Microsoft Teams - Tips + Tricks

Microsoft Teams has been an increasingly popular instant messaging service provided by Microsoft in recent times. Everyone has probably had some experiencing using Microsoft Teams, and if you haven't, it's time to hop onto the train. We're going to cover some less commonly known features of Microsoft Teams today, and hopefully you'll be able to take advantage of some of these features!

'Do Not Disturb' Mode

Have you been in a meeting recently where someone's sound notifications for Teams are popping off? Have this happened to you? Teams has a common instant messaging feature where, when you receive a new message, it plays a small 'ding' sound to notify you of it. Although this is handy most of the time, there are times when you don't want to hear this notification sound. For example, when you are in a meeting or giving a presentation. That's where 'Do Not Disturb' mode comes into play. If you open the Teams application, and select your initials in the top right corner, there is an option to change your availability. If you have a meeting scheduled on your Outlook calendar during a specific time, Teams will automatically change your status to 'Busy', but that doesn't do anything about the notification sounds. You will need to navigate there manually and select 'Do not disturb'. This guarantees that any new messages will be silent until you turn your availability back to anything else. Below is a screenshot of how exactly to change your availability within the Teams application.

Availability Selection

Status Message

About to go on your lunch break? Need to step away from your computer for 15 minutes? Have a quick errand to run? Be sure to set your status message to reflect that! This allows your colleagues, and anyone on campus trying to message you on Teams, to know you are currently away from your keyboard. Teams also gives the option of setting timers for status messages, which is useful for everyone. For example, you can set your status to 'Taking lunch' for exactly one hour, and then it will automatically reset your status message. This can clear up any frustrations of delayed messages, and it's simply best practices to let everyone know the status of your availability. Below is a screenshot of what it looks like when messaging someone with a set status message.

Set Status Message

Sending Files + OneDrive

If you use Teams on the daily, it's quite common to send files back and forth through Teams. It's very handy and quick to send files. But, the issue of files being 'lost' can raise concerns. For example, if you sent a file months ago to someone and can't remember who you sent it to, what do you do? You'll probably search through all of your Teams' contacts and attempt to recover it. We can all agree that you should have stored it in OneDrive in the first place, right? Jokes aside, Teams does this for you! When you share files using the Microsoft Teams application, it automatically stores them into a OneDrive folder under your files. Below is a screenshot of what the folder looks like under 'My Files' in OneDrive.

And then, just like with any OneDrive folder, you can sort and filter through them to help you find your 'lost' files!

App Integrations

Teams allows you to integrate existing applications into your chats. This is not only much more fun than plain text, but it allows for more interactive conversations between you and your colleagues. You can check out which applications you can integrate into your Teams client by selecting 'Apps' in the bottom left of your client. A few examples that I'll give here would be Microsoft Forms, Planner, Weather, OneNote, and SharePoint. Be sure to check them out and see if any of the available application integrations can ease your daily workflow! Below is an example of a sample question I made with Microsoft Forms in one of my existing chats.

Microsoft Forms 'Poll'

I hope that some of you are able to utilize some of these Tips + Tricks into your daily workflow using Microsoft Teams. Be sure to poke around and Teams and explore the many possibilities of its uses.

Sam Derksen

Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

3 Awesome Features of SharePoint Drive

The word has quickly spread around campus: The W: Drive is going away. However, it's replacement is shaping up to be superior in a number of ways. SharePoint Drive will be taking it's place. With the final stages of the migration on the horizon, let's highlight three of the improvements that ESU will see with the new technology.

Updating Permissions is Self-Service

That's right; there's no more forms, and no more waiting on IT. The owner of a SharePoint Drive can now grant other people access right from the settings menu. So rather than filling out an InfoPath form, putting in a HelpDesk ticket, and waiting to hear back, a Data Access Coordinator(the owner of the SharePoint Drive) can now grant someone access with a few clicks via the settings menu in their Drive folder.
 

Access from Anywhere is Easier than Ever

Getting to the W: Drive from off-campus was a bit of a process. It was even more of a process if you had to access it from your mobile device. With SharePoint Drive, you can access your files from any browser on any device with an internet connection. There's also SharePoint and OneDrive apps that are super useful on mobile devices.
 

Users Can Now Recover Previous Versions of Files

With point-in-time recovery, users can now view previous versions of documents. Using this tool, it's easy to open a document, see who has made changes, when the changes were made, and even roll the document back if necessary.

Keep in mind, these are just a few of the benefits that users will see with the transition. For more information, go to hornet.emporia.edu.

Tyler Gastineau
Digital Experience Coordinator
Information Technology
Emporia State University
Office: (620) 341-6709

Cell: (620 794-4624
tgastine@emporia.edu
www.emporia.edu/it

Welcome to the Fall 2018 Semester!

We hope your first week of the Fall 2018 semester is off to a great start!

Here are a few things we thought you should know:

• The student printing system is called SkyPrint.  You get $8 (or 100 pages) for free!  You submit your print jobs over the web and release them at SkyPrint station in most of the campus buildings.
   
• Need a place to store your files?  Use OneDrive!  You get 1 TB of space and you can access and share your files on any device!
   

• Get Microsoft Office for free!
   

• Want to see ESU videos?  Check out Hornet TV on displays across campus and on the web! (and preview our web series below!)
   

• All of this and much more can be found in ESU's new portal--HORNET 365!  Go to hornet.emporia.edu on any device to get started!

Good luck and stay connected with us!  See our social media links below or contact us at the IT Help Desk!

In Person: Cremer Hall 149
Phone: (877) 341-5555
Email: helpdesk@emporia.edu


-Brian Osbourn, Director, Web & Digital Strategies

Introducing the new Hornet 365

This past week, visitors to hornet.emporia.edu, aka the gateway to Hornet 365 services, saw a visual upgrade.  This first step moves us closer to the ultimate goals of Hornet 365 to become the next generation portal for all ESU digital services.

What about Buzz In?

The current portal, Buzz In, will be retired in the coming months, but will continue to be operational while we work to add new content and features to Hornet 365.

If YOU build it...

That's right, we want you as a student, faculty, staff or guest of ESU to help us build it!  Give us your feedback (you'll see a fancy new button on hornet.emporia.edu) to fill out a short form.  Because the new 365 will run in parallel with Buzz In, we're taking the unique opportunity to work collaboratively with groups across campus to help make Hornet 365 better throughout the fall 2018 semester!

What's New?

Hornet 365 has a lot going on under the hood, not least of which is the fact that the authenticated sites (or the parts you DO have to log in to) are powered by Office 365.  In addition to FREE Microsoft Office, there are many different services.  We'll cover those in future posts, but here are just a few of the new things that are live now:

Hornet Sites - These sites are just like a public website, but you need an ESU userid and password to access them.

g365 - A special service for group emails, sharing files, a team collaboration space, integration with Microsoft Teams and more!

w365 - A place for sharing files with your department, committee or standing group.  Just files here, plus it integrates with OneDrive!

OneDrive - Okay, this one isn't new, but there is a feature that is--the ability to intelligently synchronize files to your computer.  The OneDrive client is able to determine which files you're using and which one's you're not and only sync the one's you've used recently.  All of your files still live in the cloud and are there whenever you need them.  This saves on disk space and bandwidth.  Right now, this feature is exclusive to Windows.  OneDrive gives every ESU student, faculty and staff member 1 TB of file storage space that you can access via Windows/Mac file explorers, web browsers and your Apple/Android mobile device.

Hornet Spaces - this is a new ESU service, or collection of services showing you all of the various maps of ESU.  From a details overhead map to a Street View-style 360 service that gives you the ability to virtually walk throughout the entire campus, we've got them all in one place.  Plus, don't miss our new site about campus computer labs currently being beta-tested.

Newsstand - Have you ever needed to share a file or document in a way that makes it pleasant to read?  Would you like to share it with the public or even embed it into another website?  PDF's are boring--why not add some interactive features to your documents?  Those are just some of the things that we've made available with the new service called Newsstand.  Powered by the popular web service Issuu, Newsstand is available to any ESU department, recognized student group, etc. at no cost.

These are just a sampling of some of the great new things that are coming to Hornet 365!  Stay tuned to the blog and our social media for more coverage of the services we've mentioned here and even more in the future!

#MyHornet365

-Brian Osbourn, Director, Web and Digital Strategies

Friends don't let friends go without backup!

World Backup Day is this week, on March 31, and serves as a reminder for people to back up their valuable data. But what exactly is a backup and why should you care?

A backup is a separate copy of all your important files, for example family photos, videos and documents. Instead of storing it all in one place, you keep a second copy of everything in a safe place in case you lose your device or data gets wiped out by malware. 

So, how do you back up?

For ESU data, we have got you covered! Every employee and student has 1 TB of storage on OneDrive which comes with the Microsoft account. Simply sync your folders with OneDrive and it will automatically make backups as you go, so you never have to worry about it! The Help Desk has put together a great section with instructions and videos, which can be found here. 

For your personal data, you have different options – there are pro’s and con’s to each and it really just depends on your preference.

1. The first option is backing up to a hard drive or flash drive. Instructions on how to set up your backup can be found here. People are often most familiar with this option, but there are some things to consider. In order to back up your data in real time, the hard drive has to be plugged in to your device at all times. That means, if your device is lost or stolen, your hard drive might be as well. You might also consider potential natural disasters and hardware failures as you make your decision. The advantage of using a hard drive is that you are in control of your data and you don’t have to trust a third party with it.
   
2. The second option is backing up to a cloud storage provider. The process is going to be similar to setting up OneDrive. You can purchase a personal license from Microsoft which includes 5 GB of storage or use other providers that meet your needs. The advantage of this option is that you set up synchronization once and won’t have to worry about it again. On the other hand, you are trusting a third party with your data and the cloud storage has to be configured correctly.
   
3. The third option is Network-Attached Storage (NAS). NAS is basically the best of both worlds, your own “mini cloud storage.” It attaches to your home network and provides you with your own personal cloud space. You can connect multiple devices, such as computers, smart TVs and tablets, and access your files with all of them. It can be a bit of an investment, depending on how much storage capacity you need, but it may be worth it. 

Now that you’ve learned about the different options, take the World Backup Day pledge on social media and win a security gift bag! And don't forget, friends don't let friends go without backup!

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