Tutorial / Cram Notes
Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams are crucial for controlling how participants can interact with the team meetings. They offer a way to manage features such as who can join a meeting directly, who can share their screen, who can use chat, and much more. These policies are essential for administrators when it comes to ensuring meetings compliance with organizational guidelines and security standards.
Key Components of Meeting Policies
Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams are divided into several sections:
- Participants & Guests: Controls what actions guests and external users can perform.
- Audio & Video: Dictates the permissions for sharing audio and video during a meeting.
- Meeting chat: Determines whether chat is allowed and under what circumstances.
- Meeting features: Controls other features such as recording, transcription, and meeting notes.
Creating Custom Meeting Policies
To create a new custom meeting policy, follow these steps:
- Access the Microsoft Teams admin center.
- Navigate to Meetings > Meeting policies.
- Select Add to create a new policy.
- Name the policy and configure settings based on your organizational requirements.
- Save the policy.
For instance, if you want to create a policy for confidential meetings where only internal team members can join directly and the chat is limited to during the meeting only, you would set Allow meet now in channels to off, Automatically admit people to “People in my organization”, and Allow chat in meetings to “In meeting only”.
Example of a Custom Meeting Policy
Setting | Value |
---|---|
Name | “Confidential Meeting Policy” |
Description | “For internal confidential meetings” |
Allow meet now in channels | Off |
Automatically admit people | People in my organization |
Allow chat in meetings | In meeting only |
Allow cloud recording | Off |
Allow IP video | On |
Allow screen sharing | Individuals in my organization |
Allow transcription | Off |
Managing Existing Meeting Policies
Administrators can manage existing meeting policies by:
- Go to the Microsoft Teams admin center.
- Navigate to Meetings > Meeting policies.
- Select the policy you want to modify.
- Adjust the settings as necessary and save the changes.
For example, to update a policy to allow everyone in the organization to bypass the lobby, you would set Automatically admit people to “Everyone”.
Assigning Meeting Policies to Users
To apply a meeting policy to users:
- In the Microsoft Teams admin center, select Users.
- Search for the user or select multiple users.
- Click on Edit settings.
- Under Meeting policy, choose the policy from the dropdown menu.
- Click on Apply.
You can also assign a policy to a batch of users using PowerShell with the Grant-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy
cmdlet.
Scenario-Based Policy Assignment
Meeting policies can be applied based on scenarios. For example, you might have executive-level meetings that require stricter controls. In this case, a custom “Executive Meeting Policy” could be created and assigned to specific users or groups.
Monitoring and Reporting
Administrators should monitor and report on meeting policy compliance. The Teams admin center provides analytics and reports that allow admins to review activities, audit logs, and usage patterns to ensure that the policies are being adhered to effectively.
In sum, creating and managing meeting policies in Microsoft Teams is a powerful way to ensure meetings run in accordance with the specific requirements of an organization, whether for regular staff meetings or highly-sensitive executive discussions. Proper configuration and assignment of these policies help maintain order, security, and productivity during virtual collaboration.
Practice Test with Explanation
True/False: In Microsoft Teams, you must create a meeting policy for each user individually.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams can be applied at the user level, but it’s also possible to apply them to groups or at the tenant level.
Multiple Select: Which of the following options can be controlled by Teams meeting policies? (Select all that apply)
- A. Screen sharing options
- B. Ability to record meetings
- C. Background blur for video
- D. Encryption of meetings
Answer: A, B
Explanation: Teams meeting policies allow administrators to control features like screen sharing and the ability to record meetings, but background blurring is a client-side option, and encryption is a default feature not controlled by meeting policies.
Single Select: How can an admin apply a meeting policy to multiple users at once?
- A. Using the Teams admin center
- B. By running a PowerShell script
- C. It is not possible to apply policies to multiple users at once
- D. Through Azure Active Directory
Answer: B
Explanation: While an admin can manage individual user policies through the Teams admin center, to apply a meeting policy to multiple users at once, the admin would usually use a PowerShell script.
True/False: Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams can enforce lobby settings.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams can be used to manage lobby settings, controlling who is admitted to meetings automatically and who has to wait in the lobby.
Single Select: When creating a new meeting policy in Microsoft Teams, which one of the following is a default setting?
- A. Allowing cloud recording
- B. Disabling the chat within meetings
- C. Automatically admitting everyone into meetings
- D. Disabling screen sharing for non-hosts
Answer: C
Explanation: The default setting for new meeting policies in Microsoft Teams is typically to automatically admit everyone into meetings, including guests.
Single Select: Which role is required to manage meeting policies in Microsoft Teams?
- A. Teams Communications Administrator
- B. Teams Administrator
- C. Global Administrator
- D. All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: All of these roles—Teams Communications Administrator, Teams Administrator, and Global Administrator—have the permissions needed to manage meeting policies in Microsoft Teams.
True/False: Custom meeting policies can be assigned to users, but not to groups.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Custom meeting policies can be assigned to both users and groups in Microsoft Teams.
Single Select: What tool can you use to create and manage meeting policies in Microsoft Teams?
- A. Azure Active Directory
- B. Microsoft 365 admin center
- C. Teams admin center
- D. SharePoint admin center
Answer: C
Explanation: The primary tool for creating and managing meeting policies in Microsoft Teams is the Teams admin center.
True/False: Users can override meeting policies applied to them if they are meeting organizers.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Users cannot override the meeting policies applied to them, not even if they are the meeting organizers. Policies are enforced regardless of the user’s role in the meeting.
Multiple Select: Which of the following are included in the meeting policies in Microsoft Teams? (Select all that apply)
- A. Who can bypass the lobby
- B. Who can use memes in a meeting chat
- C. Who can present in a meeting
- D. Who can initiate a private call
Answer: A, C
Explanation: Meeting policies in Microsoft Teams include settings that govern who can bypass the lobby and who can present in a meeting. Memes in a meeting chat and initiating private calls are not controlled directly by meeting policies.
True/False: You can use the Microsoft 365 Groups policy to manage meeting policies in Microsoft Teams.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Microsoft 365 Groups policy manages group membership and other features related to group collaboration, whereas meeting policies are specifically for meetings within Microsoft Teams.
Single Select: Which PowerShell module can be used to manage Microsoft Teams policies, including meeting policies?
- A. AzureAD
- B. Teams
- C. MSOnline
- D. PnP-PowerShell
Answer: B
Explanation: The Teams PowerShell module is the one used to manage Microsoft Teams settings, including meeting policies. Other listed modules serve different purposes and cannot manage Teams policies directly.
Interview Questions
What is a meeting policy in Microsoft Teams?
A meeting policy is a collection of settings that determine the features, capabilities, and permissions available to meeting participants in Microsoft Teams.
How can you create a new meeting policy in Teams?
You can create a new meeting policy in Teams by using the Teams admin center or by using PowerShell.
What are the different types of meeting policies available in Teams?
There are three types of meeting policies available in Teams global, custom, and per-user.
What is the difference between a global and custom meeting policy in Teams?
Global meeting policies apply to all users in your organization, while custom meeting policies are created to meet the specific needs of a group of users or a particular department.
How can you modify the settings of a custom meeting policy in Teams?
You can modify the settings of a custom meeting policy by using the Teams admin center, PowerShell, or the Skype for Business Online admin center.
What are the available settings in a meeting policy in Teams?
The available settings in a meeting policy in Teams include audio and video, meeting options, meeting invitations, live events, and more.
How can you assign a meeting policy to a user in Teams?
You can assign a meeting policy to a user by using the Teams admin center, PowerShell, or the Skype for Business Online admin center.
What happens if a user has more than one meeting policy assigned in Teams?
If a user has more than one meeting policy assigned in Teams, the policy with the highest priority takes precedence.
How can you remove a meeting policy from a user in Teams?
You can remove a meeting policy from a user by using the Teams admin center, PowerShell, or the Skype for Business Online admin center.
Can you use PowerShell to manage meeting policies in Teams?
Yes, you can use PowerShell to manage meeting policies in Teams. The Teams PowerShell module provides cmdlets for creating, modifying, and removing meeting policies, as well as for assigning them to users.
This blog post on creating and managing meeting policies in Teams is really insightful. Thanks!
How do you handle guest access in meeting policies? Can we restrict them from certain features?
I appreciate the detailed explanation on policy settings!
Is there a way to automatically apply different meeting policies based on user roles?
What’s the best practice for handling screen sharing options in a high-security environment?
Can anyone share their experience with managing recording policies?
Your blog post lacks detailed steps on how to implement some of these policies. More examples would be helpful.
Thanks for the excellent post!