TEAM COMMUNICATION
Microsoft Teams is cloud-only — there is no customer-run self-host. Even Microsoft's EU Data Boundary and Sovereign Cloud tiers leave a US company in control of the keys and operations, so the CLOUD Act still applies. Polybase gives you EU cloud, your own VPC, or air-gapped self-host, with the keys in your hands.
Polybase unifies chat, video calls, task management, and docs into a single workspace. There are no external integrations to configure. Every feature shares the same real-time data layer, so turning a chat message into a tracked task or jumping into a video call happens in one click — without leaving your flow.
Microsoft Teams is a chat and video platform tightly coupled to Microsoft 365. While powerful within that ecosystem, it requires Teams, Planner, SharePoint, and OneDrive separately for tasks, docs, and storage. Organizations outside the Microsoft stack often struggle with licensing complexity, slow desktop performance, and the constant context-switching between apps.
Review how Polybase and Microsoft Teams approach the work your team needs to do.
A practical sequence for planning the change, moving the useful material and introducing the new workspace.
Use the Microsoft Teams data export tools or the Admin Center to download your chat history, files, and channel structure as a backup before migrating.
Open Polybase in your browser, create your workspace, and invite your team members. The onboarding wizard guides you through workspace configuration in minutes. Desktop apps are in private beta — ask us for access.
Map your Teams channels to Polybase channels. Create public channels for company-wide topics and private channels for team-specific discussions. The flat, simple structure avoids the nested Teams/Channel confusion.
Upload your important documents directly into the relevant Polybase channels. Polybase's built-in doc editor means you won't need SharePoint or OneDrive anymore — everything lives in one place.
Share the workspace invite link with your team. Polybase's familiar chat interface means most users are productive within minutes, not days. No Microsoft 365 training required.
The additional workspace capabilities to consider when comparing Polybase with Microsoft Teams.
Chat, video, tasks, docs, and calendar live together natively. No Planner for tasks, no SharePoint for docs, no OneDrive for files. One app, one data model.
Deploy Polybase on-premise or in your own cloud. Full data sovereignty without being locked into Microsoft Azure data centers.
You don't need Microsoft 365, Azure AD, or any Microsoft subscription. Polybase works independently — use it alongside any tools you already love.
Convert any chat message into a tracked Kanban task instantly. No need for a separate project management add-on or third-party integration.
Channels get shared inboxes and every teammate a personal mailbox — receive, send, and triage email inside the workspace, or connect existing Microsoft 365 and Gmail accounts. No Outlook window required.
Common questions about switching from Microsoft Teams to Polybase.