Microsoft Teams administration roles are used to manage Teams-specific settings in the Teams admin center. They are different from Microsoft 365 roles which are used for tasks such as adding users, managing licenses, managing domains, etc.
There are currently four different roles for Teams administration:
- Teams Service Administrator: This role has access to all administrative features of Teams.
- Teams Communications Administrator: This role has access to meeting settings, calling settings, and live event settings.
- Teams Communications Support Engineer: This role has access to call quality dashboard and analytics.
- Teams Communications Support Specialist: This role has access to call quality dashboard but with a read-only permission.
Here’s a table that provides a quick comparison among these roles:
| Roles | Teams Service Administrator | Teams Communications Administrator | Teams Communications Support Engineer | Teams Communications Support Specialist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to all administrative features in Teams | Yes | No | No | No |
| Access to Meeting Settings | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to Calling Settings | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to Live Event Settings | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Access to Call analytics and quality dashboard | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Read-Only access in Call quality dashboard | No | No | No | Yes |
What role should be assigned depends on the responsibilities and day-to-day tasks of the individual. For instance, if an individual is responsible for managing all Teams settings in your organization, assigning them as the Teams Service Administrator would be apt. However, if an individual’s primary responsibility is to just oversee live events and meetings, Teams Communications Administrator would be an appropriate role.
Similarly, if an individual is responsible for call quality and analytics, they should be assigned the Teams Communications Support Engineer role. If they only need to view call analytics and the quality dashboard, then they should be assigned the Teams Communications Support Specialist role.
The great thing about these roles is that they can be customized according to the specific business needs. So, it’s vital to understand the distinct difference between these roles and assign them accordingly for efficient Teams management.
To assign a user to a role, you can go to the Microsoft 365 admin center, then to Roles > Active roles > Select a role > Assigned admins > Add.
Keep in mind that while assigning roles, you should follow the principle of least privilege – giving a user only those rights which they need to perform their work. This reduces potential security risks to the bare minimum.
Managing Microsoft Teams in an enterprise environment involves a lot more than just appropriate administration roles assignment, it’s merely the starting point.
But getting this crucial aspect right, will go a long way in ensuring seamless communication and collaboration within your organization.
Practice Test
True or False: A Global Administrator in Teams has similar permissions in Microsoft 365 or Office
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The Global administrator has the highest level of permissions and can perform all administrative functions in Teams, Microsoft 365 and Office
True or False: A Teams Service Administrator can manage meetings and live events within Teams.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Along with managing the Teams service, a Teams Service Administrator has the ability to manage meetings and live events within Teams.
What role should be assigned if a user needs to manage Teams and its overall settings without having complete Microsoft 365 administrative access?
- a) Global Administrator
- b) Teams Service Administrator
- c) Teams Communications Administrator
- d) Power User
Answer: b) Teams Service Administrator
Explanation: A Teams Service Administrator can manage the Teams service and its settings without needing to have full admin rights over the entire Microsoft 365 environment.
Which admin role can manage calling and calling features in Teams?
- a) Global Administrator
- b) Teams Service Administrator
- c) Teams Communications Administrator
- d) Power User
Answer: c) Teams Communications Administrator
Explanation: The Teams Communications Administrator can manage calling and calling features in Teams, but they do not manage the service or its policies.
True or False: A Teams Communications Support Engineer can troubleshoot communication issues within Teams.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The Teams Communications Support Engineer role is responsible for troubleshooting communication issues within Teams, including chat, meetings, calls and live events.
Which role is responsible for making channel-wide announcements within a team?
- a) Team Owner
- b) Team Member
- c) Global Administrator
- d) Teams Service Administrator
Answer: a) Team Owner
Explanation: The Team Owner role has broader capabilities within a specific Team such as making channel-wide announcements and managing members’ permissions.
True or False: The Global Administrator and Teams Service Administrator hold the same level of permissions.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The Global Administrator enjoys the highest level of permissions, while the Teams Service Administrator has focused permissions specific for administering Teams service.
Is it true that a Team Owner cannot remove other Team Owners?
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: Team Owners can manage and remove other Team Owners, given that there is more than one Team Owner.
Who can assign an admin role to a user?
- a) Global Administrator
- b) Teams Service Administrator
- c) Any Microsoft 365 user
- d) Teams Communications Administrator
Answer: a) Global Administrator
Explanation: Only Global Administrators can assign admin roles to other users in Microsoft
True or False: A Teams Communications Support Specialist can access user call records.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: A Teams Communications Support Specialist can use call analytics and also access user call records for troubleshooting purposes.
True or False: A team member can configure team-wide settings.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Only Team Owners can configure team-wide settings. Team Members do not have this privilege.
Which one of the following is NOT a role in Microsoft Teams Administration?
- a) Global Administrator
- b) Teams Service Administrator
- c) Team Analyst
- d) Teams Communications Support Specialist
Answer: c) Team Analyst
Explanation: Team Analyst is not an existing role in Microsoft Teams Administration.
Which role can manage Office 365 Groups?
- a) Global Administrator
- b) Teams Service Administrator
- c) Teams Communications Support Engineer
Answer: a) Global Administrator
Explanation: The Global administrator has the highest permissions and can perform all administrative functions including managing Office 365 Groups.
True or False: A Teams Communications Support Engineer can view full call record details.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: A Teams Communications Support Specialist can view full detail of call records, whereas a Teams Communications Support Engineer can only see limited details.
Which role can manage settings for apps, bots, and connectors in Teams?
- a) Team Owner
- b) Team Member
- c) Teams Service Administrator
- d) Global Administrator
Answer: c) Teams Service Administrator
Explanation: Teams Service Administrator can manage settings for apps, bots, and connectors in Teams, while it falls under the overall administrative access of the Global Administrator.
Interview Questions
What is the primary role of “Teams Service Administrator” in Microsoft Teams?
The “Teams Service Administrator” has the ability to manage and control the entire Microsoft Teams service, such as creating and managing all global (org-wide) policies and configurations, access to all teams and settings in the Teams admin center, and the ability to manage Office 365 Groups.
What permissions does a “Teams Communications Support Specialist” have in Microsoft Teams?
A “Teams Communications Support Specialist” can use Call Analytics tools to troubleshoot communication issues in Teams. They do not have any permissions to modify the configurations.
Who has permission to delete the private chat messages within a team in Microsoft Teams?
The permission to delete private chat messages isn’t granted to an administrator; instead, it’s a user-level permission that can be set within user messaging policies.
What are the key skills required for Teams Administrator role in Microsoft Teams?
The key skills for a Teams Administrator include understanding Teams features, settings, policies, and compliance, proficiency in PowerShell, understanding of Office 365 workload integrations, and ability to plan, design, and deploy Teams with security, compliance, and networking in mind.
Can a “Teams Communications Support Engineer” manage meetings and live events in Microsoft Teams?
While the “Teams Communications Support Engineer” can troubleshoot issues using advanced tools, they do not have the ability to manage meetings and live events directly, that would fall under the duties of a “Teams Administrator”.
What is the scope of the Global Admin in Microsoft Teams?
A Global Admin has access to all administrative features i.e., they can manage service settings across all workloads in Office 365, including Teams.
Do “Teams Communications Support Specialist” and “Support Engineer” have the same roles in the Teams?
No, The “Teams Communications Support Specialist” can troubleshoot issues using basic tools, while a “Teams Communications Support Engineer” can troubleshoot issues using advanced tools.
What role should be assigned to a user to manage and control specific Teams?
The user should be given “Teams Service Administrator” role to manage and control specific Teams.
Is it possible for a Teams Service Administrator to manage Microsoft 365 Groups?
Yes, a Teams Service Administrator can manage Microsoft 365 Groups.
Does a Teams Communications Support Engineer have access to the same administrative features as a Global Admin?
No, a Teams Communications Support Engineer does not have access to all the administrative features like a Global Admin. Their role is primarily focused on troubleshooting communication issues using advanced tools.
Do Teams Administrators have the ability to manage Office 365 workload integrations in Teams?
Yes, Teams Administrators have the ability to manage Office 365 workload integrations as per OAuth apps policies.
Can Teams Administrators create, manage, and apply policies to Teams?
Yes, Teams Administrators can create, manage and apply policies. They also have a broad access to Teams settings in the Teams admin center.
What role is required to manage security and compliance in Microsoft Teams?
The security and compliance management in Microsoft Teams falls under the duties of a Global admin or a Teams Service Administrator.
Do Teams Communication Support Specialists have the ability to contribute to Teams data governance and data loss prevention?
No, the contribution to data governance and data loss prevention is not within the scope of Teams Communication Support Specialists. This primarily falls to Global Admins or Teams Service Administrators.
What is the main difference between Teams Service Administrator and a Teams Administrator?
A Teams Service Administrator can manage and control the whole Microsoft Teams service, whereas a Teams Administrator manages meetings, live events, and calling in Teams. The Teams Administrator can also apply policies to users, along with configuring organization-wide settings.
extutorials.com