New changes to DoD365 Team will make it easier to include anonymous users with non-military email addresses in internal Teams meetings with video, chat, and screen-sharing.
Announced by the C51 Service Center, the upgrades are expected to improve collaboration and communication not only within the Coast Guard, but with outside agencies and organizations, as well.
Coast Guard members will also be permitted to access Teams channels hosted by entities outside the Department of Defense, provided there are adequate cybersecurity measures in place and technical configurations are aligned.
In addition, Teams Live is now available to expand Coast Guard trainings and All-Hands Meetings to wider audiences. Teams Live, which was recently used for DoD365 Boot Camp, allows video and meeting content to be broadcast to audiences of up to 20,000. Larger meetings of up to 100,000 may be possible by collaborating with the C51 Service Center.
These changes are part of the ongoing transition to DoD365, the secure cloud-based computing environment for the military that is replacing the Coast Guard’s legacy system. Teams is the de facto virtual workspace and gathering spot for DoD365, bringing files, chat, audio/video teleconferences, meetings and applications like planner together in one place.
DoD 365 is now available to all users, including cutter personnel. While cutter crewmembers will experience limitations around scheduling meetings, as long as they access the web version of Teams, they should be able to attend meetings and access most other Teams features.
Shoreside users can access Teams via the desktop application and web browser.
Within the PIXEL Dashboard, the desktop application is available under “Applications” and the web version is available under “Links”. The web version is also accessible
Because there is now widespread accessibility, the Service Center is encouraging members to go all-in on DoD 365 Teams and retire third party collaborative tools like Skype, Zoom for Government, Google Meet, WEBEX and others where possible, to avoid cybersecurity risks and added costs.
In cases where users have difficulties getting on a Teams call, DoD365 offers the option of dialing in to an auto-generated phone bridge. For this reason, legacy standalone audio-conference services will be phased out by December 1, 2021, for most users.
On November 1, email-enabled public folders will also be discontinued. Prior to that time users will be expected to migrate folder data to DoD365 Teams folders or submit a CGFIXIT ticket to have a Shared Mailbox created.
Resources: For the most current information on DoD365, including DoD365 “Tech Tips”, job-aides, and training, users are encouraged to regularly visit the Coast Guard's DoD365 website (CAC required to access).