Policy assignment and licensing
Most Teams settings are controlled by policies, and most advanced features need the right license. Knowing which policy applies and which license to buy is a frequent exam theme.
Policy assignment order
Each user gets one policy of each type (meeting, calling, voice routing and so on). Policies are never merged. Teams chooses in this order:
- A policy assigned directly to the user.
- A group policy assignment. If the user is in several groups, the assignment with the highest priority (lowest rank number) wins.
- The Global (Org-wide default) policy.
If a question lists policies and groups, find the direct assignment first, then compare ranks. The answer is always a single policy, never “Policy1 and Global”.
Policy packages
A policy package is a bundle of predefined settings for a type of user (for example Education or Frontline). You assign the package, and Teams applies the included policies. A package can only contain the policy types Microsoft has included. You can also create a custom package and assign it to users or groups. Changing a package updates all users who have it.
Licensing
| Need | License |
|---|---|
| PSTN calling features, call queues, auto attendants | Teams Phone Standard (formerly Phone System) |
| Microsoft as the carrier | Calling Plan (domestic or international) on top of Teams Phone |
| Resource account with a phone number | Teams Phone Resource Account |
| Common area phones and shared devices | Teams Shared Devices |
| Room device with core meetings | Teams Rooms Basic (free, up to 25 rooms) |
| Room device with management and advanced features | Teams Rooms Pro |
| Watermarks, enhanced encryption, advanced meeting protection | Teams Premium |
To minimize cost, pick the cheapest license that still gives the requested feature. Rooms Pro is needed for the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal.
Premium and encryption
A meeting protected with an enhanced encryption policy is end-to-end encrypted. Some features, such as recording and Copilot, are not available there, so users should know the trade-off.
Exam traps
- Group assignment does not beat a direct assignment.
- Policies are not cumulative. Two settings never combine.
- Calling Plans is the carrier. Teams Phone Standard is the calling feature set. You often need both.
- Basic versus Pro: if the question says “manage from the portal”, Pro is needed.
- Premium features need Premium licenses on the users, not only a policy.
Practice questions
Choose an answer, then review the explanation to check your understanding.
1. A user has a directly assigned meeting policy and is also in a group with a higher-ranked group-assigned meeting policy. Which policy applies?
Show answer
Answer: B.Direct assignment always wins over group assignment and over Global. Only one policy of each type applies.
2. A user belongs to two groups that each have a different calling policy assigned, with no direct assignment. How is the winner chosen?
Show answer
Answer: B.Group policy assignments have a rank. The group with the highest priority (lowest number) wins.
3. A department needs a watermark applied to recordings of highly confidential meetings. What is required?
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Answer: A.Watermarks and sensitivity-based protection are Teams Premium features, configured in a meeting policy (or meeting template) assigned to those users.
4. Which license is the minimum for a Teams Rooms on Windows device if you do not need remote management?
Show answer
Answer: B.Teams Rooms Basic is free for up to 25 rooms and covers core meeting features. Pro adds management and advanced features.