One of the essential tasks while managing Microsoft Teams for a large organization involves understanding and analyzing network usage. It helps ascertain the resources the organization requires to facilitate smooth communication. Microsoft provides a tool named Network Planner to assist with this task.
Network Planner
Network Planner comes as a part of the Teams Admin Center. It provides a comprehensive method for you to determine and analyze the network capacity you need to support Microsoft Teams within your organization.
Before you start using Network Planner, you need to gather some vital information about your organization, such as:
- Network parameters like average packet loss, latency, and jitter
- Firewall information
- Number & location of users
Using Network Planner
- Add Building Information
In your Teams Admin center, you can start a new network plan by adding information about the different buildings in your organization. Input details like building name, city, country, and how many users are in each building more.
- Create Network Plans
Post addition of buildings, you can create network plans for each building or a group of buildings in a similar region.
- Add User Profiles
Add user profiles to each network plan detailing how these users will use Microsoft Teams. For instance, how many users will be using live events, audio, video, file sharing, etc.
- Generate Network Plan Report
After adding the required information, you can generate a network plan. The plan provides you with the bandwidth requirements for Teams in your organization.
An Example of Network Planner Usage
Next, we will explore an example of utilizing Network Planner in a fictional organization named “TechnoCorp.”
- Adding Buildings and Users
TechnoCorp has offices in New York, LA, and San Francisco.
- New York has 500 users.
- LA has 300 users.
- San Francisco has 200 users.
Start by adding these three buildings and user numbers into the Network Planner.
- Creating a Network Plan
Next, let’s create:
- Plan 1 for New York
- Plan 2 for LA and San Francisco combined.
- Adding User Profiles
Suppose at TechnoCorp;
- 60% of users rely heavily on video and audio conferencing.
- Another 30% of users mostly utilize file sharing and chat.
- The remaining 10% are power users who participate in live events and need more resources.
You can create three profiles representing these user groups and add them to your network plan.
- Generate Network Plan Report
After all the above steps, you can generate a report. It will provide you with bandwidth requirements for each site and lets you compare it with the capacity you have.
In conclusion, the usage of Network Planner can really optimize the network usage of Teams by providing comprehensive details about bandwidth requirements considering user behavior. It not only helps in planning the network infrastructure but also facilitates efficient management of resources.
Remember, delivering the best user experience with Teams necessitates consistent validation and reinforcement of the network. With Network Planner, you can evaluate if the network is meeting the demands of Teams and users satisfactorily.
Practice Test
True or False: The Network Planner tool in Microsoft Teams provides recommendations based on the organization’s profile and what the network administrators input about their current network capabilities.
• True
• False
Answer: True
Explanation: Network Planner gathers data about your organization’s current network and usage to provide detailed recommendations for networks to support Microsoft Teams.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following factors does Network Planner take into account while analyzing network usage?
• A. Number of users
• B. Type of usage
• C. Both A and B
• D. None of the above
Answer: C. Both A and B
Explanation: The Network Planner tool evaluates both the number of users and the type of usage which includes audio, video, sharing and live event participation.
True or False: To start using Network Planner, you only need to fill out your organization’s profile.
• True
• False
Answer: False
Explanation: To use the Network Planner, you not only need to fill out your organization’s profile but also complete at least one persona and one site.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following functionalities does Network Planner offer?
• A. Defining personas
• B. Defining locations
• C. Generating a network summary
• D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Network Planner allows defining personas and sites, and generates a summary giving you a view of your network needs.
True or False: Network Planner can only tabulate network data for Microsoft Teams usage.
• True
• False
Answer: True
Explanation: Although Network Planner is used for planning networks to support various Office 365 services, its primary function is to tabulate network data specifically for Microsoft Teams usage.
Multiple Choice: After defining a persona in Network Planner, what is the next step?
• A. Define sites
• B. Create a network plan
• C. Generate a summary report
• D. None of these
Answer: A. Define sites
Explanation: After defining a persona, the next step involves defining the sites (locations) where the Teams Users are or will be located.
True or False: Network Planner can be used to plan a network for Skype for Business.
• True
• False
Answer: False
Explanation: Network Planner is specific to Microsoft Teams, it doesn’t support Skype for Business.
Multiple Choice: To generate a report in Network Planner, you need at least one:
• A. Person
• B. Network
• C. Site
• D. User
Answer: C. Site
Explanation: To generate a report or a networking plan, you must have at least one site with associated persona in your organization’s profile.
True or False: One can define more than one persona in the Network Planner.
• True
• False
Answer: True
Explanation: In Network Planner, you can define multiple personas based upon the specific characteristics of Teams users in your organization.
Multiple Choice: Network Planner is found in which of the following Teams Admin Center locations?
• A. Teams > Management
• B. Teams > Teams Network
• C. Teams > Network
• D. Teams > Teams Analytics & reports
Answer: D. Teams > Teams Analytics & reports
Explanation: Network Planner can be accessed navigating to Teams Admin Center > Teams Analytics & reports > Network Planner.
Interview Questions
What is Network Planner in the context of managing Microsoft Teams?
Network Planner is a tool found in Microsoft Teams admin center. It’s utilized to provide you with networking insights during the planning stages of Teams deployment.
Why should administrators use Network Planner?
Administrators use Network Planner to gain critical insight into their network readiness for deploying Microsoft Teams and its associated workloads. Network Planner generates a report detailing the expected network requirements based on your inputs.
What data is required to effectively use Network Planner?
To effectively use Network Planner, you need to input data regarding your organizational structure, number of users, network details, and usage characteristics of Teams within your organization including calling, meeting, and live event usage.
Where can one find the Network Planner tool in Microsoft Teams?
Network Planner can be found in the Microsoft Teams admin center under the “Planning” menu option.
What happens after you input data into the Network Planner tool?
After inputting the required data, the Network Planner generates a detailed report containing information about network requirements such as network bandwidth that your organization needs for MS Teams deployment.
Can you update your organization’s information in the Network Planner following the initial input?
Yes, once you have entered initial information in the Network Planner, you can update it at any time to reflect the changes with your organization’s structure or Teams usage.
What is a persona in Microsoft Teams Network Planner?
A persona in Network Planner refers to a specific group of users within an organization that have similar usage characteristics. For example, a group of users who frequently use video conferencing could be categorized into a persona.
How does Microsoft Teams Network Planner assist with largescale deployments?
Network Planner helps administrators anticipate the network impact of Teams by providing detailed reports based on provided user personas and usage scenarios. This helps to prevent potential bandwidth and connectivity issues, ensuring a smooth deployment.
Can you use multiple Network Planner scenarios for a single office?
Yes, you can. You may want to create multiple scenarios for a single office if, for instance, you’re considering different persona or usage distributions.
What are the main components of a Network Planner report?
A Network Planner report includes expected monthly network requirements for Teams usage, detailed calculations for each persona, and a Network Readiness Assessment if you’ve run one for a network location.
Can you compare two Network Planner scenarios?
Yes, the comparison feature in Network Planner allows you to compare two scenarios side by side, which can be helpful when making decisions on Teams deployment.
What do you consider when defining a persona in Network Planner?
When defining a persona, you need to consider the working habits and Teams usage characteristics of each user group, including the number of calls, meetings, and live events they host or participate in, and the modalities they use such as audio, video, and sharing.
Does Network Planner provide recommendations for improving network readiness?
Yes, once you run a Network Readiness Assessment, Network Planner provides specific recommendations on how to improve network readiness for Teams deployment.
Is it possible to delete a Network Planner scenario?
Yes, when you no longer need a Network Planner scenario, you have the option to delete it. Be aware that deleting a scenario is a permanent action.
How does Network Planner help with Teams live events planning?
Network Planner provides detailed calculations showing how much network bandwidth would be needed for the potential number of Teams live events and participants, helping an organization to better prepare for these scenarios.
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