Ms Teams

2023 - 4 - 3

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Image courtesy of "The Register"

China somehow got through COVID without MS Teams but – phew ... (The Register)

Microsoft's cloudy pal 21Vianet upgrades to M365 · Microsoft teased a local version of Teams in October 2022, and on April 1 it delivered. · As is the case with ...

But China does not like VPNs – other than [government-approved](https://www.theregister.com/2017/01/23/china_great_firewall_crackdown_on_vpns/) VPNs. But it's starting a long way behind its local rivals in China. On Saturday Microsoft 365 made its debut behind the Great Firewall. [announcement](https://news.microsoft.com/zh-cn/%e7%94%b1%e4%b8%96%e7%ba%aa%e4%ba%92%e8%81%94%e8%bf%90%e8%90%a5%e7%9a%84microsoft-teams%e6%ad%a3%e5%bc%8f%e5%8f%91%e5%b8%83/) of Teams' debut in China offers the usual rah-rah about the product's powers. [offered](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msteams/forum/all/using-microsoft-teams-in-china-ie-between-the-us/65cf4839-24d7-4d24-9dd6-2bd00c30da5f) complex workarounds that require the use of VPNs. No, really, it did.

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Image courtesy of "Techradar"

Microsoft Teams has finally broken down one of its last major blocks ... (Techradar)

Microsoft Teams workaround in China has used frowned-upon VPN connections, but there’s now a supported local version.

Besides a handful of tweaks here and there, new announcements regarding Teams have been fairly thin on the ground recently, while key rival Google continues to focus on the education sector with its tool, Meet. It’s hard to imagine life without Microsoft Teams, given how much we’ve relied on it, and its alternatives, since the pandemic. [The Register](https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/03/microsoft_teams_come_to_china/) (opens in new tab) [21Vianet](https://www.21vbluecloud.com/microsoft-teams/) (opens in new tab) - the country’s exclusive distributor of Azure and Microsoft 365, allows the platform to satisfy local and government stipulations with regard to data security and personal information, however the blog post indicates that this is indeed the full version of Teams with video and voice calls, instant messaging, and connection with third-party apps. [announced](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X363&xcust=trdpro_us_1294794823803322400&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.microsoft.com%2Fzh-cn%2F%25e7%2594%25b1%25e4%25b8%2596%25e7%25ba%25aa%25e4%25ba%2592%25e8%2581%2594%25e8%25bf%2590%25e8%2590%25a5%25e7%259a%2584microsoft-teams%25e6%25ad%25a3%25e5%25bc%258f%25e5%258f%2591%25e5%25b8%2583%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fnews%2Fmicrosoft-teams-has-finally-broken-down-one-of-its-last-major-blocks-to-world-domination) (opens in new tab) a supported version of its [video conferencing](https://www.techradar.com/best/best-video-conferencing-software) app which is now available in China through its local partner, 21Vianet. [Microsoft Teams](https://www.techradar.com/news/what-is-microsoft-teams-how-it-works-tips-and-tricks-and-best-alternatives) has been a staple for many video callers in the People’s Republic, it has required a complex workaround to work with the country’s unique Internet architecture, often requiring a risky [VPN](https://www.techradar.com/vpn/best-vpn) connection.

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