MS Teams unbundled from Office [+3 reasons why it matters]

In April 2024, Microsoft unbundled MS Teams from the rest of the Office package globally.

This news comes almost six months after Microsoft unbundled Teams in Europe. Microsoft says that the global unbundling made sense to make pricing easier for global organizations operating in Europe.

But why has Microsoft unbundled, separated, or decoupled Teams from Office in Europe in the first place? 

It was due to security scrutiny posed by EU regulative bodies who deemed the bundled offer inconsistent with anti-monopolizing Digital Market Acts. In other words, Teams was gaining an unfair advantage over smaller competitors.

What does the global unbundling mean for Teams users? How many will switch to other providers? What are the key reasons you should consider moving away from Teams?

Microsoft Teams unlikely to lose users?

Some say that unbundling will not do much to slow down Teams’ growth, or decrease the user base. It’s true that MS Teams team has worked on their product in recent years, and the team chat app they offer today is not the same as it was at the beginning. 

Much more refined and with important features added, Teams isn’t frustrating users anymore. Besides, changing a tool you’re used to is usually not a very popular move in organizations, especially if there aren’t major complaints about it. It takes time and effort to find an alternate solution, implement it, and drive its adoption, especially for large companies.

However, you should consider switching from Teams to another team communication solution for a couple of reasons. Let’s examine them.

3 reasons why you should consider ditching Teams

1. Security

Microsoft Office, as Teams, offers enterprise security. For most organizations, that is enough. There is no issue there.

But, if your organization operates in a highly regulated industry, such as Government and the Public Sector, Defense, Healthcare, or Finance, you’re better off with a more secure messaging system that offers:

• On-premise or air-gapped deployment
• Fully end-to-end encrypted conversations and exchanged data.

These advanced security options are important for data privacy and security, as well as regulatory compliance. For users switching to Teams after Skype for Business End of Life in 2025, this holds additional weight, as Skype offered advanced security features that Teams doesn’t match.

Additionally, if you’re based in the EU, you should consider your options in any case since MS 365 was deemed non-compliant with GDPR and banned from use in German schools, as well as in French ministries and other public organizations across Europe.