GTconsult - Blog #Microsoft TeamsGTconsult - Blog #Microsoft Teamshttps://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/tag/Microsoft-TeamsWed, 01 Apr 2026 02:59:11 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Why Most Teams Aren't Actually Maximising Their Microsoft 365 Licence]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/why-most-teams-aren-t-actually-maximising-their-microsoft-365-licenceYour team has Microsoft 365 — but are they using more than Outlook and Teams? Most organisations pay for the full suite and barely scratch the surface. Here's why the gap between your licence and your team's knowledge is costing you more than you think, and what you can do about it.]]>

You're paying for Microsoft 365. Every month. For every user.


But here's the thing — do you actually know what you're paying for? And more importantly, is your team using even half of it?


If your honest answer is "I'm not sure," you're not alone. And that's exactly the problem.

The licence you're paying for vs. the licence you're using

Let's talk about what's actually happening in most organisations.


Your team opens Outlook. They jump into a Teams meeting. Maybe someone opens a Word doc or an Excel spreadsheet. And that's... pretty much it.

But your Microsoft 365 licence — whether it's Business Standard, E3, or E5 — includes a lot more than email, meetings, and documents. We're talking SharePoint for document management and intranets, OneDrive for personal cloud storage (up to 1TB per user), Power Automate for workflow automation, Microsoft Forms for surveys and data collection, Planner and To Do for task management, Lists for structured data tracking — and depending on your plan, even more.


Most of these tools are sitting there, fully licenced, fully available, and completely untouched.

It's not a technology problem — it's a knowledge problem

Here's where it gets frustrating. Organisations will pay for a Microsoft 365 E3 licence and then also pay separately for Dropbox, Trello, SurveyMonkey, or Zoom — tools that do what their existing licence already covers.


Not because Microsoft 365 can't do it. But because nobody on the team knows it can.

Think about that for a second. You're essentially paying twice for the same capability — once through your M365 licence and again through a third-party subscription — just because your people haven't been shown what's already available.


And it's not their fault. Nobody sat them down and said, "Hey, you know that thing you're using Dropbox for? OneDrive does that. And it's already included in what we're paying for." Or, "That approval process you're running over email? Power Automate can handle that automatically."

The real cost of underutilisation

This isn't just about wasting a few rand or dollars on duplicate subscriptions, although that adds up faster than you'd think.


According to industry research, 20–30% of IT budgets are lost to unused SaaS features. That's not a small leak — that's a significant chunk of your technology spend going nowhere.

But the bigger cost is the one you can't see on a spreadsheet: lost productivity.

Microsoft's own Work Trend Index found that users spend 60% of their time in Microsoft 365 apps on emails, chats, and meetings — and only 40% on actual creation work in apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That's according to data from their 2024 annual report, covering trillions of productivity signals across their platform.


Now imagine if your team knew how to use SharePoint properly instead of emailing files back and forth. Or if they could set up a simple Power Automate flow to handle that weekly status report nobody enjoys putting together. That 60/40 split starts to shift. People spend less time in communication loops and more time getting actual work done.

The features hiding in plain sight

Let me give you a few examples of what most teams are missing, even on a standard Business Standard or E3 licence:

Version history in SharePoint and OneDrive.

Your team is probably still saving files as "Report_v2_FINAL_actuallyFINAL.docx." Meanwhile, SharePoint and OneDrive automatically track every version of every document. You can roll back changes, see who edited what, and recover deleted files — all built in, no extra cost.

Shared libraries in SharePoint.
​

Instead of dumping everything in a shared drive or emailing attachments, your team could be working from a single source of truth with proper permissions, metadata, and search. But most teams never get past using SharePoint as a glorified file dump.

Power Automate for approvals.
​

That thing where someone emails a document to their manager, who forwards it to finance, who then emails it back? That entire chain can be automated with a simple approval flow. It's included in your licence. It takes about 15 minutes to set up. But if nobody knows it exists, nobody uses it.

Microsoft Forms for data collection.

Still sending around Excel spreadsheets for people to fill in and email back? Forms handles this natively and feeds the data straight into Excel or SharePoint — no manual consolidation needed.

OneDrive sync and Files On-Demand.

Your team has up to 1TB of personal cloud storage per user. They can sync files across devices and choose which files to keep offline. It's essentially Dropbox, built into Windows, at no extra charge. But I'd bet most of your users either don't have it set up or don't know it's there.

"But we've done training"

Maybe you have. A lot of organisations run training when they first roll out Microsoft 365. A half-day session, maybe a full day if they're thorough. Someone walks through the apps, everyone nods, and then they go back to working exactly the way they did before.


Here's the problem with once-off training: Microsoft 365 isn't static. Microsoft ships updates and new features constantly — their 2025 roadmap alone lists over 500 planned updates across commercial and education plans. What you trained on two years ago isn't the same platform your team is using today.


And let's be honest — how much of a full-day training session does anyone actually retain? If the training isn't practical, scenario-based, and reinforced over time, it fades within a week. People fall back on old habits because those habits are comfortable, even when they're inefficient.

So what does maximising your licence actually look like?

It's not about becoming a power user overnight. It's about making sure your people understand the basics properly and then building from there.


It starts with the fundamentals: knowing where to save files (OneDrive for personal, SharePoint for team), understanding how Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive work together, and being able to share files with a link instead of an attachment.


Then you layer on productivity skills: co-authoring documents in real time, using Planner for project tracking, setting up basic automations, organising SharePoint sites so people can actually find things.


And for the people who want to go further — your site owners, your digital champions, your IT-adjacent team members — there's governance, security settings, and advanced automation with Power Automate and eventually Copilot.


The point is, it's a journey. Not a single event.

What you can do right now

Before you do anything else, run a quick mental audit. Ask yourself:


Are we paying for any third-party tools that duplicate what Microsoft 365 already offers? When was the last time our team received structured M365 training? Can our people confidently explain the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint? Does anyone on the team know how to set up a basic Power Automate flow? Are we using SharePoint for document management, or is it just a dumping ground?


If most of those answers make you uncomfortable, that's your sign.

The good news is you don't need a massive overhaul. You just need to start closing the gap between what you're paying for and what your people actually know how to use.

And that's exactly what we built our Microsoft 365 training for. Self-paced, practical, video-based modules covering everything from M365 navigation basics through to Power Automate and Copilot — across four learning tracks designed for different roles in your organisation. And because we're based in South Africa and believe people learn best in their own language, every module is available in English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu.


Because your licence isn't the problem. The gap between the licence and your team's knowledge is.

Join the Waitlist
]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:50:11 +0000<![CDATA[What is SharePoint?]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/what-is-sharepointIn this blog, we delve into the world of SharePoint: What is SharePoint, The history of SharePoint, and key SharePoint concepts. The primary goal of this blog is to empower and inform you, providing valuable insights to optimize your utilization of SharePoint and extract its full potential]]>

What do I need to know?

In this blog, we delve into the world of SharePoint, what it is, its history, and key concepts. The primary goal of this blog is to empower and inform you, providing valuable insights to optimize your utilization of SharePoint and extract its full potential.


What is SharePoint?


You will never realize the full potential of something if you don't understand its power. Often, we miss out on something amazing, not because we lack access to it, but because we have no idea of its value in our hands. 

 

Over the past few months, we've been addressing frequently asked questions on our social media platforms, addressing common inquiries from both our existing and potential clients. While this has been going well, we've inadvertently overlooked something fundamental to our work: SharePoint! 

 

Could it be that you don't recognize the value of partnering with GTconsult because you don’t see the potential of SharePoint? Or perhaps you're on board with SharePoint but aren't sure how to maximize its capabilities? This blog is tailored just for you, and GT is the company you need in your corner! 


But before we dive into why GTconsult is your best choice, let's answer a crucial question: What is SharePoint? 

 

Microsoft SharePoint is a versatile platform designed to help organizations enhance collaboration, streamline business processes, and effectively manage their content and information. SharePoint offers a wide array of features and capabilities to assist businesses and teams in creating, organizing, sharing, and managing information and resources efficiently. 

The History of SharePoint

 Office Server Extensions (1999-2001) Office Server Extensions were the earliest version of Microsoft's server software for collaboration and document management. They provided basic web-based collaboration features and were part of Microsoft's Office suite.
 SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Released in 2001, SharePoint Portal Server 2001 was the first dedicated SharePoint product. It focused on document management and search capabilities, allowing organizations to create a centralized portal for information sharing and collaboration. It was eventually replaced by newer versions.
 SharePoint Team Services (2002-2003) SharePoint Team Services were a free add-on to Windows Server 2003. It offered basic collaboration features like document libraries, lists, and web-based project management. It was discontinued with the release of Windows SharePoint Services 2.0.
 Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 (2003) Also known as WSS 2.0, this free add-on to Windows Server 2003 provided improved collaboration features compared to SharePoint Team Services. It was the foundation for the next versions of SharePoint.
 SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Released in 2003, this version improved on its predecessor by enhancing document management, search, and portal capabilities. It served as a platform for information and document management.
 Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (2007) WSS 3.0, introduced alongside SharePoint Server 2007, provided enhanced collaboration features and integration with Microsoft Office. It was available for free and laid the foundation for subsequent versions.
 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 SharePoint Server 2007, also known as MOSS 2007, offered enterprise-level features for content management, business intelligence, and workflow automation. It marked a significant step forward in SharePoint's capabilities.
 SharePoint Foundation 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, and SharePoint Enterprise 2010 These versions were released in 2010. SharePoint Foundation was a free edition offering basic collaboration features. SharePoint Server 2010 added advanced functionality, and SharePoint Enterprise 2010 further extended it with features like business connectivity services, InfoPath Forms Services, and Excel Services.
 SharePoint Foundation 2013, SharePoint Server 2013, and SharePoint Enterprise 2013 Released in 2013, these versions continued the pattern established in 2010. SharePoint Foundation was free and provided basic features. SharePoint Server 2013 included advanced features, and SharePoint Enterprise 2013 added even more capabilities for large enterprises.
 SharePoint Online (Plan 1 and 2) SharePoint Online is part of Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and offers cloud-based collaboration and document management services. Plan 1 and Plan 2 provide different feature sets and are available through subscription plans.
 SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Enterprise 2016Released in 2016, SharePoint Server 2016 brought hybrid cloud capabilities and improved performance. SharePoint Enterprise 2016 offered advanced features for organizations with specific needs.
 SharePoint Server 2019 and SharePoint Enterprise 2019 Released in 2019, these versions continued to improve on the previous offerings. SharePoint Server 2019 provided on-premises solutions with enhancements in security and user experience, while SharePoint Enterprise 2019 extended the feature set for enterprise customers.
 SharePoint SE 2021 SharePoint Server Subscription Edition marks the next phase in the evolution of SharePoint Server, designed specifically to address the requirements of on-premises customers. This release introduces a range of new features aimed at streamlining administration, bolstering security measures, and facilitating a smoother transition when upgrading from earlier versions of SharePoint Server.
 SharePoint Premium 2023 An advanced content management and experiences platform and the next evolution for Syntex. SharePoint Premium brings AI, automation, and added security to your content experiences, processing, and governance. With SharePoint Premium the services already released as part of Syntex, including SharePoint Advanced Management, will be transitioned to join the growing family of SharePoint services along with brand new content experiences.

Key SharePoint Concepts

To better grasp SharePoint's functionality, let's use the analogy of a home.

 

Think of SharePoint as a home with a family living in it, where the members of your organization represent the members of that family. 

You can edit text on your website by double clicking on a text box on your website. Alternatively, when you select a text box a settings menu will appear. your website by double clicking on a text box on your website. Alternatively, when you select a text box

Document Management

Just like in a home where we keep important and frequently used items such as birth certificates, passports, photo albums, pots, pans, and toothbrushes, SharePoint allows users to create, store, and manage documents in a centralized repository. It provides version control, document check-in/check-out, and co-authoring features to ensure that team members can collaborate on documents without conflicts.

        

Document Management in SharePoint        

SharePoint provides powerful tools for document management. Users can upload, organize, and collaborate on documents with features like version control, co-authoring, and check-in/check-out.

        


Version Control

SharePoint automatically tracks changes made to documents, allowing users to view and revert to previous versions if needed. This is crucial for maintaining document integrity.

        

Co-Authoring        

Multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously, and SharePoint ensures that changes don't conflict, making collaboration more efficient.

        

Check-In/Check-Out        

This feature allows users to lock a document for editing, preventing others from making changes until it's checked back in. This is especially useful when you need to maintain document consistency.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Collaboration

Just as you can collaborate with other members in the household to get tasks done, teams can collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other content in real-time. SharePoint provides features like document sharing, comments, and task assignments to facilitate teamwork.
  
SharePoint is primarily known for its robust collaboration features, which facilitate teamwork and information sharing within an organization.
  
Discussion Boards

Discussion boards allow users to post and discuss topics or questions within a SharePoint site. They are useful for fostering communication and sharing ideas.


  

Announcements  

Announcements are a way to broadcast important news and updates to site members. They appear prominently on the site's homepage.

  

Calendars  

SharePoint offers shared calendars that can be used for scheduling events, meetings, and milestones. Users can easily view and add events to these calendars.

  

Shared Documents  

Document libraries, as discussed earlier, are a central place for storing and collaborating on documents. They enable users to work on the same document simultaneously, track changes, and maintain version history.


Task Lists

Task lists can be used for creating and assigning tasks to team members. They help in tracking progress and ensuring that responsibilities are clear.

Sites

Not everyone has access to your home, it’s a private space only accessible to the members of the family. Sometimes, you may have guests over or even chat to someone in the front yard without them entering your home. SharePoint can be used to create intranet sites, which are internal websites for an organization, and extranet sites, which are accessible to external partners or customers. These sites can be customized to include news, announcements, and various web parts.



    

SharePoint sites are the building blocks of your collaboration environment. Think of them as dedicated spaces for teams, projects, or departments to work together, share information, and collaborate effectively. Each site is unique and can be customized to meet the specific needs of its users.

    

SharePoint offers different types of sites, including:

    

Team Sites

Designed for collaboration within a specific team or group. They are excellent for managing projects, sharing documents, and collaborating on tasks.

    

Communication Sites

More suitable for sharing information and news with a broader audience. They often include announcements, news posts, and other content for general consumption.

    

Site Hierarchy 

SharePoint sites can be organized in a hierarchical structure, with top-level sites (usually used for the entire organization) and sub-sites (dedicated to specific teams or projects). This hierarchy helps manage and structure your SharePoint environment effectively.

Workflows

Much like the unique ways things are done in each home, SharePoint includes a workflow engine that allows organizations to automate and streamline business processes. Custom workflows can be created to automate tasks, approvals, and notifications.

  

SharePoint offers various tools for creating workflows:

  

Power Automate  

SharePoint can integrate with Power Automate (formerly known as Flow), a powerful workflow automation platform. Users can build custom workflows to automate tasks, notifications, and data integration between SharePoint and other apps in the Microsoft 365 suite.

  

Approval Workflows  

SharePoint allows you to create approval workflows, which can be used for tasks such as document approvals, leave requests, and expense reports. These workflows can send notifications to the relevant stakeholders and ensure that processes follow a predefined path.

  

Custom Workflows 

You can create custom workflows tailored to your organization's specific needs. These workflows can be designed to trigger actions based on certain conditions or events within SharePoint.

Search

Who do you call at home if you can’t find something, let’s all say it together, “MOOOOOOMMMMMMM!” SharePoint has a powerful search engine that, much like mom, helps users find documents, sites, and information quickly. It supports features like content search, people search, and customizable search results.

  

SharePoint provides robust search capabilities to help users quickly find the information they need.

  

Enterprise Search  

SharePoint's enterprise search feature enables users to search for documents, content, and data across the entire SharePoint environment. It uses advanced algorithms to deliver accurate search results.

  

Metadata and Tagging  

Effective search relies on the use of metadata and tagging. SharePoint allows users to add metadata to documents, making it easier to categorize and find content. Tagging content with relevant keywords enhances search results.

  

Search Refinements  

Users can refine their search results using filters, date ranges, and other criteria to pinpoint the exact information they're looking for.

Lists

Not every home had an organization board with cute sticky notes and the like. Maybe you are familiar with important tasks, to do lists or grocery lists being placed on the fridge. Well your lists in SharePoint are like that, but more organized…we hope.

                

Lists are collections of data organized in rows and columns, somewhat similar to spreadsheets. They help you manage various types of information and can be customized to suit your specific needs. Lists can be used for tasks, contacts, events, inventory, and more.

                

Common Types of Lists


Task Lists                

Used for tracking tasks and their status within a project or team.

                

Contact Lists                

Used for storing and managing contact information for team members, clients, or partners.

                

Calendar Lists                

Used to schedule and keep track of events and appointments.

Libraries

Think of the cupboards, drawers in your home; there's a place for everything and for everything there is a place. This helps you find things easily, you're not looking for a spoon in the cutlery drawer or finding toiletries in the pantry.

 

Libraries in SharePoint are repositories where you store and manage your documents and files. They are essential for document management, version control, and collaboration. A library can be thought of as a digital filing cabinet.

 

Document Libraries 

These are the most common types of libraries, used for storing documents such as Word files, PDFs, spreadsheets, and more.

 

List Libraries

Lists are used for managing data that isn't necessarily document-based, such as tasks, issues, contacts, or events.

 

Assets Libraries

These libraries are specialized for managing media files like images and videos.

Permissions

Not everyone can just waltz in and out of your home or different rooms in the home, sometimes you need access to enter someone’s room, maybe kids are not allowed in the office or perhaps access to the pantry is controlled. SharePoint offers robust security features, including role-based access control and permissions management. 


Administrators can control who has access to specific content and what actions they can perform. Some of these permissions include:

                                                                                                                                

User Permissions                                                                                                                                

SharePoint allows you to control who can access and interact with the content in your sites, libraries, and lists. It's essential to understand how permissions work to maintain data security and ensure that the right people have the right level of access.

                                                                                                                                

Permission Levels

SharePoint offers predefined permission levels like "Read," "Edit," and "Full Control." These define what users can and cannot do within a site or library.

                                                                                                                                

Groups  

You can group users with similar permission needs into security groups, making it easier to manage permissions at scale.

                                                                                                                                

Inheritance  

SharePoint's permission structure follows an inheritance model, where permissions cascade from parent sites to child sites, libraries, and lists. Understanding this concept is key to managing permissions effectively.                                                                                                                              

Integration                    

Just as you use different appliances and equipment for various purposes in your home, SharePoint can be integrated with other Microsoft products like Microsoft Office, Teams, and OneDrive. It also supports integration with third-party applications and services.

 

Some Microsoft products it integrates with include:

 

Microsoft Teams 

SharePoint integration with Microsoft Teams allows users to create Teams channels and access SharePoint content directly within the Teams interface. This promotes a unified collaboration experience.

 

OneDrive for Business 

Users can sync SharePoint libraries with OneDrive for Business, making it easier to access, edit, and share documents from their local devices.

 

Outlook 

SharePoint integration with Outlook enables users to access and share documents through email and calendar events.

 

Power BI 

SharePoint integration with Power BI allows for powerful business intelligence and data visualization. Users can embed Power BI reports and dashboards directly within SharePoint sites.

Customization

Every home is different and reflects the style of its residents. Statement pieces, plant life, antiques, marble countertops, accent walls, you name it. SharePoint can be customized to meet the specific needs of an organization. Custom web parts, templates, and themes can be created to match the organization's branding and requirements.  A landing page is one of our personal favourites which beautifully allows users to navigate your internet and company information from the very first SharePoint page.

 

SharePoint provides flexibility for tailoring sites to meet the unique needs of your organization.

 

Site Themes 

You can choose from a variety of site themes or create custom ones to match your organization's branding.

 

Web Parts 

SharePoint offers a range of web parts that can be added to site pages to display specific content or functionality. Examples include calendars, news feeds, and document libraries.

Site Templates 

You can create custom site templates that include preconfigured settings, layouts, and web parts for specific use cases.

 

Power Apps and Power Automate 

Advanced users can create custom apps and workflows using Power Apps and Power Automate to address unique business requirements.

Business Intelligence

Think of the smart features in a modern home. Just as these smart systems collect and analyze data on home temperature, security, and energy use to optimize comfort and efficiency, business intelligence tools collect and analyze data in a company to optimize operations, identify opportunities, and make informed decisions. SharePoint includes features for creating interactive dashboards and reports, making it a platform for business intelligence and data visualization.

  

SharePoint provides tools for data analysis and reporting, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions.

  

Power BI Integration  

SharePoint can host Power BI reports and dashboards, allowing users to create interactive data visualizations and share them with colleagues.

  

Excel Services  

SharePoint integrates with Excel Services, enabling users to publish Excel spreadsheets and workbooks to SharePoint for easy access and data analysis.


PerformancePoint Services  

This feature allows for creating business intelligence dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and measure business performance.

Mobile Accessibility

With this one, we would be reaching if we tried to link the analogy. So, I guess that’s the only difference. You can’t take your home with you everywhere you go, but SharePoint is accessible on various devices and platforms, ensuring that users can access their content and collaborate from anywhere.  And don’t forget to check out our Info Mailers that push the most relevant content to the right people in each department at the right time. 


SharePoint is designed to be accessible on mobile devices, making it convenient for users to collaborate on the go.

 

Mobile Apps

SharePoint offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, providing a user-friendly interface for accessing and interacting with SharePoint content on smartphones and tablets.

 

Responsive Design 

SharePoint sites are designed with responsive layouts, ensuring that they adapt to different screen sizes and orientations.

 

Offline Access 

Some SharePoint content can be made available offline, allowing users to continue working on documents even when they're not connected to the internet.


Security 

SharePoint's mobile apps are equipped with security features, including data encryption and access controls, to protect sensitive information on mobile devices.


So, there you have it – we've covered everything SharePoint in this blog….or have we? Because SharePoint has so many layers, not everything can be summed up in one blog. It is for this reason that we will have blogs that will follow, expanding more on the topic of SharePoint. Look out for blogs on:
  • How to use SharePoint
  • SharePoint intranets
  • SharePoint site examples
  • Knowledge base in SharePoint
  • Power Apps in SharePoint 

Until those blogs are available, ask yourself this question: How can your organization leverage SharePoint to improve productivity?

That's where GTconsult comes in. With over a decade of experience dedicated to learning, practicing, and perfecting all things SharePoint, GTconsult offers a wide range of services, including implementation, SharePoint migration, training, and support. GTconsult specializes in SharePoint! Rather than sticking to the basics or avoiding SharePoint altogether, let GTconsult empower your organization's productivity and reveal the powerful tool you have in your arsenal! 
Let's do this!

Sources: 


- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-started-with-sharepoint-909ec2f0-05c8-4e92-8ad3-3f8b0b6cf261#:~:text=When%20you%20sign%20in%20to,your%20entry%20points%20into%20SharePoint.

- https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/sharepoint-20-years-young/ba-p/2238955

- https://www.incworx.com/blog/benefits-of-sharepoint

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SharePoint#:~:text=SharePoint%20evolved%20from%20projects%20codenamed,simple%2C%20bottom%2Dup%20collaboration.

- https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/sharepoint-premium-blog/introducing-sharepoint-premium-the-future-of-ai-powered-content/ba-p/3981076

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]]>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 11:20:47 +0000<![CDATA[Sthe believes in excellence]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/sthe-believes-in-excellenceA write up on Sthe's recent achievement- passing his Microsoft PL 400 exam! Ever heard of the Microsoft PL-400 exam? It’s an exam that focuses on the de ]]>

A write up on Sthe's recent achievement- passing his Microsoft PL 400 exam!


Ever heard of the Microsoft PL-400 exam?

It’s an exam that focuses on the designing, development, testing, security, and troubleshooting of Microsoft Power Platform solutions. Candidates are expected to implement components of a solution that include application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, and custom process automation.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/exams/pl-400

While the exam requirements may seem daunting at first glance, it is less challenging for experienced developers who work with the content regularly.

One such developer who recently passed the PL-400 exam is Sthe, a talented senior SharePoint creator who has been with GTconsult for over five years. Despite his lengthy tenure, Sthe has not become complacent in his work. On the contrary, he remains committed to getting things done well and becoming the go-to person in his field.

        



“In the area that you're in, if you become the best, you become the go to person and that's how you become valuable.”

        

Sthe's commitment to excellence and his determination to succeed drove him to prepare rigorously for the exam. Despite the pressure and limited time, he managed to pass the exam with flying colors.

        

When asked about his feelings on his achievement, Sthe was quick to point out how his faith, His relationship with God, plays a critical role in all he does. He pointed out that even in moments of panic during the exam, he experienced little miracles. He is unapologetic about this conviction.

        

“When I passed, I was over the moon and really grateful to Jesus for helping me.”

        

Although the PL-400 exam qualified Sthe as an associate, his end goal is to become a specialist. He is already setting his sights on the next step towards his goal and GTconsult is committed to supporting him in his aspirations and helping him achieve his full potential.

        

Sthe's success story is a testament to the importance of hard work, dedication, and commitment in achieving one's goals. As he continues to reach new milestones, we are honoured to be a part of his journey and to celebrate his achievements with him.

        

Keep soaring, Sthe!

]]>Fri, 28 Apr 2023 08:24:32 +0000<![CDATA[Jacqui is determined to stay ahead!]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/jacqui-is-determined-to-stay-aheadJacqui just passed her MS600 Exam!]]>

A write up on Jacqui Smit's latest achievement. 

Jacqui is determined to stay ahead!


Boasting 20 years of experience in SharePoint, Jacqui Smit is definitely a force to be reckoned with within this industry. She has worked at GT for 2 years, 1 of them as a developer and the other as a software development manager. In this role, she manages the day to day with our world-class development team, ensuring that our clients get nothing but excellence from GT.

“Different people in the team have different types of skills, so it’s my job to know and guide them and ensure that they have the information they need to get the work done.” 

Jacqui has grown and developed her skills while at GT, assimilating and internalizing GT’s mission and values, ensuring that she is able to enable productivity. She takes great pride in delivering high-quality work that meets or exceeds the expectations of her clients and colleagues.

With that in mind, she has often taken it in her stride to stretch herself for her own good as well as the good of our company and clients.

When the opportunity arose for her to advance her skillset, it was a no brainer, Jacqui took it. The opportunity being referred to is the MS 600 exam. 

The exam measures the ability to complete technical tasks such as:

-Design collaborative app solutions and existing app integration, 

-Implement Microsoft identity, 

-Build apps with Microsoft Graph 

-Extend and customize Microsoft 365 with SharePoint Framework

-Extend Microsoft Teams

-Test, deploy, monitor, and maintain modern enterprise-grade app solutions.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/exams/ms-600

When asked about why she decided to take the exam, Jacqui showed great understanding of her industry, in that it is rapidly evolving, and so, to remain relevant or useful in the field you need to constantly adapt and grow.

“In order to stay relevant in development, you have to constantly learn. The technologies are constantly changing, they are upgrading all the time.”

She further noted that what she learns allows her to lead her team better by imparting what she has learned and helping them to elevate their capabilities. Essentially, she believes that this achievement will not only serve her, but her colleagues and clients alike.

So, with that in mind, she buckled down to prepare for the exam, sacrificing time with her family and other areas of her life that required her attention in order to ensure she was successful, and all that sacrifice paid off. Sure enough, after her hard work and dedication to achieving her goal, despite the obstacles she had faced, she passed!
On the 22nd of March, Jacqui wrote and passed the MS 600 exam, stretching herself more for her role and career.

“I was super excited. I was stressing because Microsoft exams are tough. They’re not to be played around, they’re not to be trifled with at all.”

This is an amazing achievement that has to be acknowledged, one that highlights to the team and clients, the caliber of person they are dealing with. With this qualification (Teams Application Developer associate), Jacqui will be better equipped to lead her team and serve her clients with relevant expertise and extensive industry experience. 

If that’s not enough to convince you that GT has the crème de la crème when it comes to staff, honestly, we don’t know what will. 

Jacqui, is only one of the many highly talented and hardworking people who form part of the GT team. Our staff seek to achieve excellence in their work, upholding the company’s mission: To empower people and business to become sustainable and capable in an ever changing digital world, continuously challenging the status quo.

We are immensely proud of what Jacqui has achieved, and can’t wait to see what’s next! 

Onwards and upwards, Jax!






]]>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 07:33:53 +0000<![CDATA[International call forwarding with Microsoft Teams.]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/international-call-forwarding-with-microsoft-teams.A few weeks ago, the team and I  attended ESPC 2019 in Prague. It was a tremendous success and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly but one thought at ]]>


A few weeks ago, the team and I  attended ESPC 2019 in Prague. It was a tremendous success and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly but one thought at the back of my head was the pesky international call forwarding that would need to be enabled.


This is by far my least favourite part of the travelling process so I decided that I'm going to try something new.


So, as everyone should know by now, we have implemented a Cloud PABX system and have started utilising Microsoft Teams as our new cloud-based phone system. This enables us to contact anyone around the world, provide direct routing to the person or department you are looking for and allow us to collaborate all in one application.


With this new system being activated, I decided to forward all my calls to Microsoft Teams and to my surprise, it worked better than expected. Gone are the days of paying for expensive international roaming, Microsoft Teams has stepped up and once again proved to be the best application for collaboration and communication.

If you need to get this working, here is how its done;

  • Find out from your carrier what the call forwarding USSD code is, and run it on your phone. It may be like the below, and you enter in the number after the code where you would like calls to go:  **021*0815557755#
  • Your phone should alert you that forwarding is now on.
  • When returning to the country, simply cancel the forwarding by entering the USSD code from your carrier. For example, mine was **021#

Thats it! Now you won't need to worry about international call charges - just make sure you have data in the country you're visiting!

]]>Wed, 15 Jul 2020 18:39:06 +0000<![CDATA[Fixing Microsoft Teams After A Password Update]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/fixing-microsoft-teams

TL;DR: Firstly, remove all passwords from Windows Credentials Manager to do with Microsoft Teams and login again on Teams.

This blog will show you a way to resolve an irritating problem.

Recently, I updated my password to my corporate network in line with good governance and security protocols. This is always a little difficult, but worth the hassle in the long run if one weighs up the risk of a compromised system.

After the password change, the usual Outlook and SharePoint started to request password changes. I then updated them and happily connected again. Skype freaked out and asked for the password more than once but again happily connected once again.

Microsoft Teams would not log on for love of money and I was getting the following popup.

When clicking Sign In as suggested, Teams would close and reopen for a few seconds, be operational until the popup again occurred.

I figured out that these credentials must be stored somewhere and most likely in Credential Manager.

I opened up Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager found all the cached credentials for Teams.

After removing everything that started with msTeams, and opening up Microsoft Teams again, I was presented with a login.

After signing in with my new password everything was back to normal.

]]>Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:13:05 +0000<![CDATA[Enabling Guest Access for Microsoft Teams]]>https://www.gtconsult.com/blogs/post/enabling-guest-access-for-microsoft-teams

I think that Teams is one of the greatest tools Microsoft has ever released. I even think the way they went about developing the tool and not buying Slack was the right approach. I think how Slack gave them free publicity due to sour grapes was great for Microsoft Teams. And today we use Teams for just about all unstructured collaboration and integrate into SharePoint and other apps for structured collaboration. Recently Microsoft released the guest access for Teams and this has just changed the game. Now using your Office 365 or Azure AD login you can interact with people outside of your organisation in one location. There are so many applications for great productivity and genuine collaboration here, I’m sure your mind is exploding as has mine done just thinking about it. So without any further ado lets walk through enabling guess access for Microsoft Teams.

How-To:

Connect to the O365 admin portal using a Global Admin account, and selected Settings > Services & Add-ins


Selected Microsoft Teams which opens the below view, selected Guest from the dropdown menu and Enabled the teams setting for Guests


Saved the changes.


And that's it.

]]>Thu, 21 Sep 2017 22:28:01 +0000