Forum Discussion
Teams External Access vs. B2B Direct Connect vs. B2B Collab
I've received conflicting info regarding whether B2B Direct Connect and Teams External Access are the same thing.
Last time I looked into this, they both seemed to rely on the 'Default External Identities' controls from Entra - they were two faces of the same coin.
Now it's not so clear. Can someone clarify?
1 Reply
They are related, but Microsoft Teams External Access, B2B Direct Connect, and B2B Collaboration are three different things.
- Teams External Access: Enables users in different organizations to communicate through Teams, such as one-to-one chats and calls. Domain restrictions are managed in the Teams Admin Center.
- B2B Direct Connect: An Microsoft Entra cross-tenant access capability primarily used for Teams shared channels. It allows users to collaborate using their home-tenant identities without creating guest accounts.
- B2B Collaboration: Allows external users to access resources in another tenant, typically through Guest accounts in the resource tenant.
How do Entra settings fit in?
Microsoft Entra cross-tenant access settings control trust and access between tenants for supported collaboration scenarios. However, they do not replace the Teams External Access domain allowlist.
Bottom line: For guest-free Teams shared-channel collaboration, use B2B Direct Connect. For external one-to-one chats, configure Teams External Access. For broader resource access that uses guest identities, use B2B Collaboration.
