Microsoft Teams Management with Orchestry’s Workspace Directory

Too often Microsoft 365 Administrators are locking down Microsoft Teams to restrict access for fear that opening the gates to self-service and team/site provisioning in MS Teams may wreak havoc through endless sprawl of creation. Sadly, they aren’t wrong to have such fear as over the past few years many organizations have fallen to this foil.

Image: Orchestry's Workspace Directory interface for MS Teams management.

Why Does Your Organization Need A Central, Informative Microsoft Teams & SharePoint Sites Directory?

At Orchestry, we recognized the need to have a centralized repository, a central Teams/Sites Workspace Directory, of all MS Teams teams, SharePoint teams sites, and SharePoint Communications sites that any user, from Microsoft 365 administrator down to end-user, can access to discover and find before requesting or setting up another workspace.

This simple, but effective core capability of Orchestry is saving organizations tens of thousands of dollars in both time and productivity. Orchestry’s informative Workspace Directory enables businesses to minimize the risk and end the fear of sprawl through simplified Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online Sites management.

There is nothing like an organized, all-encompassing Microsoft 365 Workspace Directory when it comes to getting an overview of your organization’s collaboration tools. Whether you are new to MS Teams or have been using it for years, it is always good to have a blueprint of existing teams and sites.

Imagine a central repository where you can view all MS Teams teams, SharePoint teams sites, and SharePoint communications sites in one single location. This level of improved visibility has added advantages for users, such as knowing the naming conventions preferred by the organization, or new sites can be created based on the ones that already exist, and so on.

A well-informed repository, like Orchestry’s Workspace Directory, overcomes the challenge of giving accessibility to end-users and delivers a simplified, user-friendly interface to Microsoft Teams. Moreover, Orchestry’s Workspace Directory’s navigation capability can be utilized by administrators and end-users alike, without needing permission to access administrative tools.

Visibility is the Key to Microsoft Teams Sprawl Management

With the Orchestry informative Workspace Directory, end-users can view all existing Microsoft Teams teams and SharePoint Online sites, which in turn prevents the duplication of existing workspaces. In essence, knowledge is power and the transparency of the existing workspaces prevents additional workspace creation, minimizing sprawl.

Since duplication of collaboration assets is minimized, there is little to no decay of existing MS Teams teams and SharePoint sites. Your organization can leave behind the worries of heavy MS Teams sprawl as the informative Workspace Directory offers a comprehensive log.

Orchestry has been designed with a beautiful user experience in mind bringing you a renewed level of convenience. Your organization members are empowered to access and manage their Favorite Workspaces, teams, and sites, with one click, saving you time while increasing productivity.

Image: Orchestry Workspace Directory Filtering

How Does The Workspace Directory Streamline Microsoft Teams Management?

Classification capabilities with Orchestry’s Workspace Directory are vast and useful. You can use classification categories across Teams, Sites, and Groups to filter down what you are looking for.

Applying MetaData to Workspaces

Additionally, you can add your custom metadata to this, not just for Workspaces, teams, and sites, created through Orchestry, but any existing Workspaces that you already had in Microsoft 365. So you can apply any preexisting taxonomy and make use of the search and filter mechanism through them as well.

Search and Filter Workspaces Quickly

Additionally, the search and filter mechanism in Orchestry’s informative Workspace Directory is highly exhaustive and allows you to filter down at levels of ownership, privacy, division, and type of collaborative asset. Both administrators and users can create a sort of hierarchy using the catalog structure and organize it to maximize efficiency.

Personalize Favorite Workspaces for Rapid Access

Orchestry’s Workspace Directory offers a user experience like no other, with many customization options. Each user can personalize their Microsoft Teams’ Directory interface with the option to “favorite” chosen Workspaces, team, and sites.

Orchestry also enables the capability of removing the ‘Favorite Workspace’ left-side rail for organizations looking to add additional columns to their Workspace Directory, expanding the real estate per column. Not to mention, even something as simple as the view can be adjusted between the list and table format, along with the ability to edit columns to showcase the information you need.

Extending Success with Microsoft Teams with Orchestry

The informative Workspace Directory is not all that Orchestry has to offer. After careful analysis of Microsoft 365 challenges, Orchestry has modeled several other added core capabilities that impact the management of Microsoft Teams and make work simple across Microsoft 365.

Organizations are empowered with pre-built Workspace Templates, streamlined Workspace Provisioning, and transparent Microsoft 365 Governance strategies as well to help determine that the right tool is being used for the right goal. Let’s take a look at how each core capability complements Orchestry’s Workspace Directory feature:

• Transparent Workspace Governance: the filter attribute of the Workspace Directory allows you to filter down teams, sites, and groups based on governance policies like privacy settings. The repository even makes it easier to determine the naming convention followed within the organization. Read how Orchestry’s features can help you set up or administer your Microsoft 365 Governance Policies in our blog.
• Pre-Built Workspace Templates: as Orchestry’s Workspace Directory enables a quick way to find and access collaboration sites, users can take inspiration from existing teams/sites and their corresponding templates before creating new ones. The workspace log is an efficient way to determine if there is an existing pre-built Workspace Template that might be suitable for your foreseen business needs. Read about Orchestry’s business scenario-focused Pre-Built Microsoft Teams, Groups, SharePoint, and Communication site templates in our blog.
• Streamlined Workspace Provisioning: both Workspace Directory and Workspace Provisioning capabilities of Orchestry assist in curbing MS Teams and SharePoint sites sprawl. Microsoft Teams management is streamlined as all users can get an overview of existing assets through the directory before requesting a new Workspace accordingly. Read about Orchestry’s controlled self-service Workspace Provisioning in our blog.

Workspace Directory, along with Orchestry’s other core capabilities, facilitates a straightforward interface for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and Microsoft 365. Orchestry is your technology adoption and governance platform that can elevate your overall Microsoft 365 success.

Want to see Orchestry in action?

Orchestry offers a free full-experience trial for 28 days. 

• Trusted by thousands of IT admins, and leading Microsoft 365 partners worldwide  
• Fully secure application attested by SOC2 Security certification 
• Full features, zero commitment  
• No credit card required 
• Orchestry apps installation takes less than 15 minutes 
• No obligation – if Orchestry is not your cup of tea, simply delete the apps at the end of the trial and all the content you created using Orchestry will remain

Book your demo today to chat with one of our Microsoft 365 experts about the opportunities you can unlock with Orchestry and see it in action.