Latest Roadmap Release Suggests Exciting Changes for MS 365
As IT and Microsoft license advisors, we keep up with all the happenings with Microsoft 365. We are helped in that endeavor by weekly roadmap updates directly from Microsoft. We bring this to your attention because their latest roadmap suggests some exciting changes coming to MS 365 in the near future.
Although none of the changes in the roadmap update nail down actual release dates, the general consensus is that the changes will take effect within the next couple of months. If you do not see them in your Microsoft 365 ecosystem, assume that launch dates have been delayed.
With that being said, let us get into some of the changes on the horizon. We will focus specifically on roadmap references to Microsoft Teams and Copilot.
Proposed Changes for Teams
Microsoft is planning two significant changes to Teams in response to customer feature requests. The first is a new feature that will allow users to turn off notifications for a particular post. Once turned off, they can be turned back on again. The feature is designed to apply to single posts on an individual basis.
If you are the type of MS 365 user driven crazy by unnecessary notifications, this feature is probably right up your alley. Rumor has it that the feature will be implemented sometime in July 2024.
The second change for Teams involves the Discover Feed first introduced earlier this year. The feed allows users to consume and search for content based on topics and the people they collaborate with. But as multiple media outlets have reported, there are plenty of Microsoft 365 users who aren't interested in the feed.
Microsoft has listened to feedback and will be introducing a new feature that allows users to hide the Discover Feed from Teams. The change will be made in the applications settings. This is another feature set to be implemented in July.
Microsoft has also released Town hall, a new virtual event experience to host internal events. Town hall will accommodate up to 10,000 participants in Office and Microsoft 365 and up to 20,000 participants in Teams Premium.
Proposed Changes for Copilot
Copilot has gotten a ton of attention since first being launched earlier this year. That shouldn't be a surprise, given the fierce competition for generative AI dominance. The question on many minds is what Microsoft plans to do with Copilot in future iterations of MS 365.
No one knows the company's long-term plans. However, we do know of three key features Microsoft is now working on. The first one should be ready by the end of June 2024. It is a nifty little feature that offers "one-click examples of prompts" to assist users who struggle to get started preparing a new document in Word.
Copilot currently has the ability to auto generate prompts for AI conversations. The same feature is coming to Word. Example prompts can help users come up with ideas for new documents.
The other two proposed changes are as follows:
Document Summaries – Microsoft is working on giving Copilot the ability to summarize larger documents in a chat environment. The roadmap suggests being able to summarize four times as much text as is currently possible.
Writing Coach – Copilot will also be able to act as a writing coach in Word very soon. Launch is expected in July. With this feature, users will see a Copilot context menu for reviewing a document and giving suggestions for improvements.
There is a reason so many organizations call on Opkalla for Microsoft 365 license support and managed services: Microsoft's flagship cloud-based office suite is a fantastic product. It is constantly getting better as developers listen and respond to user feedback. The latest roadmap release is evidence of that. We look forward to seeing the proposed changes implemented shortly.