Office 365 Weekly Digest | March 10 – 16, 2019
Welcome to the March 10 - 16, 2019 edition of the Office 365 Weekly Digest.
There were twelve additions to the Office 365 Roadmap last week, including multiple updates for Office 365 Groups, OneDrive, and Stream. Also of note, is the updated Microsoft 365 admin center with several enhancements. The updated Microsoft 365 admin center is currently rolling out to tenants with Targeted Release enabled.
New events for this week's post include another Outlook Mobile webinar, and another "prenote" SharePoint session. Most of the Customer Immersion Experience sessions have been filled, but there are still opportunities for Teams and Azure Active Directory webinars over the next couple of weeks.
Blog posts in last week's roundup include lots of Teams-related posts, a look at enhancements for SharePoint News in March, the ability to add flagged emails in Microsoft To-Do, the ability to copy a plan in Planner, and the latest installment (Step 6) in the "Top 10 actions to secure your environment" series.
Noteworthy item highlights include new ways to access Microsoft Forms from the suite header of Office.com, a Microsoft IT Showcase video on data and telemetry strategy related to security, and information on how to discover and block legacy authentication in Azure Active Directory.
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 |
| 49376 | Stream |
General availability of live events in Microsoft Stream | Deliver more engaging communications and training to 10,000 attendees with live events in Microsoft Stream. | In development |
03/12/2019 |
March CY2019 |
n / a |
| 48534 | Office Online OneDrive SharePoint |
Share and coauthor documents with LinkedIn connections directly from OneDrive, SharePoint, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Online | With this update, users will be able to find many of their first-degree LinkedIn connections as people suggestions when sharing files or folders from the OneDrive and SharePoint websites, or from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Online. This makes it easier for employees in your organization to collaborate with people outside your organization without needing to know their email addresses. | Rolling out |
03/12/2019 |
March CY2019 |
n / a |
| 48624 | Planner To-Do |
Planner: Integration with Microsoft To-Do | Manage Planner tasks assigned to you within Microsoft To-Do. Users can view, edit, and complete Planner tasks from Microsoft To-Do. Add Planner tasks to To-Do's My Day to focus on what's most important to get done. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
April CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49094 | OneDrive |
OneDrive: Recommended View on web | Leveraging Office's new intelligent services, we're pleased to introduce the new "Recommended View". This view will help you get you to your files faster by recommending files to you based on how you work and how you collaborate with others. It also brings attention to important files relevant to you, that you may not want to miss. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
April CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49413 | Office 365 Groups SharePoint |
Multi-Geo in SharePoint and Office 365 Groups | Multi-Geo in SharePoint and Groups enables global businesses control the country or region where shared resources like SharePoint Team Sites, Office 365 Groups content (associated SharePoint Sites and Groups mailboxes) are stored at-rest. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
April CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49422 | OneDrive |
Filters in OneDrive Mobile app | When you capture a photo, you will now have options to select relevant filters (like b/w) for image correction. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
April CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49424 | OneDrive |
OneDrive: Per machine install of sync client | Today, the OneDrive sync client installs per-user, meaning OneDrive.exe is installed for every user account on the machine under %localappdata%. With the new per-machine install, admins will be able to install OneDrive under the Program Files (x86) directory. Other than where the sync client is installed, everything else stays the same. The per-machine client will be helpful especially for multi-user machines (kiosks, schools, VDI etc.) and in cases where admins do not want exe files running from the user profile. Over time, we plan to migrate more and more of our install base to per-machine. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
Q3 CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49375 | Stream |
Stream: New mobile app features | Upload videos to Stream from your mobile device, or record new ones using the Microsoft Stream mobile app. Plus, use channels and groups on to help manage your videos, and interact with Microsoft Forms quizzes in Stream videos – all directly from your mobile device. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
Q4 CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49423 | OneDrive |
OneDrive: Time to Read and Inside Look to files | You can get deeper information like Key Points from documents and the average time to read. This information can help you make quick decisions about which content to read and how to best prioritize your day. | In development |
03/13/2019 |
Q4 CY2019 |
n / a |
| 48639 | Office 365 Admin |
Updated Microsoft 365 admin center | The Microsoft 365 admin center, available at admin.microsoft.com, is the common entry point for managing all your Microsoft 365 services. We'll begin rolling out an updated version with new features and functionality in April. During this time, admins will still have access to the old version. All IT admin tasks that can be completed in the admin center today will be supported.With the change, there is a simplified admin experience with enhancements made in the following areas:
|
In development |
03/14/2019 |
March CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49515 | Office 365 Groups |
Support the ability for Administrators to update Exchange properties on Office 365 Groups without requiring an Exchange license | Administrators who manage Office 365 Groups will now have the ability to modify Exchange properties without requiring an Exchange license. Previously, any attempt to modify an Exchange property would require an Exchange license be assigned to the user attempting to make the change. Administrators without an Exchange license can now update Exchange properties through the Microsoft Admin Center as well as API calls using Microsoft Graph. | In development |
03/15/2019 |
Q4 CY2019 |
n / a |
| 49537 | Office 365 Exchange |
Enhancements to URL views in Explorer | We have been working on enhancing the email phishing and All-email views in Explorer by adding new functionalities to include additional details on URLs for our ATP P2/ E5 customers helping them drill down for a deeper investigation. The enhancements include:
|
In development |
03/16/2019 |
March CY2019 |
n / a |
UPCOMING EVENTS
Manage Your Enterprise Applications with Azure AD
When: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 7am PT | Learn the different ways Azure AD can help you achieve single-sign-on to your enterprise SaaS applications as well as best practices for controlling access for these applications.
Manage Your Enterprise Applications with Azure AD
When: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 11am PT | Learn the different ways Azure AD can help you achieve single-sign-on to your enterprise SaaS applications as well as best practices for controlling access for these applications.
Accelerate productivity with effective search & knowledge across content and people
When: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 8am PT | Effective search and discovery needs to know what information is relevant to you, your colleagues, the work you do, and your context right now. Find out how insights assist you across Microsoft 365 to create such a personalized search experience. Add to this organizational knowledge – structured and unstructured help break down knowledge barriers and connect people in new ways by surfacing content and expertise at the right time, in the right context. This prenote will showcase the art of the possible today – so you know the now and are ready for the SharePoint Conference North America in Vegas.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates. The session is also available on demand at https://aka.ms/teamsgettingstartedondemand.
Streamlining Password management Using Azure AD
When: Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 7am PT | Learn how to utilize Azure AD to achieve self-service password management (reset/change) for users and the different ways you can roll it out. This session covers advanced configurations such as on-premises synched passwords and federated authentication.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 8am 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates. The session is also available on demand at https://aka.ms/teamsgettingstartedondemand.
Streamlining Password management Using Azure AD
When: Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 11am PT | Learn how to utilize Azure AD to achieve self-service password management (reset/change) for users and the different ways you can roll it out. This session covers advanced configurations such as on-premises synched passwords and federated authentication.
Customer Immersion Experience: Securely managing apps and data on iOS, Android and Windows
When: Friday, March 22, 2019 at 7am PT and 11am PT | Join us for this online, facilitator-led learning experience, built in an Azure environment. This event is designed to allow you to experience real-world solutions that will secure your employees' mobile devices and applications with Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS). During this online experience exploring Microsoft Managed Mobile Productivity solutions, you will learn how implementing Microsoft Intune can provide your employees with access to corporate applications, data, and resources from virtually anywhere on almost any device, while keeping essential corporate data secure. During this interactive session, you will explore how to: (1) Keep corporate data secure, and (2) Utilize Microsoft Intune to provide your employees with access to corporate applications, data, and resources from virtually anywhere on almost any device. Each session is limited to 12 participants, reserve your seat now.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 8am 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates. The session is also available on demand at https://aka.ms/teamsgettingstartedondemand.
Customer Immersion Experience: Productivity Hacks to Save Time & Simplify Workflows
When: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 9am PT and 12pm PT | This 2-hour hands-on session will give you the opportunity to try Microsoft technology that secures your digital transformation with a comprehensive platform, unique intelligence, and partnerships. 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) Detect and protect against external threats by monitoring, reporting and analyzing activity to react promptly to provide organization security, (2) Protect your information and reduce the risk of data loss, (3) Provide peace of mind with controls and visibility for industry-verified conformity with global standards in compliance, (4) Protect your users and their accounts, and (5) Support your organization with enhanced privacy and compliance to meet the General Data Protection Regulation. Each session is limited to 12 participants, reserve your seat now.
10 time saving tips and tricks with Outlook mobile
When: Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 8am PT | Outlook mobile brings together your email, calendar, contacts, documents and more in one fast, fluid experience so you can accomplish the most important tasks in just a few seconds. All backed by enterprise-grade security you can trust. Join the Outlook mobile team for a webinar that will highlight cool tips and tricks that save you time and spark joy. You also get to ask any questions and share feedback with the team directly. In this webinar, you will learn: (1) Why Outlook mobile is the right choice for you, (2) Best practices for getting started, (3) Cool tips and tricks that spark joy and let you accomplish the most important tasks in just a few seconds, and (4) Ask questions or share your feedback directly with the Outlook team.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Thursday, March 28, 2019 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates. The session is also available on demand at https://aka.ms/teamsgettingstartedondemand.
Make the switch from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams: End User Guidance
When: Friday, March 29, 2019 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates. The session is also available on demand at https://aka.ms/fromskypetoteamsondemand.
BLOG ROUNDUP
What's new in Microsoft Teams – March round up
Microsoft Teams continues to evolve to be the hub for teamwork for workers in all roles and across industries. Recent enhancements include: (1) the ability to work together with up to 5,000 people in the same team, (2) new capabilities to help firstline Workers and healthcare organizations, (3) new features to help transform the classroom, (4) Unified presence, interoperability and Planner integration for Office 365 Government GCC customers. Additionally, new updates to the Microsoft Graph Lifecycles enables you to automate processes and provide familiar experiences to your users. Keep reading to learn more...
Related:
- 10 of the latest Microsoft Teams integrations to help you work smarter, not harder
- Adaptive cards for Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Flow US Government now available
- Teams IT Pro Academy: Live Events in Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft IT Showcase: Enabling simplified, modern meetings with an integrated Microsoft Teams solution
- Microsoft IT Showcase: Click join – Internal meetings get a boost with Microsoft Teams
- New teamwork and security capabilities for Microsoft 365 Government
- New Microsoft 365 and business applications technologies enable government to modernize for the mission
- Mark Your Calendars for HLS Microsoft Teams Week! April 1-5. 2019
SharePoint News Enhancements – March 2019
SharePoint news is a content distribution system that works across personal, team and organizational news. News articles and links can be composed on browser or mobile platforms, and are easily surfaced in portals, Microsoft Teams, email, Microsoft Search and more. Rich new capabilities will empower communicators to keep groups, departments, and divisions up to date easily. New features include: (1) News - organize, (2) Authoritative news, (3) News notifications from followed sites, and (4) Page templates.
Flagged emails come to Microsoft To-Do
Microsoft To-Do is always here to help you plan your day, but sometimes an inbox full of urgent emails can get in the way of careful planning. Don't worry, with our latest update, you won't have to juggle your emails and your task list—you can now add your flagged emails to To-Do (for work and school accounts), giving you one unified view of what you need to accomplish today. It's time to get to work ticking off that list. Click on the flagged email task and you'll find a preview of the email and a button to take you to the Outlook website, or your mobile app, where you can see the full email and reply to it. Not ready to reply to it just yet? Jot down some ideas in the notes section or break down your task into Steps. If you are halfway through writing an email and get pulled away to a meeting, flag the draft email and it will also show up in To-Do, reminding you that it still needs to get ticked off when you get back to your desk.
Planner's new copy plan feature helps streamline work management
We are pleased to share that we've added the ability to copy plans to Microsoft Planner. We built this feature as the first step to address your feedback that you'd like to reuse project plans and repeat business processes. With copy plan, you can now easily duplicate plans and get organized quickly. It takes a lot of time to build the perfect work management plan. This is especially true when a plan includes a lot of tasks or are part of a repeated process. Manually recreating plans can be tedious and takes time away from actually doing the work. That's where copy plan comes in. With this feature, you can now create a new plan by duplicating an existing one.
Top 10 actions to secure your environment: Step 6 - Manage mobile apps
The "Top 10 actions to secure your environment" series outlines fundamental steps you can take with your investment in Microsoft 365 security solutions. In this post, you'll learn how to complete your Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) strategy by using Microsoft Intune Mobile Application Management (MAM). In Step 5, we introduced ContosoCars to illustrate the journey of implementing Intune as part of your UEM strategy. We continue their story to demonstrate how you can enhance endpoint security by managing mobile apps and tracking the deployment.
NOTEWORTHY
Start Forms journey from office.com
We are thrilled to announce 100% integration of Office.com and Microsoft Forms for our commercial and consumer customers! This means multiple ways for you to create a new form, find an existing form, or search for a form in the suite header of Office.com.
Microsoft IT Showcase: Speaking of security - Data and telemetry
Format: Video (54 minutes) | The best tool in a security professional's toolbox for detecting, protecting, and—most importantly—responding to incidents, is intelligence. As the amount of data that we have at our fingertips increases, so does the accuracy of our insights and answers. But there are risks associated with big data as well, including a greater incentive for malicious parties. During this webinar we discuss Microsoft's data and telemetry strategy and share insights and recommendations that you can use.
Global Admin Pro Tip: Learn how to build video analytics reporting using Office 365 audit logs
In Microsoft Stream, you can see analytics that show you the popularity of a video based on view, comment, and like counts. If you are a global administrator for Office 365, now you can set up a workflow to pull deeper analytics. This post shares a way to access video engagement analytics by leveraging Office 365 Audit Logs, along with SharePoint and Microsoft Flow, to deliver reports in Power BI. In this training we will cover the following: (1) The data – Unified Audit Logs, (2) Setting up the SharePoint list as the data source, (3) Getting the data, (4) Pulling the data into Power BI, (5) Building a basic report, and (6) Refreshing the data.
Azure AD Mailbag: Discovering and blocking legacy authentication
Andres Canello, from the Azure AD Get-to-Production team, is very passionate about helping customers prevent password-based attacks and it is a major topic of concern from customers. Legacy authentication is a key part of these conversations because these protocols and clients are commonly used to perform brute-force or password spray attacks. In this post, Andres will talk about the challenges with legacy authentication and how you can use Azure AD and Microsoft Exchange Online to get better access control. Generally speaking, legacy authentication refers to protocols that use basic authentication (Basic Auth); they only require a single factor authentication of username and password and typically cannot enforce a second factor as part of the authentication flow. On the other hand, modern authentication (Modern Auth) can require second factor authentication, usually the app or service will pop up a browser frame so the user can perform whatever is required as a second factor. This can be entering a one-time code, approving a push notification on the phone, or answering a phone call.