Microsoft Teams continues to grow, and now represents one of the fundamental elements in Microsoft’s strategy. The latest update brings the functionality of Azure Lab Services into Teams. It is designed to make life easier for those involved in training, but teaching is not the only scenario of use.

What is Azure Lab Services and how the integration with Microsoft Teams works

Microsoft Azure Labs is an Azure service that allows you to offer access to pre-configured virtual machines with a simple click. Its area of ​​use is that of education: workshops, courses, training, but also hackathons. Those who manage them will only have to define the specifications of the virtual machine and then Azure Labs Services will take care of the creation, management and distribution to the participants, who will be able to access individual virtual spots, on which the necessary software for courses and exercises is installed.

The integration with Teams further simplifies this process, and allows you to take an entire course that also includes practical sessions without ever having to leave the app. These are the implemented functions:

• Trainers can create a Lab and students can access it within Teams, without having to navigate through the services of the Azure Lab Services site
• Single Sign-on (SSO) for Teams and Azure Lab Services
• The managers of the Team and Lab channels do not have to manage two different lists: the list of Lab users is automatically populated based on the team members, and automatically synchronizes each 24 hours
• After publishing the initial template of the VM, the number of virtual machines in the Lab will automatically adapt to team users
• Team and Lab managers will have limited visibility to their Team and students will only have access to VMs created specifically for them
• Users will be automatically registered to the Lab and the VMs will be automatically assigned at the first login following the publication of the Lab. It is not necessary to send invitations.