Mastering MS-700: A Complete Study Guide for Managing Microsoft Teams
Before deploying Microsoft Teams, it is crucial to ensure that your organization’s network is properly prepared to support real-time communication. Teams relies heavily on voice, video, and conferencing features, which demand stable and optimized network performance.
Calculate Network Bandwidth Capacity for Microsoft Teams Voice, Video, Meetings, and Live Events
To ensure quality performance, calculate the bandwidth requirements for Teams scenarios such as one-on-one calls, meetings, and live events. This involves analyzing simultaneous users, usage profiles, and types of workloads expected in your environment. Microsoft provides guidelines to estimate the per-user bandwidth for various activities. Using tools such as the Network Planner, you can input user profiles and locations to generate bandwidth estimations. This process helps identify whether your current infrastructure can handle Teams workloads or if upgrades are necessary.
Prepare Your Organization’s Network for Microsoft Teams
Preparing the network involves several key configurations to optimize performance. Start by implementing a split-tunnel VPN if your organization uses VPNs, ensuring that real-time traffic is routed directly to the internet. This reduces latency and packet loss. Also, ensure that the DNS resolution is working correctly and that there is no latency introduced by internal routing. Segmenting voice, video, and application data from general internet traffic using VLANs and QoS settings also helps maintain call quality.
Analyze Network Usage by Using Network Planner
Network Planner is a tool that helps assess your network’s ability to handle Teams traffic. It allows you to define personas for users, such as executives or remote workers, and simulate different usage patterns. By modeling your organization’s structure and bandwidth availability, you can identify bottlenecks and make informed planning decisions. This proactive analysis helps prevent poor call quality and service interruptions after deployment.
Use the Network Planner for Microsoft Teams
Using Network Planner involves several steps. Start by defining locations such as offices or branches. Next, assign personas to each location based on how users are expected to use Teams. Each persona includes expected usage of calling, video, meetings, and Live Events. After inputting the data, the tool generates bandwidth estimates per location. These results help guide conversations with network teams and influence upgrade plans for connectivity, especially for remote or bandwidth-limited offices.
Using Network Planner – Example Scenario
Consider a scenario where a company has three locations: headquarters, a satellite office, and a remote warehouse. The headquarters houses executives and marketing staff who frequently use video and attend large meetings. The satellite office includes developers who occasionally use meetings, and the warehouse staff primarily use chat and calling. Using Network Planner, you input these details and receive bandwidth estimates for each site. You then compare these against current capacities to determine where upgrades are needed. For instance, if the warehouse has limited upstream capacity, QoS settings may be required to prioritize traffic.
Specify Requirements for Outbound Network Ports and Protocols for Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams requires certain ports and protocols to be open for optimal functionality. These include ports for voice, video, and signaling traffic. For example, UDP ports 3478 to 3481 are used for media, while TCP port 443 is used for HTTPS communication. These ports must be open in your firewalls and proxy servers. Neglecting to open these ports can result in failed calls, dropped meetings, or degraded performance.
Ports and Protocols for Skype for Business Online and Microsoft Teams
Teams shares many of the same network requirements as Skype for Business Online. However, Teams is built on a modern platform with slightly different needs, especially for meetings and live events. Understanding the common ports and ensuring they are open and correctly routed allows Teams traffic to flow efficiently. You should also ensure there are no conflicting configurations left over from Skype deployments that might interfere with Teams.
Determine WAN Optimizer, Proxy, and Load Balancer Recommendations for Microsoft Teams
WAN optimizers, proxies, and load balancers can help or hurt Teams performance depending on how they are configured. It is generally recommended that Teams traffic bypasses proxies and SSL interception devices because these can introduce latency and reduce the quality of calls and meetings. Load balancers should be configured with session persistence to ensure reliable connection states. When using WAN optimization, ensure Teams traffic is not compressed or cached as this can degrade real-time performance.
Using Third-Party Network Devices or Solutions with Microsoft 365
When using third-party network appliances, such as firewalls, SD-WANs, or packet inspection devices, it is essential to configure them to recognize and prioritize Teams traffic. Devices should support modern protocols and not interfere with encrypted media streams. Features like SSL decryption should be disabled for Teams endpoints. Additionally, DNS resolution for Microsoft 365 endpoints should not be blocked or redirected through legacy systems that cannot support dynamic address resolution.
Configure Tenant Data Upload in Microsoft Call Quality Dashboard
Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) helps identify and resolve issues related to call and meeting performance. To fully utilize CQD, tenant and building data should be uploaded. This includes information about physical locations, subnets, device inventories, and building layouts. The CQD uses this information to correlate call performance with physical spaces, enabling better troubleshooting. For example, if a particular subnet consistently has poor audio quality, CQD can help highlight this pattern and lead to more targeted fixes.
Upload Tenant and Building Data in Call Quality Dashboard
To upload tenant data into CQD, create CSV files that define buildings, floors, subnets, and regions. These files are then uploaded through the Teams Admin Center. Regular updates are important as office layouts and network configurations change. Keeping this data current ensures that CQD reports remain accurate and actionable.
Configure Reporting Labels for Microsoft Teams
Reporting labels help categorize and organize Teams usage data for analysis. For example, you can assign labels by department, project, or location. These labels are applied at the team level and appear in various usage reports. This enables better understanding of adoption trends, performance issues, and compliance risks across different segments of the organization.
Add and Update Reporting Labels
To add reporting labels, use the Teams Admin Center or PowerShell. Labels can be assigned when teams are created or updated later. Administrators should standardize label formats to ensure consistency. Regularly review and update labels as team structures evolve to maintain relevance in reporting.
Assess Network Readiness by Using Microsoft 365 Network Connectivity Test and Dashboard
The Microsoft 365 network connectivity test tool evaluates your current network’s suitability for Microsoft 365 services, including Teams. It provides insights into latency, packet loss, and routing. Running this test from different office locations helps assess geographic readiness. The dashboard aggregates test results and provides recommendations for improvement. Using this tool ensures your Teams deployment will not suffer from avoidable network-related issues.
Microsoft 365 Network Connectivity Test Tool
This browser-based tool tests DNS resolution, service front-door proximity, latency, and packet loss. It then visualizes these results on a map and scores network performance against expected standards. It also detects when traffic is routed inefficiently, such as through distant egress points, and suggests improvements. Running this test during initial planning and periodically afterward ensures consistent quality.
Configure QoS Port Range and DSCP Markings
Quality of Service (QoS) is critical for prioritizing real-time media traffic like voice and video over less sensitive data. Teams supports QoS using Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) markings, which are applied to packets to indicate their priority. You can configure Teams clients to tag traffic with specific port ranges and DSCP values. Network devices then use this information to prioritize traffic. Implementing QoS minimizes latency, jitter, and packet loss during calls.
Implement Quality of Service (QoS) in Microsoft Teams
To implement QoS, configure your Teams policy to use specified port ranges for audio, video, and screen sharing. Set DSCP values, such as 46 for voice, 34 for video, and 18 for screen sharing. Then, configure your switches and routers to honor these tags. Consistent tagging and prioritization throughout the network path ensure that Teams media streams receive the necessary quality guarantees.
Identify Licensing Requirements for Microsoft Teams
Licensing is fundamental to enabling Teams capabilities. Basic collaboration features are included in Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans. However, features such as Phone System, Audio Conferencing, and compliance tools require add-on licenses. Identifying what users need helps ensure they have the correct license assigned and avoids unexpected service limitations.
Identify Required Licensing for Compliance Features
Compliance features like eDiscovery, retention policies, and communication compliance require Microsoft 365 E5 or equivalent compliance add-ons. Organizations with advanced regulatory requirements should ensure users are licensed accordingly. Review licensing plans to ensure compatibility with your compliance strategy.
Identify Appropriate Licensing for Advanced Lifecycle Management of Teams
Advanced lifecycle management features, such as Microsoft 365 Group expiration and naming policies, are available with Azure AD Premium and certain Microsoft 365 enterprise plans. These tools help automate governance and reduce sprawl, ensuring Teams are created and managed within organizational standards.
Identify Appropriate Licensing for Guest Access
Guest access is available in most Microsoft 365 plans, but Azure AD Premium is required for features such as access reviews and conditional access policies for guests. Organizations should assess the level of control needed and assign licenses to enable those capabilities.
Identify Appropriate Licensing for Calling, Phone System, and Resource Accounts
Calling features require Microsoft Phone System licenses, and in some cases, Communication Credits. Direct Routing requires Phone System, while Calling Plans require both Phone System and a calling plan license. Resource accounts used for auto attendants and call queues also require appropriate licensing, such as a Phone System Virtual User license.
Identify Appropriate Licensing for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Common Area Phones
Teams Rooms systems require a Microsoft Teams Rooms license, available in Basic and Pro tiers. Basic is limited to one per room and includes core meeting features, while Pro includes advanced management and analytics. Common Area Phones require a Common Area Phone license, which enables PSTN calling and device management features.
Identify Appropriate Licensing for Apps in Microsoft Teams
App functionality in Teams is mostly included in base licenses, but some apps or third-party integrations may require additional licensing or subscriptions. Admins should review app permissions and ensure licensing compliance when deploying custom or third-party solutions.
Configure and Manage Teams and App Policies
Implement Governance and Lifecycle Management for Microsoft Teams
Governance and lifecycle management are essential to prevent Teams sprawl, maintain compliance, and streamline operations. Microsoft Teams governance focuses on naming conventions, expiration policies, access reviews, and templates.
Create and Manage Teams Templates
Teams templates provide pre-defined settings, channels, apps, and tabs to standardize team creation. Use the Microsoft Teams admin center or PowerShell to create templates tailored to departments like Sales, HR, or Project Management. Templates ensure consistency and save time during team setup.
Apply Sensitivity Labels for Teams
Sensitivity labels classify and protect Teams based on the content they handle. For example, labels like «Confidential – Finance» or «Public – Marketing» can control external access, guest permissions, and encryption. Labels are created in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal and applied at the team level to enforce consistent security settings.
Implement Group Expiration Policies for Teams
Group expiration policies automatically delete inactive Microsoft 365 groups, including those tied to Teams. These policies help control sprawl by cleaning up unused resources. Admins can configure a default expiration period and notify team owners before deletion. Group expiration is available through Azure AD Premium.
Configure Microsoft 365 Group Naming Policies
Naming policies ensure that Teams created within the organization follow consistent naming conventions. Admins can use prefixes, suffixes, and blocked words to enforce standards. This helps users easily identify the purpose or department of each team and supports better organization-wide search and compliance.
Implement Team Tags
Team tags allow users to @mention subsets of team members based on roles or topics (e.g., @Nurses, @Managers). Tags improve communication in large teams by directing messages to relevant groups. Admins can control tag creation via policy and restrict it to team owners or allow members to create tags as needed.
Configure External Access
Configure External Access for Microsoft Teams
External access enables users to communicate with people outside the organization using Teams or Skype for Business. Admins can allow or block specific domains and manage whether users can find and communicate with external contacts. External access is managed in the Teams admin center under «External access» settings.
Configure Federation Settings for Microsoft Teams
Federation settings define how Teams users interact with other domains. Admins can enable open federation, allow only specific domains, or block certain domains. Federation supports chat and meetings, but some features like file sharing or presence may be limited when communicating with federated users.
Configure Teams for External Access (Federation)
Once federation is enabled, external domains must be added to the allow or block list. Admins can also manage settings like presence sharing, chat capabilities, and meeting participation. It is essential to verify DNS records and ensure firewall configurations support federation traffic.
Configure Guest Access
Configure Guest Access for Microsoft Teams
Guest access allows users outside your organization to join Teams, channels, and meetings. Admins must enable guest access globally and configure settings such as calling, meeting participation, and file sharing. Guest access is controlled via Azure AD and Teams policies.
Define Guest Capabilities for Teams
Admins can control what guests can do in Teams, including creating channels, editing messages, using GIFs, and more. These settings are managed in the Teams admin center under «Guest access» and provide a balance between collaboration and control.
Configure Conditional Access for Guest Users
Conditional Access policies allow organizations to enforce security requirements for guest users. These include MFA (multi-factor authentication), location restrictions, and session controls. Conditional Access requires Azure AD Premium and helps protect sensitive data accessed by external collaborators.
Manage Microsoft Teams Devices
Manage Teams Devices
Teams devices include phones, displays, room systems, and collaboration bars. The Teams admin center provides a centralized view of all devices, allowing admins to monitor health, apply updates, and manage settings. Devices must be enrolled and configured using device-specific policies.
Assign Policies to Teams Devices
Admins can apply calling, meeting, and device configuration policies to Teams-certified devices. For example, a Teams Room system can be configured with specific meeting join behaviors, display layouts, or allowed features. Policies ensure devices meet organizational standards and security requirements.
Manage Apps in Microsoft Teams
Manage App Permission Policies
App permission policies define what apps users can access in Teams. Admins can allow or block Microsoft apps, third-party apps, and custom apps. Policies can be applied per user or globally. This allows organizations to control app usage based on compliance needs or organizational roles.
Manage App Setup Policies
App setup policies control how apps appear in the Teams client for users. Admins can pin important apps like Planner or Viva Learning to the Teams navigation bar. These policies improve user experience and ensure quick access to key tools.
Publish Custom Apps to Teams
Organizations can develop and publish custom apps using Power Apps, SPFx, or other development frameworks. Apps can be uploaded through the Teams admin center and made available to specific users or the entire organization. Publishing custom apps helps tailor Teams to specific business workflows.
Manage Teams Policies
Create and Manage Teams Policies
Teams policies control features such as private channel creation, cloud file storage options, and meeting recordings. Policies can be customized and assigned to user groups or individuals. This allows fine-tuned control over user experiences and helps align Teams usage with organizational requirements.
Assign Policies Using PowerShell
PowerShell enables bulk assignment of Teams policies using scripts. For example, admins can assign a messaging policy to a list of users with a single command. This is especially useful for managing large environments or onboarding new users.
Manage Security and Compliance in Microsoft Teams
Compliance in Microsoft Teams is managed through Microsoft Purview and includes features such as eDiscovery, legal hold, communication compliance, and retention policies. These tools help organizations meet legal, regulatory, and internal governance requirements.
Retention policies allow organizations to preserve or delete Teams data based on defined timeframes or user activity. These policies can be applied to chat messages, channel conversations, and shared files. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies are designed to prevent the sharing of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or confidential data, by warning or blocking users in real time.
eDiscovery enables organizations to search, identify, and export Teams content for legal or investigative purposes. Admins can create eDiscovery cases, define search criteria, and export relevant data. Legal holds can be placed on Teams data to preserve content even if users attempt to delete it, ensuring that important records are retained throughout an investigation.
Communication compliance policies help monitor employee communications to detect potential issues such as harassment, offensive language, or data leakage. These policies can be configured to automatically flag messages for review or alert designated reviewers. Microsoft Purview offers pre-built machine learning classifiers to enhance the accuracy of detection.
Information barriers are used to prevent specific groups of users from communicating or collaborating with each other in Teams. For example, you might need to restrict communication between your sales and finance departments. These barriers are particularly useful in highly regulated industries and require Microsoft 365 E5 or equivalent licensing.
Sensitivity labels help classify and protect Teams based on the sensitivity of the information shared. Labels can determine whether a team is public or private, allow or restrict guest access, and enable encryption for files and messages. Labels are created and published in Microsoft Purview and are applied during team creation or modification.
Safe Links and Safe Attachments are features provided by Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Safe Links scan URLs in real time to protect users from malicious websites, while Safe Attachments analyze files to prevent harmful content from being accessed. Admins can customize policies to define the level of protection and monitor incidents through centralized dashboards.
Manage Meetings and Live Events
Meeting settings in Teams control the global experience for users. Admins can determine whether anonymous users are allowed to join meetings, whether cloud recordings are permitted, and which audio conferencing services are available. These settings are configured through the Teams admin center.
Meeting policies define the capabilities available to meeting participants. These policies govern features such as cloud recording, transcription, screen sharing, and lobby behavior. Organizations can create multiple policies and assign them to users or groups to provide customized meeting experiences tailored to different business needs.
Audio Conferencing allows participants to join Teams meetings using a traditional phone line. This feature is especially valuable for users with limited internet access. Admins must assign appropriate licenses, configure dial-in numbers, and set up conference bridges to support audio conferencing in Teams.
Meeting organizers can configure individual meeting options, including who can bypass the lobby, whether attendees can unmute themselves, and which users can be presenters. These settings are accessible through the Teams app or calendar interface, either before the meeting starts or during the session.
Teams Live Events support large-scale broadcasts, such as webinars or town halls, with the ability to reach up to 20,000 participants or more with advanced licensing. Admins must enable this capability and assign roles such as producer, presenter, and attendee. Live Events can be streamed using Microsoft Stream, Yammer, or external encoding platforms, depending on the event’s requirements.
Manage Phone Numbers
Phone numbers are essential for enabling voice calling in Microsoft Teams. Admins can acquire new phone numbers directly from Microsoft, port existing numbers from another provider, and assign numbers to users or resource accounts. This configuration is performed in the Teams admin center under the Voice section.
The phone number inventory provides a centralized view of all telephone numbers associated with the organization. Admins can search, sort, and filter numbers, check their status, and release or reserve numbers as needed. Proper management of number inventory ensures efficient resource allocation.
Emergency locations, also known as civic addresses, are critical for E911 compliance. These locations must be accurately assigned to users so that emergency responders can be dispatched to the correct address during an emergency call. Admins configure and assign these addresses within Teams to support compliance with regional laws and safety protocols.
Manage Phone System
Calling policies define the calling features available to users, including call forwarding, call parking, voicemail, and call delegation. Admins can create different policies for different user roles and assign them accordingly to manage functionality across the organization.
Call queues are used to distribute incoming calls to a group of agents, often with hold music or announcements while the caller waits. Auto attendants provide automated menu systems that direct calls based on user input, such as pressing a number on their keypad. Both features require the creation of resource accounts and are configured in the Voice section of the Teams admin center.
Direct Routing enables organizations to connect Teams to a third-party public switched telephone network (PSTN) provider using a certified Session Border Controller (SBC). This approach offers greater flexibility or cost-efficiency compared to Microsoft Calling Plans. Setting up Direct Routing involves configuring the SBC, defining voice routing policies, and ensuring correct PSTN usage records.
Microsoft Calling Plans offer an alternative to Direct Routing by providing PSTN service directly from Microsoft. Organizations can choose domestic or international plans and assign them to users who require calling capabilities. Proper licensing is required to activate these plans.
Call quality and reliability are critical for business communication. Admins can monitor and troubleshoot Teams calling using tools like the Call Quality Dashboard (CQD), Call Analytics, and real-time call detail records in the Teams admin center. These tools help diagnose issues, track trends, and ensure consistent performance for users across locations and devices.
Monitor and Troubleshoot Microsoft Teams Environment
Monitoring the Microsoft Teams environment is essential for maintaining service quality, identifying issues early, and ensuring a smooth user experience. Microsoft provides several built-in tools to help administrators manage performance, troubleshoot problems, and optimize usage across the organization.
The Teams admin center offers a centralized dashboard that shows overall health, usage metrics, policy assignments, and device statuses. From here, administrators can view user activity, team creation trends, and app usage. This information is useful for understanding adoption patterns and identifying inactive resources.
Call Analytics provides detailed data about individual Teams calls and meetings. Admins can search by user and examine metrics such as packet loss, jitter, round-trip time, and network connectivity. These insights are helpful when investigating user-reported issues like dropped calls or poor video quality.
The Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) delivers a broader view of call and meeting quality across the organization. It includes filters for location, device, and network, making it easier to detect systemic issues such as poor connectivity in a particular office. CQD is designed for trend analysis and proactive troubleshooting rather than individual support.
Service health and message center notifications in the Microsoft 365 admin center inform administrators about known outages, service degradations, or upcoming feature changes. Monitoring these alerts is critical for staying ahead of issues and informing users about expected behavior or scheduled maintenance.
For deeper analysis, admins can use Power BI or export Teams usage reports from the admin center. These reports help identify usage trends, compliance gaps, and opportunities for training or policy adjustment. Reports can include data such as the number of active users, meeting minutes, and shared files.
Network readiness is also a key part of Teams performance. Microsoft provides a Network Planner tool that allows admins to model bandwidth requirements based on anticipated Teams usage across locations. Ensuring that network infrastructure can support video calls and meetings reduces the chance of user complaints.
MS-700 Exam Preparation Tips
Passing the MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams exam requires a solid understanding of both administrative tasks and real-world scenarios. Here are some practical strategies to help you prepare effectively.
First, make sure you are hands-on with the Microsoft Teams admin center. Familiarize yourself with navigation, policy creation, user management, and settings configuration. Practice assigning policies, enabling guest access, setting up compliance features, and troubleshooting user issues.
Second, study each exam objective in depth. Microsoft Learn provides official learning paths that are aligned with the exam. These modules include guided labs and detailed explanations of Teams concepts like governance, security, voice configuration, and device management.
Third, use practice exams to evaluate your readiness. These help you identify knowledge gaps and get familiar with the question format. Focus on understanding the reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers, rather than just memorizing facts.
Real-world experience is extremely valuable. Try setting up Teams from scratch in a test environment. Configure guest access, simulate federation, create calling policies, and deploy Teams Rooms devices. This hands-on exposure will make the exam scenarios feel much more intuitive.
Join Microsoft Tech Community forums or study groups to share insights and ask questions. Other candidates might highlight nuances or edge cases that you haven’t considered.
Lastly, manage your time wisely during the exam. Read each question carefully and eliminate obviously incorrect options first. If you’re unsure, mark the question and return to it later if time permits.
Final Thoughts
Before taking the MS-700 exam, ensure you understand how Microsoft Teams fits within the Microsoft 365 architecture, including how to configure organization-wide settings, Teams upgrade modes, external access, and guest access. Be confident in creating and managing teams, channels, and templates, along with setting up moderation controls, messaging policies, and applying sensitivity labels or expiration settings. You should be comfortable assigning and customizing user policies, including messaging, meeting, calling, and app policies, and know how to use policy packages for different user roles. It’s important to manage security and compliance features such as retention policies, data loss prevention (DLP), eDiscovery, legal holds, and communication compliance. Make sure you understand how to configure information barriers, audit logs, and apply sensitivity labels to teams for data classification.
For meetings and live events, review how to configure meeting settings and policies, enable audio conferencing, and manage meeting options like lobbies and presenter roles. Understand how to set up and run Teams Live Events, including assigning roles and knowing capacity limits. In terms of voice features, be able to assign and manage phone numbers, configure emergency locations, and support both Microsoft Calling Plans and Direct Routing solutions. You should also know how to set up and manage call queues, auto attendants, and voice routing policies. Finally, ensure you are familiar with Teams monitoring and reporting tools, including the Teams admin center dashboards, Call Analytics, the Call Quality Dashboard (CQD), service health alerts, and usage reports. Knowing how to plan for network readiness and troubleshoot common call and meeting issues is also essential.