Office 365 Weekly Digest | November 11 – 17, 2018
Welcome to the November 11 -17, 2018 edition of the Office 365 Weekly Digest.
There were six additions to the Office 365 Roadmap last week, including a new simplified sync technology for Outlook on Android and iOS, and the ability to create an org-wide team (up to 2,500 users) in Microsoft Teams.
There is one new event - the November 2018 V-Meet Up for Women IT Pros on Friday, November 30, 2018 at 10am PT. Teams-focused events are available through the remainder of November.
Highlights from last week's blogs include insider tips from the Teams team on how to become a Teams super user, improved productivity capabilities at Office.com, ownership transfer in Microsoft Forms, and a makeover for meeting exclusion rules in Workplace Analytics.
Noteworthy items wrapping up the post include the Office 365 Update video for November 2018, two Microsoft IT Showcase case studies and the latest updates for Microsoft Flow.
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 |
33593 |
SharePoint |
Location column | Add a dynamic list/library column to include geographic location, address, map and more. | In development |
11/14/2018 |
December CY2018 |
n / a |
43947 |
OneDrive |
New Mobile Capture scenarios for OneDrive on iOS and Android | We are extending our scan functionality in the OneDrive for Business mobile apps to make your experience even better. You can use the OneDrive apps to scan documents, whiteboards, images from the field, a site visit and more. With the new Mobile Capture feature, you can now add custom metadata to anything you scan with the app. Simply start the scan from the Library you want to add it to, and after capturing the scan, the metadata fields will appear for you to edit in the app. The image and metadata will both be added to the library you've selected. | Rolling out |
11/14/2018 |
December CY2018 |
n / a |
43970 |
Outlook Android |
Outlook for Android: Simplified sync technology | Outlook for Android will connect directly to Exchange Online via a native Microsoft sync technology. | In development |
11/14/2018 |
December CY2018 |
n / a |
43972 |
Outlook iOS |
Outlook for iOS: Simplified sync technology | Outlook for iOS will connect directly to Exchange Online via a native Microsoft sync technology. | In development |
11/14/2018 |
December CY2018 |
n / a |
43951 |
Teams |
Create an org-wide team (for up to 2,500 users) in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams will support an easy way for everyone in an organization with up to 2,500 active users to be a part of a single team for collaboration with the new org-wide team type. With this feature, all internal users (up to 2,500 active users) will be added as members automatically. | In development |
11/14/2018 |
November CY2018 |
n / a |
34238 |
Yammer |
Question & Answer | Harness collective knowledge with new Yammer features that significantly improve support for communities where people can get questions answered. Yammer adds a new 'question' post type and showcases the best answer. | In development |
11/15/2018 |
Q2 CY2019 |
n / a |
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Tuesday, November 20, 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!
Upgrade 101: Understanding your upgrade from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams
When: Tuesday, November 20, 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. Check here for sessions in different time zones and other dates.
Strengthen Your Data Modeling Skills with Power BI
When: Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 11am PT | Register for this webinar to take your Power BI modeling skills to the next level. Learn about the Power BI in-memory analytics engine, strategies for creating and managing data relationships, and how to use Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) filter context. Find out how to master any modeling challenge with Power BI or Azure Analysis Services. You'll also learn how to: (1) Load, store, and analyze data in Power BI, (2) Define business rules and calculations using DAX, and (3) Use DirectQuery to connect directly to data sources.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
When: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 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.
Make the switch from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams: End User Guidance
When: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at 1pm 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.
[Rescheduled] Webinar: What's new in Windows 10, version 1809 for IT pros
When: Wednesday, November 28, 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
Nov 2018 v-meet up for Women IT Pros - How to be a community leader
When: Friday, November 30, 2018 at 12pm PT | In November we'll have several of our Most Valued Professionals (MVPs) visiting Redmond. We'll have some of them on our call to talk about how they became more active in the tech community - blogging, speaking, writing books etc. Join us to learn ways you can be more active in the tech community and maybe level up to the kind of leadership that gets awarded MVP status. Our meetings are open to anyone of all gender identities who wants to support women in the IT Pro field.
[Rescheduled] Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA): Windows 10, version 1809 for IT Pros
When: Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 9am PT | If you're in IT, make sure you join us Thursday, December 13th 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!
BLOG ROUNDUP
How to become a Microsoft Teams super user – Insider Tips from the Teams team
Want to learn how to get the most out of Teams from the folks behind the product? We asked the Teams team to share their favorite Teams tips and tricks. Looking for more super user tips? Keep reading to learn how to: Increase your focus time, Collaborate better with others, Stay organized, and Have fun in Teams!
Related:
- [Video: 33 mins] Governance, management and lifecycle in Microsoft Teams
- New! Build a culture around company values and employee recognition with Disco for Microsoft Teams
- Update! An AI assistant that funnels critical information to you, before you ask
- Skype for Business Certified IP Phones with Microsoft Teams
Get started at Office.com with tools for improved productivity in Office 365
Modern workers are always looking for ways to be more productive, but in today's always connected world filled with infinite distractions, it is hard to stay focused, find what you are looking for and determine where to get started doing your most important work. Office.com pulls your most relevant apps, documents and places where you and your coworkers are working—all in one place. We are pleased to update you on the new capabilities that are coming to Office 365 in the web.
Manage Your Forms Easily with Ownership Transfer
With Microsoft Form's new ownership transfer feature, you can now move a form you've created to Group forms so that all members of your group also become "owners" and have full editing capabilities. Your newly transferred form will also inherit all the features of a group form, such as its responses stored in the SharePoint site of the group, the ability to share the form in your group's Team channel, etc. To transfer ownership of a form and share it with a group, go to My forms and click on More form actions (…) on the top right corner of your form. Select "Move", and then select the group you want to transfer to, then confirm the move. After the transfer completes, the moved form is still active, and you can click Open in Excel in the Responses tab of your form and review your responses.
Workplace Analytics - November 2018: Meeting exclusion rules
The Workplace Analytics team is excited to announce our feature updates for November. This month, you'll learn about our makeover of the Meeting exclusion rules feature. In the past, building custom meeting exclusion rules took much time and effort, but as of this month, it has been streamlined significantly. The changes are: (1) The process of building meeting exclusion rules has become a guided flow, and (2) We provide a suggested default exclusion rule that you can apply. Note: All rules built with the previous meeting exclusions feature can still be used in Workplace Analytics Queries or set as the preferred rule in Explore and Solutions. These rules can be viewed, but they cannot be edited or duplicated.
NOTEWORTHY
Video: Office 365 Update for November 2018
Format: Video (10 minutes) | Jim Naroski covers recent enhancements to Office 365, including Embedded 3D animations, blur background in Teams, Desktop App Assure, SharePoint Migration Tool, SharePoint Admin Center, HITRUST CSF Certification, and more. The video transcript, complete with links to additional information on everything covered, is available at https://aka.ms/o365update-blog.
Microsoft IT Showcase: Microsoft 365 helps create a secure modern workplace
Format: Case Study | Published: November 12, 2018 | The significant increase in mobile data usage, cloud adoption, digitization, and personal devices in the enterprise brings new opportunities and security risks. Microsoft uses many Microsoft 365 security technologies to help ensure a productive and secure environment for the company and our customers. Together, these Microsoft 365 security tools enable us to strengthen authentication, employ conditional access, better protect data, and automate threat protection—all while streamlining our security management through a tightly integrated set of tools. | Related: CISO series: Lessons learned—4 priorities to achieve the largest security improvements
Microsoft IT Showcase: Metrics that matter – how we track our digital transformation
Format: Case Study | Published: November 14, 2018 | Microsoft Core Services Engineering and Operations (CSEO) developed a big data visualization solution that summarizes and tracks important business processes and systems. The solution is integrated with regular processes and refines large amounts of data into accurate and actionable information for the entire organization. With the big data solution, CSEO is improving satisfaction, enabling growth, and driving operational effectiveness on the road to digital transformation.
Announcing the Flow checker and four new connectors
We have added four new connectors, including Parseur and Stormboard, and made several improvements to existing connectors, like Microsoft Translator and Azure DevOps. We're also excited to announce the new Flow checker feature, which will promote higher quality flows by ensuring best practices are followed. By running the checker, you will be able to get answers to questions like: which areas of my flow implementation pose a performance or reliability risk? For each issue identified, the Flow checker points to specific occurrences within the flow where improvements may be required. And more importantly, you learn how to implement these improvements by following detailed guidance.