Communication Is Key to Success in Any Organization
While face-to-face human interaction is irreplaceable, our daily workflows often lack the time or feasibility for such interactions. To bridge this gap, companies utilize applications for collaboration, question-and-answer exchanges, and data sharing. One of the most popular of these applications is MS Teams, which comes bundled with the widely used Microsoft Office suite.
Business of Apps reveals that Microsoft Teams reached 300 million users in 2023, up from 270 million in 2022, demonstrating its growing popularity and widespread adoption among organizations, over a million in fact, including 91% of Fortune 100 companies (sourced from DemandSage).
CTERA’s enterprise customers have seen growing interest in integrating our Global File System with MS Teams in recent years. Given the latter’s widespread use and the significant amount of company data stored within CTERA, it makes sense to facilitate both internal and external sharing.
CTERA’s Global File System ensures all company data is centralized, secure, and easily manageable. Integrating this data into MS Teams provides users with a unified communication and file management platform, reducing the complexities of handling data across multiple systems.
Transforming Collaboration
In my daily work at CTERA, I frequently share various types of data with my colleagues, including large PowerPoint presentations, video recordings, mockup designs, and more. Most of this data is stored on our internal portal. Previously, to share this data, I had to open my browser, locate the file or folder, generate a link, and then copy it into the relevant Teams chat. Having the portal integrated with the same platform as my contacts now saves me significant time and makes data collaboration a breeze.
Integrating CTERA with MS Teams can transform team collaboration, as it did for us. Users can access, share, and collaborate on files stored in CTERA directly from the MS Teams interface. This eliminates the need to switch between platforms, enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows.
Users can directly access CTERA-stored files within MS Teams channels and chats. This integration supports file operations such as upload, download, edit*, and share, providing a seamless experience akin to using native MS Teams file features. This also reduces the need to upload additional data directly to MS Teams, which uses the user’s OneDrive account. OneDrive stores data in an external cloud storage managed by Microsoft, which may compromise security.
Watch this video to see a demo of CTERA integration for Microsoft Teams:
Simple Integration Process
We developed a straightforward method to integrate CTERA’s Portal with Teams. For a fully functional, branded, and private application, you must first download our publicly available manifest JSON file here.
Next, customize the application with icons and color accents. Customizing the application allows it to display the company’s logos and color scheme, for a more relatable experience. Finally, add the portal addresses, after which the application is ready to be deployed.
Once deployed in your organizational Teams App Store, users can add the application and start collaborating. CTERA for Teams allows users to share public and permanent links directly to a selected Teams contact, team, or channel. Additionally, a constant tab that encapsulates a link to a mission-critical file or folder can be created within a selected Teams chat.
For additional information about integrating Microsoft Teams with CTERA Portal, please check our KB.
Modernizing Enterprise Data Management
Integrating MS Teams with CTERA’s Global File System represents a significant step towards modernizing enterprise data management and collaboration. This integration enhances internal workflows and ensures secure and efficient external collaboration. By leveraging the combined strengths of MS Teams and CTERA, businesses can achieve a more connected, productive, and secure working environment.
*Available for MS Office files where Office Online Server is available.
