These apps can come from Microsoft, third-party developers, or internal development teams.

Admins must balance innovation and control when managing apps. Through app permission policies, administrators decide which apps are allowed, blocked, or require approval. App setup policies determine the apps automatically pinned for users.

Common admin actions for app management include:

Approving apps from the Teams app store
Uploading custom apps using Teams App Studio
Monitoring app usage and removing underused or outdated tools

Proper app governance ensures that Teams aligns with business processes while minimizing security risks.

Apps in Microsoft Teams significantly enhance productivity by allowing users to integrate their most-used tools directly into the Teams interface. These apps range from Microsoft-native solutions like Planner, OneNote, and Power BI to third-party tools such as Trello, Zoom, or Salesforce, as well as custom apps built specifically for the organization.

Administrators are responsible for managing the entire app lifecycle, from discovery to governance. This begins with determining which apps are appropriate for the organization and aligning their availability with company policies. Using the Teams admin center, administrators can control which apps are allowed or blocked, manage permissions, and configure app setup policies that dictate the apps pinned by default in users’ app bars.

Custom app deployment is another key responsibility. Organizations that develop their tools can publish custom apps via the Teams App Store or deploy them directly using App Studio or the Teams Developer Portal. Admins must ensure that these apps comply with internal security policies and meet functional requirements. Policies can also be scoped to different user groups, ensuring that only specific departments or roles have access to certain applications.

Security remains a vital part of app management. Each app introduced into the Teams environment potentially increases the organization’s attack surface. Administrators need to vet third-party applications, review their permissions, and monitor their data handling practices. Microsoft provides detailed security and compliance reviews for apps listed in the Teams Store, but further due diligence may be required for niche or lesser-known apps.

Monitoring app usage is just as important as managing access. Admins can use Teams usage reports and analytics to track which apps are used most frequently, which departments rely on specific tools, and how these apps impact productivity. If certain apps show low engagement or create recurring issues, they can be deprecated or replaced.

Finally, administrators play a key role in user training and adoption. Simply making apps available is not enough—users must understand how to use them effectively within the Teams ecosystem. Hosting internal training sessions, publishing guidelines, or embedding quick help links can boost adoption and support a more integrated digital workplace.

Effective app management ensures that Microsoft Teams serves as a truly centralized hub for communication, collaboration, and productivity, tailored to the organization’s specific needs.

Publishing Custom Apps

For organizations with specific business needs, publishing custom apps in Microsoft Teams provides a tailored user experience. Admins can use tools like Power Apps, Power Automate, and Teams App Studio to develop and deploy internal apps.

These apps may include:

Ticketing systems
HR onboarding workflows
Project management dashboards

Admins must ensure these apps comply with organizational data policies. Custom apps can be published to specific users or the entire tenant, depending on the use case.

Security measures such as API access control, data classification, and endpoint protection should be in place before releasing apps into the production environment.

Managing chat, teams, channels, and apps in Microsoft Teams gives administrators control over how users collaborate. From setting up structured team environments to configuring rich communication policies and governing apps, these tasks directly influence user productivity and experience.

We’ll be managing meetings, Teams Rooms, live events, calling solutions, and troubleshooting common communication issues.

Managing Microsoft Teams Meetings

Meetings are a central function of Microsoft Teams. They enable users to connect in real-time, share content, collaborate on files, and interact with external participants. Administrators manage meeting experiences by configuring meeting policies that govern settings such as recording, participant permissions, and screen sharing.

Through the Teams admin center, administrators can create and assign custom meeting policies. These policies help control:

Who can schedule meetings
Whether meetings can be recorded
Who can present or share screens
Meeting chat availability

Administrators can also define lobby behavior, enable or disable transcription, and set up meeting templates. Policies can be tailored for departments, security levels, or executive users.

Managing Live Events

Live events in Microsoft Teams are ideal for large-scale webinars and organizational broadcasts. These events support up to 20,000 participants and integrate with Microsoft Stream for content delivery.

Admins must configure live event policies, including:

Permissions to schedule and produce live events
Control over recording and captioning options
Network and bandwidth considerations

Live events require coordination between IT and event producers. Admins play a crucial role in enabling the feature, training hosts, and ensuring network capacity.

Configuring Teams Rooms and Devices

Teams Rooms are physical meeting room solutions that integrate certified hardware with Microsoft Teams. They provide a consistent and reliable meeting experience with features like one-touch join, content sharing, and intelligent cameras.

Admins manage Teams Rooms through the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal and the Teams admin center. Responsibilities include:

Device enrollment and provisioning
Remote monitoring and updates
Applying firmware and app policies

Other devices managed in Teams include desk phones, speakerphones, collaboration bars, and Surface Hubs. Ensuring these devices are enrolled, updated, and compliant is key to maintaining meeting quality.

Managing Teams’ Phone and Calling Plans

Teams Phone enables users to make and receive external calls through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Admins must decide between Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing based on the organization’s needs.

Key tasks for managing calling include:

Assigning phone numbers to users or services
Creating call queues and auto-attendants
Configuring emergency calling and location policies
Setting up caller ID policies

Admins use the Teams admin center or PowerShell to configure call settings, monitor usage, and troubleshoot issues. Integrating Teams Phone requires coordination with telephony providers and network engineers.

Applying Calling Policies and Settings

Calling policies control what features users can access in Microsoft Teams Phone. This includes call forwarding, simultaneous ring, call groups, and voicemail.

Admins should tailor calling policies to fit various roles within the organization. For example:

Executives may need voicemail transcription and call delegation
Support teams may require call queues and shared line appearances
Sales teams might benefit from outbound caller ID masking

Establishing clear calling policies helps reduce misuse and aligns communication features with business needs.

Troubleshooting Teams Meetings and Calling

Troubleshooting is an essential skill for Teams administrators. Common issues involve audio quality, video lag, and device compatibility.

Admins should follow a structured troubleshooting process:

Use the Call Quality Dashboard to identify trends
Review Call Analytics for user-specific details
Validate user settings and permissions
Check network performance using tools like Network Planner

For meetings, admins can inspect meeting diagnostics to assess participant join times, media paths, and content sharing success.

Device logs, network traces, and PowerShell scripts can be used for in-depth analysis. Collaboration with network and identity teams may be necessary to resolve complex issues.

Managing Policies for Meeting Rooms and Devices

Admins can apply device-specific policies for Teams Rooms and peripherals. These policies control capabilities like proximity join, Cortana voice activation, and automatic screen sharing.

Device compliance is monitored using the Teams admin center and Intune. Firmware updates and app versions should be standardized across devices to prevent performance discrepancies.

Monitoring Teams Rooms includes tracking room usage, health status, and recent activity. Proactive management ensures that physical spaces are always meeting-ready.

Enhancing Meeting Experience with Intelligent Features

Microsoft continues to innovate the Teams meeting experience with features like:

Live transcription
Speaker attribution
Noise suppression
Background effects

Admins must test and roll out these features carefully, ensuring they do not conflict with compliance or bandwidth limitations. Feature adoption should be tracked, and training provided where necessary.

Accessibility features like real-time captions and keyboard shortcuts should also be enabled for inclusive participation.

Preparing for Change and Scaling

As Teams usage evolves, administrators must scale services appropriately. This includes:

Increasing meeting concurrency limits
Expanding the Teams Room infrastructure
Integrating new calling plans or SBCs

Admins should stay informed of Microsoft roadmap updates, preview features, and feedback from power users. Proactive scaling ensures business continuity and uninterrupted communication.

Final Thoughts

Managing meetings, Teams Rooms, calling features, and troubleshooting ensures that Microsoft Teams delivers reliable, high-quality communication. Administrators must continuously adapt to user needs, organizational growth, and new technologies while maintaining control, security, and user satisfaction.

Together with the topics covered in the previous parts, this final section completes the comprehensive foundation for the Microsoft Teams Administrator role.

Administrators also need to keep a proactive mindset when managing Teams. Technology is dynamic, and so is the workplace. As hybrid work environments evolve, the need for seamless collaboration tools becomes even more critical. Microsoft Teams is at the forefront of enabling distributed teams to connect and work as effectively as if they were in the same room. The administrator’s role in maintaining that illusion of seamless presence is indispensable.

Continued professional development is essential for Teams administrators. Staying updated on Microsoft 365 roadmap announcements, previewing new Teams features, and participating in community discussions or webinars can offer valuable insights. Microsoft Learn and certification paths, such as the Teams Administrator Associate, are excellent ways to validate skills and grow professionally.

Feedback loops are another cornerstone of effective administration. Engaging with end users to understand their pain points, feature requests, or training needs helps ensure Teams is supporting real-world workflows. Administrators who are visible, responsive, and aligned with organizational goals foster a culture where technology serves people, not the other way around.

Automation can greatly enhance the efficiency of Teams management. Tasks like license assignment, team creation, and policy application can be automated using PowerShell scripts or the Microsoft Graph API. Leveraging these tools reduces human error, accelerates onboarding, and ensures consistency across the tenant.

Finally, security and compliance should always be considered from day one. From setting retention policies to monitoring unusual sign-in activity, administrators must strike a balance between usability and protection. As data protection regulations evolve globally, staying ahead of compliance requirements becomes not just best practice, but a business necessity.

In conclusion, managing Microsoft Teams is not a one-time setup, but a living responsibility. It requires a combination of technical know-how, people skills, and strategic thinking. With the right knowledge, tools, and mindset, administrators can transform Microsoft Teams from a basic communication tool into a strategic asset that powers collaboration across the enterprise.