Meet Mickie Brewer, one of Centriq’s Microsoft 365 Training Specialists. Mickie came to Centriq in 2018 with experience as a consultant, specializing in Microsoft 365. Mickie uses her expertise as a trainer and end-user to prepare organizations of all sizes for successful Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams adoption. When Mickie isn’t in the classroom, you can find her hittin’ the road trips in her Jeep!
Tell us about yourself and your journey into technology training:
As the years passed and opportunities presented themselves to incorporate technology into our day-to-day tasks, I found myself naturally gravitating to all the new possibilities and new challenges it offered. Although I love technology, I am a firm believer in supporting the people who are using the tech. I take the time to understand how the business operations work, and how each team member can benefit from training solutions to help improve communication, processes, and collaboration.
What classes at Centriq do you teach?
My training focus is on Microsoft 365 Champion sessions, but I teach all the Microsoft 365 end-user courses, including Centriq’s dedicated training opportunities. By teaching these classes, I help companies develop and drive their adoption strategy from a high level, all the way down to the end-user.
Learn more about our M365 and Teams Training here.
What do you think is the most underutilized M365 feature?
Since my favorite app is still SharePoint Online, it would be what I feel is the most underutilized app. SharePoint has evolved to so much more than a file storage system and over the years and as I work with different students in adoption and training, we realize that most clients only use 10% of what SharePoint can do for them. By understanding how SharePoint Online works for each kind of user in your company, you can save time and money with the automation and collaboration tools already built-in.
When rolling out M365, what rules or governance should all organizations follow when training end-users?
I think what is most important is that organizations work to find the balance between what processes work for your organization that allows user’s creativity and productivity to thrive, but is still structured to provide security for all. The best way to understand how to achieve this balance is to understand your company’s adoption strategy and to create a team of Champions who will help drive this adoption and lead training efforts across the organization.
Are there any apps that can replace other subscriptions corporations use? What are they?
We come across so many instances where organizations use different subscription services that are already incorporated into teams. Anytime I have read an article that covers the “Top Apps for Teams” or similar topics of discussion, the features and apps mentioned already exist in at least one Microsoft 365 app. I think it is first important to define what duplications exist, then to ask if keeping both services is necessary before deciding to keep or remove.
How can businesses integrate other M365 apps into Teams?
With the Power Platform and Azure really, the possibilities are endless. Microsoft simplifies the integration process and allows you to automate multiple processes and messages across your organization. By understanding how each M365 app works, you can create an integration plan to help increase collaboration and simplify processes in your company.
How do permissions vary between Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and external sharing?
Sharing means can internal and/or external people collaborate on a document, whereas permissions will grant users to entire spaces like HR SharePoint site. Permissions can feel daunting without proper understanding but by breaking up each app into sections and tackle how each app can simplify things on their own, and how they integrate with each other. Sharing in Microsoft 365is not the same as permissions.
What application do you think everyone should train on?
Because each app is integrated into one another, I think training on Microsoft 365 Groups is the most important. Groups will help you establish your framework for rolling out larger M365 teams and SharePoint sites. By understanding how your groups work, you create better understanding of your organization’s Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Interested in taking a class with Mickie? Contact us or fill out the form below, and one of our Learning Consultants will get you started!
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