What's changed: Created MS-700 Chapter 2 (domain: Teams environment, external collaboration and devices). External/guest access (External access federation vs guest access membership, SharePoint/OneDrive external sharing, shared channels Teams Connect, B2B direct connect, cross-tenant access, MTO) and Teams clients/devices (Teams Phone/resource account/devices licensing, configuration profiles, Microsoft Teams Rooms, firmware, device tags, remote sign-in, Teams for VDI).
2.1External access and guest access
Understand External access (federation) vs guest access, SharePoint/OneDrive external sharing, shared channels, B2B direct connect, cross-tenant access, and multitenant organization (MTO).
External collaboration differs by how far you let outsiders into your environment. Choose among External access, guest access, and shared channels by requirement.
2.1.1External access vs guest access
External access (federation) lets users chat/call with external domains, but they do not become members of your teams. Guest access invites external guests as members of your team to participate in channels, files, and conversations (Microsoft Entra B2B guests). Distinguish "chat/call only, not in the team" = External access from "make them a team member" = guest access. SharePoint Online/OneDrive external sharing settings also affect guest file access.
2.1.2Shared channels and B2B direct connect
Shared channels (Teams Connect) let people from external orgs collaborate in a specific channel without joining the team or switching tenants. They are enabled when both sides allow B2B direct connect via Microsoft Entra cross-tenant access settings. For multi-tenant consolidation, configure a multitenant organization (MTO). Distinguish guest access (guest as member) from shared channels (per-channel, no team switch).
Cues: "chat/call with external domains, not in the team" = External access (federation). "external guest as a team member" = guest access. "collaborate in a specific channel without switching tenants" = shared channels (B2B direct connect + cross-tenant access). "multi-tenant consolidation" = MTO. File sharing via SharePoint/OneDrive external sharing.
Watch the mix-ups: (1) External access (chat/call only, not a member) vs guest access (team member). (2) Shared channels are enabled via B2B direct connect + cross-tenant access settings (a different path from guests). (3) Guest file access also depends on SharePoint/OneDrive external sharing. (4) MTO is multi-tenant consolidation.
2.1.3Section summary
- External access = chat/call with external domains (not members); guest access = guest as a team member
- Shared channels = collaborate per-channel without switching tenants (B2B direct connect + cross-tenant access)
- File sharing via SharePoint/OneDrive external sharing; multi-tenant consolidation is MTO
Sign in to track progress — Log in.
Quick check
(just a quick review)Q1. You want to invite an external partner as a member of your team to participate in channels, files, and conversations. Best?
Q2. You want to chat/call with another domain in Teams but not let them into your teams. Best?
Q3. You want to collaborate with a partner in a specific channel only, without adding them to your team or switching tenants. Best?
Q4. To enable shared channels with an external org, what must both sides allow in Microsoft Entra ID?
Q5. What correctly distinguishes External access from guest access?