Obsessed With Microsoft Teams: Microsoft’s Matt Berg Explains Why You Should Be [Video Interview]

Microsoft Teams! Teams! Teams!

If you can’t tell, we’re pretty excited about the release of Microsoft Teams into Office 365. For any of you out there that use some sort of instant messaging tool at work to communicate with colleagues, you’re going to love this addition.

Here at the European SharePoint Conference (ESPC), I got a chance to catch up with Matt Berg, Senior Specialist of Productivity at Microsoft on Microsoft Teams and why it’s the one thing he can’t stop talking about. (Video and transcript below)

Psst! To learn more about Microsoft Teams, join Matt, Wictor (MVP and Collaboration Solution Unit Lead at Avanade), and myself on Thursday, December 8 at 11 am ET, where we will dish out all the details on this new tool and what it can do for businesses large and small:

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[ctt template=”1″ link=”OhYLB” via=”yes” ]I’m obsessed with #MicrosoftTeams. I love it. It’s a great way for me to work with my group on specific projects. @bergasonic @AvePoint_Inc[/ctt]

[ctt template=”1″ link=”Ajd2G” via=”yes” ]#1 take away: Groups connects everything together & is the membership tool that decides how everyone works together. @bergasonic @AvePoint_Inc[/ctt]

Video Transcript: Dux with Matt Berg on Microsoft Teams

Dux: Hello! Guttentag! Welcome to ESPC! It’s been a brilliant conference so far, and welcome to another episode of Dux Quax. What do you think of the show so far Matt?

Matt: Once again I’m having a blast. This is the fifth ESPC that I’ve been to and this is the best so far. Over 1000 people, tons of passion around SharePoint, the Cloud, Office 365. I’m just really enjoying it.

Dux: So before we get into it, why don’t you introduce yourself. We’ve known each other for a long time but I tend to forget people may not have known you or they may have known you from your previous life.

Matt: Sure.

Dux: Yeah.

Matt: Well hi, everyone. Matt Berg, I’ve been at Microsoft for 15 years. I spent six years up in the office in SharePoint product groups in Seattle. The last five years, I’ve been down in Los Angeles as an Office 365 solution specialist covering every part of Office 365, but SharePoint is still nearest and dearest to my heart.

Dux: So you’ve been with a product team for a brief period?

Matt: Yeah, I was. It was really neat to see how SharePoint was made. I joined right at the time we acquired the company Fast. We don’t call anything Fast anymore but that’s such a major part of all the searching in Office 365, SharePoint and Dell.

Dux: Well, I don’t know. I totally disagree. These days the way you guys release new solutions and capabilities, Office 365, that’s pretty damn “fast”.

Matt: Yeah, it’s pretty fast. It’s funny, yeah. You can’t make everyone happy all the time. In the old days, we only talked about new stuff once every three years.

Dux: That’s right.

Matt: Now it’s daily.

Dux: Exactly. Now speaking of new stuff what do you think of the conference so far and I know you presented a session on Microsoft Teams as well which is you know fresh from the oven?

Matt: When this conference first started everyone was so focused on on-premises.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: It’s great to see how often people are talking about the Cloud and realizing that if the Cloud isn’t right, Hybrid is a great way to go as well. So that’s exciting. A lot of sessions on Microsoft Teams, Planner, lots of governance and security conversations as well. I’m loving all the topics.

Dux: So Microsoft Teams that’s the latest buzz, right? Quick thoughts on Microsoft Teams and why should people jump on Teams?

Matt: I’m obsessed with Microsoft Teams. I love it. It’s a great way for me to work with my group or onto specific projects.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: It’s not for everybody. I mean it is first and foremost a chat based workspace.

Dux: Right.

Matt: So if chat is not your thing, if you don’t want instant answers don’t use it. But otherwise, it’s a great way to connect with your team and get things done as quickly as possible in a single workplace on any device.

Dux: You know what the great analogy when Microsoft Teams was launched Satya was saying you know look we have a lot of tools for you, a lot of solutions it’s tools into toolbox. It’s not a matter of I have to use it but it’s another option.

Matt: Exactly. Now the chat part is optional of course but all your files are still stored in SharePoint.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: You have OneNote that’s just in SharePoint. So the best part is if people aren’t in the actual Teams environment they can still collaborate with the group.

Dux: You know my customer was asking we have another tool? Yet another tool? We’ve got Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, Groups, Yammer, but the way I look at it I mean think about Office right? Today you don’t really think about “Am I going to use Word to create a table? Or Excel to create that?” We just know it.

Matt: Right.

Dux: Obviously it takes time. You know you’ve got to get comfortable with it, but with all these new innovations and capabilities, but more importantly the connectivity across the platform, I think that’s a greatest value proposition.

Matt: It’s really important and the number one thing to take away from this is the one thing that connects everything together across Office 365 is Groups. Groups is the membership tool that decides how everyone works together and once you figure that out the rest is gravy.

Dux: Now speaking of new innovations, a lot of good stuff, 2016 was a big year for SharePoint. I mean SharePoint is back. Any highlights, observations with customers in 2016?

Matt: You know good question. What I’d really like to see, where I really enjoy things I should say is Teams, it’s Planner, it’s all these things that people had to spend a ton of money to create are now built into the platform.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: So new companies who are new to SharePoint, are new to Office 365 are finding a lot of this is ready to go. Mobile is really important. I remember when this launched we had two apps on iOS.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: Bing and Lync 2010. Now we have 40, 50 plus and it’s been a major change so people can actually get work done anywhere on any device.

Dux: And that we cannot underscore that because back in the days like you said organizations have to buy tools for chat-based systems, collaboration, project management but like you said now it’s all built-in. It keeps lighting up without paying anything extra. And that’s huge.

Matt: It’s huge but it is funny because an underscore is the shadow IT. It’s amazing how someone inside a company can simply say “Hey I found this app on my iPhone..”.

Dux: I swiped my credit card on this.

Matt: Or you use the freemium model.

Dux: That’s right.

Matt: And sign everyone off and IT is just like what just happened?

Dux: Exactly.

Matt: We have 300 people using this.

Dux: Sure.

Matt: So by giving people the tools that they want like Teams, like Planner, you’re really going to maintain control of your environment.

Dux: Well, in case you guys want to learn and find out more about Microsoft Teams, we’re very honored and privileged to have a webcast with Matt in a couple of weeks.

Matt: Looking forward to that.

Dux: Looking forward to that definitely.

Matt: Should be fun.

Dux: Now predictions for 2017. I mean 2016 was a great year. I’m sure 2017 will be even bigger. Your thoughts?

Matt: Remember I work at Microsoft so I know, so I’m just going to say more cool stuff.

Dux: There you go. More cool stuff. Now, Matt, I appreciate your time but before I let you go other than Microsoft Teams or Planner or SharePoint if you were a Microsoft product what would you be and why?

Matt: If I was a Microsoft product I’d have to be Minecraft.

Dux: Oh, that’s good.

Matt: I’m a Minecraft dad. I play with my kids. I love that you can build anything you want and it’s the new international language and I just absolutely love it.

Dux: Now you were telling me about, you know, we’re in Vienna today but how are you interacting with your kids while you’re here with Minecraft?

Matt: We were just talking about that. So with Microsoft Minecraft Realms it’s an online world. So rather than having a world on your device you put it in the Cloud effectively. It’s a couple of bucks a month’s and so while my kids are sleeping I’m going into their realm and I’m building them things and leaving them notes.

Dux: Oh there you go.

Matt: So it’s really neat. I’ve got an adorable note from my five-year-old daughter thanking me and then telling me I built something in the wrong place. But if you have a chance check out Minecraft Realms. You can be on iOS someone else can be on Windows and you’re all connected. It’s super cool.

Dux: Wow, I thought I was a cool dad. I was IM-ing my kids and you’re leaving notes on Minecraft, that’s the next level up.

Matt: Great.

Dux: All right. Well, Matt thanks again and definitely looking forward to the webcast. Other than that until the next episode. See ya, tschüss!