Microsoft Teams is bundled with Office 365, so from a "do we already pay for it?" perspective, many companies never had a choice. If you\'re a Microsoft shop, Teams is your default and Connect probably isn\'t worth switching to.

But if you\'re NOT a Microsoft shop, and you\'re looking at Teams-standalone pricing to get chat + video calls, Connect changes the math.

The Microsoft 365 bundle question

If your business is on Microsoft 365 already (~$12.50/user/month for the standard tier), Teams is essentially free. Cancelling Teams doesn\'t save you money because you\'re paying for the Office suite regardless.

In that scenario, Connect\'s value is narrower: better manager screen viewing, tighter DeskTrust integration, and possibly lower call quality overhead. Not a "cancel Teams" pitch.

The non-Microsoft scenario

If your team uses Google Workspace, or a mix of tools, and you\'re looking at buying Teams Essentials ($4/user/month) or Teams Business Basic ($6/user/month) purely for the chat-and-calls piece — Connect covers most of what you\'d pay for, and it\'s already included in your DeskTrust subscription.

What Teams has that Connect doesn\'t

Deep integration with Office, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive
Enterprise directory sync (Azure AD)
Live captions and real-time translation in calls
Breakout rooms during calls
Comprehensive PSTN calling with a Business Voice add-on
Robust webinar and townhall features

What Connect has that Teams doesn\'t

Consent-first manager screen viewing
Immutable per-session audit log for screen access
Zero-configuration directory (from your DeskTrust employees)
Session recording tied to your DeskTrust retention policy
No Microsoft dependency

Where the manager-view flow beats Teams

Teams has a "give control" option during screen share where the recipient can control your cursor. It\'s useful but voluntary from both sides and doesn\'t have a per-session consent record. Nothing in Teams matches Connect\'s explicit-approval-plus-audit pattern for one-directional screen viewing.

This matters if your compliance officer wants evidence trails. It doesn\'t matter if you just need to hop on a call.

Practical guidance

If you have Microsoft 365 → keep Teams for meetings, use Connect for manager screen viewing (the one thing Teams doesn\'t do well).
If you\'re paying Teams-standalone → try Connect for a month, see if you can cancel Teams.
If you haven\'t bought Teams yet and were considering it → probably don\'t bother.

DeskTrust Connect vs. Microsoft Teams: the "we don't need Office" comparison