Celebrating 10 Years as a Microsoft MVP!

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Back from my vacation, I am thrilled to share that I have been awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for the 10th consecutive year. In addition to being recognized as an expert within Teams, I am have also been recognized as an expert with Microsoft Copilot. This means a lot to me.  Being an MVP has been an incredibly rewarding journey, both personally and professionally. It has provided me with countless opportunities to grow, learn, and connect with like-minded professionals who share a passion for technology and innovation.  The award is not just a title; it's a testament to the hard work, dedication, and contributions to the tech community. It's a privilege to be part of such an esteemed group of individuals who share the same love for technology, and sharing their knowledge about it.  As I reflect on the past decade, I am thankful for the experiences and knowledge I've gained. This recognition motivates me to continue sharing my expertise, mentor

A couple of favorite news on Teams this week

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There have been a lot of news around Teams the past week(s), and I wanted to share some of the highlights I am excited about this week. The place to be to get these news firsthand is to be a member of the Microsoft Teccommunity, and to follow the Teams blog found right here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog

The first and most important post to read this week, is Ann Michel's post on news in the April release for Teams. There are a lot of cool new features listed there, such as:
- Skype for Business contacts coming to Teams
- Unified presence
- Out of Office messages
- Skype for Business Interop with Persistent chat
- Expanded Guest Access (I'll cover that as my favorite in a later post)
- New Admin Center
- Retention policies
- Teams installed as a MSI package
- Guest Access on mobile (all platforms)
Read the entire post right here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/What-s-new-in-Microsoft-Teams-April-update/ba-p/179801

Thomas Binder has a new post on "IT Pro readiness for Microsoft Teams". It's a quick intro to updated documentation on docs.microsoft.com, and a collection of tutorial every organization preparing for Teams should be familiar with. Take a look for yourself right here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/IT-pro-readiness-for-Microsoft-Teams/ba-p/179216

There is an in-depth post from Christian Schacht on the announced Microsoft Teams & Skype for Business Admin Center https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams-Blog/Announcing-the-new-Microsoft-Teams-amp-Skype-for-Business-Admin/ba-p/179534 The portal is just about to roll out, so it could take some time until you see it in your own tenant.

Another great announcement was the "Teams On Air" episode 65 on "Direct Routing for enterprise voice in Microsoft Teams". This is THE feature I've been waiting for, as Microsoft is not currently providing PSTN in my customer's region. It's also a great for those companies who need a co-existing scenario with their own on-premises pbx. Looking forward to test the setup and end-user experience here. Watch the show on Youtube: