Over 300 million people rely on Microsoft Teams to get their work done every day. That’s a lot of messages, meetings and “you’re on mute” moments happening every day.
Teams makes it easy to collaborate. Too easy, sometimes. Anyone can create a new channel, add users and start sharing files in minutes. That’s great for getting work done, but it’s also how things get out of control.
If you manage Teams, you’ve probably seen this happen. Teams multiply, names stop making sense, no one knows who owns what and guest access starts to creep in. Suddenly, IT is responsible for an environment they didn’t really set up – and therefore, can’t easily clean up.
That’s the problem Active Roles by One Identity is built to solve. To help get organizations back on track and regain optimal Teams security and control, Reto Bachmann, One Identity Sales Engineer, is walking through how Active Roles is helping organizations achieve stronger Teams governance, security and operational efficiency.
The challenges of managing Microsoft Teams
Teams is incredibly flexible, which is why so many people love it – but that flexibility also leads to a lot of complexity for IT. Users can easily create new channels, add guests and share files. But without clear rules or oversight, that freedom can quickly create problems.
Teams pile up fast
People create Teams for departments, training sessions, quick projects and everything in between. Months later, a lot of them are sitting inactive, some get duplicated because the chat is lost in the clutter of people’s inboxes and IT has no easy way to tell which Teams still need to exist.
Access gets messy
Teams roles are simple: owner, member, guest. You’d think that would make it easy to control access, but real life is more nuanced than those roles allow. IT can’t give someone a small task – like archiving a Team or managing guests – without giving them too much access.
There are no guardrails
Without rules, Teams names aren’t consistent, structures don’t match and the same project ends up with three different Teams. It’s confusing for users and even more so for IT.
Admin work takes too much effort
Some Teams tasks require working with the Microsoft Graph API instead of the admin portal. That means more time, more complexity and less people who can safely help.
All of these elements quickly add up to confusion, lost productivity and security risks. Unmonitored channels and uncontrolled access create a higher risk of sensitive data being shared with the wrong people.
5 ways Active Roles solves these challenges
Active Roles addresses these challenges by introducing centralized, granular governance across Microsoft Teams and the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Active Roles doesn’t change how people use Teams – just how Teams is managed behind the scenes.
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Give people the right access – nothing more
With Active Roles, IT can delegate specific actions. Someone can archive a Team or manage guest access without becoming a full admin. That makes responsibilities clear and risks low.
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Keep Teams organized automatically
Active Roles enforces naming rules from the start. Teams are named consistently based on things like department or project, so there’s no cleanup required later.
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Stop unnecessary Teams before they start
New Teams can require approval. Active Roles also checks in over time, prompting reviews to confirm a Team is still needed. Old or unused Teams can be archived automatically.
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Manage more than just Teams
Active Roles works across Microsoft 365 (Teams, Exchange, Entra ID and groups) all from a single console. Even tasks that usually require Graph API calls are handled through a simple interface.
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Reduce risk with least-privilege access
People only get the access they need to do their job – nothing more, nothing less. That means fewer mistakes, fewer security gaps and less mess for IT to grapple with.
Real-world impact
Organizations that implement Active Roles for Teams management benefit from:
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Clear ownership, standardized naming, and enforced approval processes for reduced clutter and confusion.
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Granular delegation and controlled permissions to help prevent overprivileged access and unauthorized changes.
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Automated workflows for channel creation, member management, and recertification to save time for IT teams and reduce manual effort.
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Standardized processes for naming, creation, and management to maintain organizational consistency and reduce duplicated efforts.
Bringing order to collaboration
As Microsoft Teams continues to grow across organizations, it’s easy for things to get messy. The challenge is giving people the freedom to collaborate without losing control.
Active Roles helps IT teams manage Teams in a simple, structured way – without slowing anyone down. With features like granular delegation, consistent naming conventions, approval workflows and full visibility, organizations can keep Teams organized, secure and running smoothly.
For businesses that want to stay in control of their collaboration environment while protecting sensitive data, Active Roles makes it easier to manage Teams, strengthen security, and stay compliant without adding complexity.
Take the next step to tame Teams chaos
To learn more about how Active Roles by One Identity can transform your Teams management strategy, check out the on-demand session with Reto Bachmann. In just 30 minutes, you’ll discover how to:
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Get a handle on your Teams environment
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Achieve stronger security within your collaborative apps
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Implement a cleaner, more managed approach moving forward
