Welcome to the October 14 - 20, 2018 edition of the Office 365 Weekly Digest.
Last week there were six additions to the Office 365 Roadmap, including a couple for Microsoft Teams, a couple for Exchange / Outlook, as well as new features for Office 365 navigation and SharePoint Online.
Be sure to check out the new instructor-led Microsoft Teams training opportunities, along with a couple of Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) events for Windows 10 Version 1809 and Microsoft Information Protection.
Highlights from last week's blogs include the first post in a series on using Microsoft Teams to deliver superpowers to people in your organization, OneDrive Message Center updates for the first half of October, an Ignite recap for Microsoft 365 Admin and Microsoft FastTrack, and what's new in SharePoint and OneDrive security, compliance and administration in October. In addition, there are details on what's new in EDU and the public preview for disabling basic authentication in Exchange Online.
Wrapping up the post are noteworthy items on updates to OneNote, Workplace Analytics and Office Lens, as well as a couple of recent Microsoft Mechanics videos and a new how-to video series for PowerApps.
OFFICE 365 ROADMAP
Below are the items added to the Office 365 Roadmap last week:
|
Feature ID |
App / Service |
Title | Description |
Status |
Added |
Estimated Release |
More Info |
|
42560 |
Outlook |
Outlook on the web – Teams for online meetings | You will have the ability to create online meetings from Outlook on the web using Teams. |
In development |
10/17/2018 |
Q1 CY2019 |
n / a |
|
42561 |
Exchange Outlook |
FindTime – support for more languages | We are adding support for more languages. |
In development |
10/17/2018 |
Q1 CY2019 |
n / a |
|
42268 |
Office 365 |
New Help and Support pane from the Office 365 navbar | The new and improved help and support pane provides contextual help on top issues, access to the latest support information, and the ability for admins to customize the pane with their company's helpdesk information. The same services that power help and support in Office desktop clients, are now extended to the web. You can see this today in the new Outlook in the web that is available to Targeted Release organizations. It will be coming to more Office 365 web apps over the next six months, starting with Office.com. |
In development |
10/18/2018 |
November CY2018 |
n / a |
|
42304 |
SharePoint |
SharePoint admin center improvements | The new SharePoint admin experience provides a completely revamped SharePoint admin center that draws heavily on our modern principles… an administrative console designed to help IT achieve more, so their users can achieve more. Beginning in late October we're adding new capabilities to this admin center to include: (1) The ability to set as your default admin center, (20 Improvements to managing group-connected sites, (3) New options to manage and configure hub sites and associated sites, (4) Simplified configuration of sharing controls that are more aligned to the OneDrive sharing controls, and (5) Additional options to allow for configuring default site creation properties. |
Rolling out |
10/18/2018 |
October CY2018 |
Unleash your SharePoint admin superpowers with new admin center capabilities |
|
42619 |
Teams |
Dynamic Group Management | Reduce the administrative overhead of adding and removing users by creating teams from Office 365 groups with a dynamic membership rule. For these groups, membership is managed dynamically based on user's Azure Active Directory (AAD) attributes. |
In development |
10/18/2018 |
Q1 CY2019 |
n / a |
|
42615 |
Teams |
Enrich your private chat experience with screen sharing | Need to quickly show someone your screen, but don't have time for a call? You can now share your entire desktop or a specific window directly from a private chat session. You can even let them take control to collaborate on content together. To share your screen during a private chat, simply click the open sharetray icon on the top right of the screen and pick one of the available window options. |
In development |
10/18/2018 |
Q1 CY2019 |
n / a |
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 from 10am – 11am PT | Whether you're managing a new project or starting your own business, it helps to have a team behind you to brainstorm ideas, tackle the work together, and have some fun along the way. Now you can use Microsoft Teams to do just that. Join our team LIVE every Tuesday from 10-11am PDT to learn how you can get started with the free version of Teams. In this hour, we'll walk you through the product and key features, share best practices for getting started, and answer any questions you may have. We look forward to meeting you!
Productivity Hacks to Save Time & Simplify Workflows
When: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 12pm PT | This 2-hour hands-on experience will give you the opportunity to test drive Windows 10, Office 365 and Dynamics 365. A trained facilitator will guide you as you apply these tools to your own business scenarios and see how they work for you. During this interactive session, you will: (1) Discover how you can keep your information more secure without inhibiting your workflow, (2) Learn how to visualize and analyze complex data, quickly zeroing in on the insights you need, (3) See how multiple team members can access, edit and review documents simultaneously, and (4) Gain skills that will save you time and simplify your workflow immediately. Each session is limited to 12 participants, reserve your seat now.
IT expert roundtable: Microsoft 365 security
When: Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 10am PT | Microsoft is taking an integrated approach with Microsoft 365 to enhance identity protection, information protection, threat protection, and security management. During this live webinar, Microsoft security experts answer your questions about how we use Microsoft 365 security technologies to create a productive and secure workplace. Speakers include Joanne Schell (Senior Security Engineer), Sarah Scott (Senior PM Manager), John Cardarelli (Principal Program Manager), and Michael Shalev (Principal Program Manager).
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 10am PT | This 60-minute session introduces you to the key activities needed to get started with Microsoft Teams today. From setting your profile, to running a meeting, users will leave this session with the foundation needed to use Teams with confidence.
Make the switch from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams: End User Guidance
When: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 10am PT | Designed specifically for Skype for Business end users, this course offers everything you need to help make the transition to Microsoft Teams. We'll focus on the core communication capabilities you use today, chat and meetings, as well as provide an orientation to additional collaboration functionality Teams has to offer.
Webinar: What's new in Windows 10, version 1809 for IT pros
When: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 10am PT | As an IT professional, you have a lot on your plate. You're managing corporate- and user-owned devices, deploying feature and quality updates, identifying and resolving compatibility issues, and more. Windows 10, version 1809 includes features that can help you simplify upgrade planning, identify and resolve compatibility blockers, monitor update compliance, and remediate end user impacting issues so you can get your job done with less frustration. Join this webinar to: (1) Discover how you can move away from traditional, image-based deployment with Windows Autopilot, (2) Learn about the steps you can take right away to better protect user identities, devices, and information, and (3) Find out how you can create more secure, scalable, and reliable desktop virtualization solutions that integrate with your modern desktop. | Resource: What's new in Windows 10, version 1809 for IT pros
Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA): Windows 10, version 1809 for IT Pros
When: Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 9am PT | If you're in IT, make sure you join us Thursday, November 1st to get up to speed and get your questions answered about Windows 10, version 1809. An AMA is a live online event similar to a "YamJam" on Yammer or an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit. We've assembled a group of engineers and product managers from the Windows, Window Defender ATP, System Center Configuration Manager, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft 365 teams—and we'll be answering your questions live during what promises to be an exciting and informative "Ask Microsoft Anything" (AMA) event. Join in the Windows 10 AMA space, or add it to your calendar. We look forward to seeing you there!
Upgrade 101: Understanding your upgrade from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams
When: Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 10am PT | Looking to better understand the upgrade journey from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams? Join us for this 60-minute session to get familiar with our upgrade paths (Upgrade Basic and Upgrade Pro), our resources, and a walkthrough of our upgrade success framework to help you navigate through your journey.
Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA): Microsoft Information Protection
When: Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 9am PT | We are very excited to announce a Microsoft Information Protection Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) to answer questions about the new capabilities announced at Microsoft Ignite. The AMA will take place on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT. An AMA is a live online event similar to a "YamJam" on Yammer or an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit. This AMA gives you the opportunity to connect with members of the product engineering team who will be on hand to answer your questions and listen to feedback. Join in the Information Protection AMA space, or add it to your calendar. We look forward to seeing you there!
BLOG ROUNDUP
You've invested in Microsoft Teams, how do you use it to deliver superpowers to your people? (pt. 1)
Over the past five years at Microsoft, one thing has become abundantly clear: while the evolution of technology has and continues to support many organizations in becoming more efficient, the foundation for future success lies in delivering work practices and cultures that people desire. This is exactly why we built Microsoft Teams. It's not simply the hot new messaging and collaboration tool, it's a new way of working that is aligned to the modern ways in which people naturally interact with one another. Many of you ask Microsoft and our partners how to deliver the work practices and culture your people desire using Microsoft Teams. Each post in this series will contain details on a new superpower with some real-life examples, as well as updates sharing where we are investing in Teams to enhance this experience. While adoption requires some effort, getting people to adopt and love Teams is probably easier than you'd think. The key is to give people a compelling reason. How do you do that? By leveraging the Teams platform, which will help you deliver experiences that make the least productive tasks at work, easy, giving your people superpowers to do their jobs better, more efficiently and more transparently.
OneDrive Message Center Updates for October 1 - 15, 2018
With the team settling back in post-Ignite, we've got some great updates to share that will be landing in your organization soon! This month, we are rolling out updates to allow for the silent implementation of Known Folder Move and we are adding the activity column to OneDrive on the web! We also want to remind everyone about the upcoming TLS changes we've mentioned on this blog previously! | Related: OneDrive Sessions from Ignite 2018 Now Available On-Demand
Catch all the Microsoft 365 admin news from Ignite 2018
At ignite, we showed off new features, now in public preview, that help admins work more efficiently and deliver the best possible end user experience. If you missed the excitement in Orlando, you can still stream sessions and download presentations at http://www.microsoftignite.com. This post includes a few key sessions that will help you understand the admin strategy and get started with the preview today. The public preview for these new features is rolling out now. Targeted release admins will have access first, with the preview rolling out to all admins soon. When the preview is available to you, you'll see a toggle in the top right corner of your Admin Center, and you'll always have the option to revert back. To learn more and activate the preview, check out the preview support documentation.
In today's complex and regulated environment, businesses need to focus on building more secure solutions that deliver value to their customers, partners, and shareholders—both in the cloud and on-premises. SharePoint and OneDrive are uniquely positioned to help you address these evolving security challenges. To begin with, Microsoft has continued to evolve with new standards and regulations. This has been a guiding principle as we think about security for SharePoint and OneDrive. Right alongside that principle is this one: There is no security without usability. If security gets in the way of productivity, users will find a different, less secure way to do their work. Included in this month's post are: (1) Unified Labels, (2) SharePoint site classification labels, (3) Automatic application of retention labels, (4) Label analytics, (5) File plans, (6) Files Restore for SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, (6) Multi-geo capabilities for SharePoint - Selective Preview, (7) SharePoint admin center updates, and many more.
What's New in EDU: Updates to help students with dyslexia thrive
With the school year in full swing, it's time to debut our October edition of What's New in EDU. Sorry, Halloween scare-fans: the only spooky thing about this one is how much news we squeezed into a single episode. We're excited to bring new features to help teachers reach and engage every student. Our focus this month is on our Made by Dyslexia pledge to help students with dyslexia thrive with technology, along with our next virtual globetrotting adventure with Skype-a-Thon. Updates this month include new features for Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms, and OneNote. | Related: Assessments just got faster - introducing quizzes in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft FastTrack Ignite 2018 recap – and join us for Microsoft Ignite | The Tour
Our FastTrack experts delivered more than 20 sessions at this year's event, covering deployment and adoption best practices and how FastTrack can help you realize business value from your cloud solutions. If you missed one of our sessions or weren't able to attend this year's event, check out the session recordings and presentations in this post. Our experts were also excited to engage with so many of you at the expo about your specific deployment, migration, and adoption blockers. We look forward to seeing you during Microsoft Ignite | the Tour, a series of free, two-day events coming to 17 cities across the globe.
Disabling Basic authentication in Exchange Online – Public Preview Now Available
Several months ago we added a feature to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap which generated a lot of interest. The feature was named Disable Basic Authentication in Exchange Online using Authentication Policies and as the roadmap items stated - it provided the capability for an Admin to define protocols which should allow Basic Authentication. Why was that so interesting? Well as you probably know, Basic authentication in Exchange Online accepts a username and a password for client access requests and blocking Basic authentication can help protect your Exchange Online organization from brute force or password spray attacks. Lately there has been an increase in the occurrence of these types of attacks, and so we are accelerating our release of this feature as it helps prevent them. If your organization has no legacy email clients or doesn't want to allow legacy email clients, you can use these new authentication policies in Exchange Online to disable Basic authentication requests. This forces all client access requests to use modern authentication, which will stop these attacks from impacting your organization. We are still working on some aspects of this feature, and we'll highlight those for you here (along with a few caveats to this feature), but in response to the increase of attacks we are seeing, we want to make authentication policies available to you now, and are therefore rolling this out worldwide immediately. There is already an excellent article describing how this feature works and we strongly suggest you read, understand and follow the article before enabling this feature.
NOTEWORTHY
Workplace Analytics - October 2018: Meeting costs, Manager impact, and more
The Workplace Analytics team is excited to announce our feature updates for October. In this update, you'll discover the latest, including: (1) Cost of low-quality meetings, (2) Manager impact Power BI template, and (3) Chart interactivity improvements.
What's new for OneNote in October 2018
We're excited to share the latest updates for OneNote across Windows 10, Mac and online. Updates include: (1) cloud file attachments, (2) tag search, (3) emoji keyboard, (4) customizable autocorrect, (5) copy and share link to section.
What's new in Office Lens – October Update
We are pleased to announce some exciting new features available in Office Lens this month, including: (1) Immersive reader for Android, (2) Tap to Select for Android, (3) Snap to Edge for Android, and (4) Text annotations for iOS.
Microsoft Mechanics: Office 365 Essentials - Office Message Encryption
Format: Video (5 minutes) | An overview of the Office Message Encryption capability in Office 365. Learn how this helps you to send protected messages to almost anyone inside and outside your organization, on any device.
Format: Video (7 minutes) | This is step 3 in the desktop deployment process - ensuring you can automate app installation and configuration as part of your desktop deployment. This step applies not only to bare metal, refresh and PC replacement scenarios, but can also apply to Windows upgrades using task sequence-based installation. In this step, we look application packaging and deployment options for MSI and EXE packaged apps, as well as how Office 365 ProPlus Click-to-Run packages are configured and distributed using tools like System Center Configuration Manager or via scripted installation. We also cover app deployment using UWP, Desktop Bridge and MSIX packages. | Resource: Modern Desktop Deployment Center
Announcing the PowerApps how-to video series
We're excited to announce our how-to video series on the Official PowerApps YouTube channel. These videos teach a wide variety of app building techniques, while diving deep into various formulas and why they're being used. These videos reference our PowerApps Office templates, which will enable you to get hands on in your own PowerApps environment. Are you an IT Administrator or Cloud Solutions Provider? Part of the series is dedicated for app demonstrations as well as setup and administration of our various templates. Read more to see a list of recently released videos as well as the upcoming schedule.