ALCOAST 420/20 - NOV 2020 COAST GUARD-WIDE MIGRATION TO MICROSOFT 365 - SITREP - 3

R 171106 NOV 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-6//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N02620//
ALCOAST 420/20
COMDTNOTE 2620
SUBJ:  COAST GUARD-WIDE MIGRATION TO MICROSOFT 365 - SITREP - 3
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 301307 OCT 19/ALCOAST 336/19
B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 131616 AUG 20/ALCOAST 309/20
C. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 161331 OCT 20/ALCOAST 385/20
1. As announced in REFs (A) through (C), the U.S. Coast Guard continues
to make significant progress in the multi-phased transition to Microsoft 365
(M365) and has reached a new milestone. This ALCOAST serves to officially
announce the availability of USCG Teams and the release of the USCG M365 TEAMS
User and Unit Guide.
2. USCG Teams and CVR Teams. Two icons titled “USCG Teams Web” and “CVR Teams
Web” are now available on the desktop of most standard Coast Guard workstations.
Here is amplifying information on each version of Teams.
    a. The Department of Defense (DoD) created the CVR environment as a temporary
solution to support a large-scale telework posture for the duration of the
COVID-19 pandemic response. Given the operational dependency on the use of CVR Teams,
the Coast Guard and DoD have extended its use until June 2021. Until otherwise
directed, CVR Teams will continue to serve as a solution for virtual collaboration
from personal devices and with other non-DoD personnel. Users are reminded that
information stored or communicated in CVR Teams will not be saved nor available upon
its decommissioning.
    b. USCG Teams will eventually replace CVR Teams and Skype as the long-term
solution for collaboration, chat, and instant messaging. USCG Teams is available
for use now in a limited capacity as an additional collaboration tool to support the
Coast Guard’s virtual collaboration posture. Currently, USCG Teams is only available
via web browser (works best in Chrome) and is not accessible on any personal or
government mobility device. Communications on USCG Teams is restricted to agencies
within the DoD and Coast Guard and users must be connected to the Coast Guard’s
CGOne Network for access. The Coast Guard and DoD are exploring options to reduce
these limitations and have the end-state of USCG Teams bring the similar
capabilities within CVR.
    c. Units and users interested in operating now in the USCG Teams solution are
encouraged to do so. The USCG M365 TEAMS User and Unit Guide is now available on
the Cloud Office Solution (COS) website at: https://cglink.uscg.mil/C5ISC-CG-COS
(CAC required to access) which includes guidance on applying standard naming
conventions and maintaining a professional presence.
    d. Support options for USCG Teams are outlined in the USCG M365 TEAMS User and
Unit Guide. Units are highly encouraged to designate a USCG Teams Champion to
assist the unit. Members who desire to be at the forefront of this highly-visible
initiative as a USCG Teams Champion, whether designated or not, can enroll in the
program at: https://cglink.uscg.mil/C5ISC-CG-COS (CAC required to access).
3. Users are highly encouraged to view all available resources, including the
USCG TEAMS User and Unit Guide at: https://cglink.uscg.mil/C5ISC-CG-COS (CAC
required to access). Users can also register for access to training resources on
a wide variety of Teams and M365 applications on the COS website in the
“Help Me kNow” M365 Training Hub (works best in Chrome). Steps to log into the
Help Me kNow Hub, including the site registration code, are posted on the website.
Internet-accessible information is posted at: www.uscg.mil/cloud.
4. Additional SITREPs will be provided as the Coast Guard reaches new milestones
in the multi-phased transition to the M365 Cloud Office Solution.
5. POC: Mr. Gregory Woods, COMDT (CG-6812), Gregory.Woods@uscg.mil.
6. RADM David M. Dermanelian, Assistant Commandant for Command, Control,
Communications, Computers and Information Technology (CG-6), sends.
7. Internet release is authorized.