Microsoft Teams: Guidelines

General

1. VIU IT reserves the right to amend these guidelines. 

2. Support and guides can be found in this KB article: How do I use Teams?

Team Owners

1. Team owners are the individuals who manage the Teams users, data, usage, creation, settings, and decommissioning of a team.

2. VIU Teams Owners are responsible for:

   1. User management, team channel usage, and general management of the Team. More information can be found at: How do I use Teams?

   2. Auditing for inappropriate usage as outlined in the IT appropriate use policy: Use of Information Technology - Policy 45.01

   3. Maintaining at minimum two active owners and at maximum 3 active owners

   4. Reading, understanding and adhering to the Guidelines, including governing University policies, standards, and best practices. 

   5. Reading, understanding and adhering to the Access and Privacy responsibilities.

   6. Ensuring that new owners are appointed prior to their departure from the Team.

   7. Ensuring that access to the Team and associated content is managed appropriately. This includes removing access when access is no longer needed or warranted.

   8. Owners are responsible for acceptable usage, privacy, and policy adherence for any 3rd party apps added to the team.

Team Members

1. Team members are the individuals who use the Teams to collaborate. They have shared access to everything in the Team but can't change Team settings or manage users.

2. Team Members are responsible for:

   1. Reading, understanding and adhering to the Guidelines, including governing University policies, standards, and best practices.

   2. Reading, understanding and adhering to the Access and Privacy responsibilities.

Decommissioning of a Team

1. Decommissioning of a Team that is no longer required can be requested by contacting the IT Service Desk.

2. Team owners are responsible for backup, archiving, and/or migrating of all data before requesting the decommissioning of a team

3. Inactive Teams:

   1. A team is considered inactive after 12 months of no activity.

   2. Old or unused teams may be removed if they are no longer needed or exist only as archival artifacts.

4. Teams without owners:

   1. Ownerless or orphaned Teams may be deleted by VIU ITS. ITS will notify Team members and owner manager prior to deletion, but if they receive no response, the Team will be deleted. If a Team is deleted by VIU ITS, all the records associated with the Teams shared space will be deleted as well.

Data Considerations

1. A Team owner is considered to be the Information Custodian. An Information Custodian is responsible for maintaining appropriate controls to guard against unauthorized access, modification or deletion, and inappropriate use or disclosure, whether intentional or unintended, of records within the Teams shared space.

2. Microsoft Data Retention Policy

3. Please be aware, that deleted files can be recovered for a maximum of 30 days.

4. Microsoft Data Residency

Keep in Mind

1. Be receptive to innovation as existing features may change as Microsoft improves the Microsoft Teams experience

2. Persistent chat: membership of a team may change over time allowing new members to see old content

3. Please do NOT put personal information in chat.

4. Use of Microsoft Teams and other Office 365 services provided by VIU is governed IT Policy: Use of Information Technology - Policy 45.01

5. Alumni and retired staff are not eligible to request Teams

6. All VIU licensed apps including Microsoft apps are enabled for usage.

7. Common 3rd party apps may be made available for usage after the Microsoft 365 project has been completed. (Please see owner responsibilities above)

8. VIU IT reserves the right to adjust 3rd party application access. Access to base applications will not be adjusted including all Microsoft applications.  

Microsoft Teams Limits and Specifications

1. Microsoft provide up-to-date information on these limits and specifications on their website. This gives information on how many people can be in a Team, how many attendees can join a meeting and other information. Limits and Specifications for Microsoft Teams