11th MVP Award Rewarded

on
I am actually on vacation, but as I sit here under the summer sun, toes in the pool and a cold drink within reach, I have been waiting for that email confirming that I’ve been awarded my 11th Microsoft MVP Award! As last year, I am being awarded in both the Teams and Copilot category. To say I’m humbled would be an understatement. Being part of the global Microsoft MVP community for over a decade now has been an incredible journey, filled with learning, sharing, speaking, and connecting with passionate technologists from every corner of the world. What is the Microsoft MVP Award? The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award is given to technology experts who share their knowledge and real-world expertise with communities. With fewer than 4,000 MVPs worldwide, it’s an honor to be part of such a vibrant and dedicated group. MVPs contribute through speaking engagements, writing, open-source contributions, and helping others online and offline. You can learn more about the progra...

Chat with security groups, select destination download folder and more, coming soon in Teams

on
Here are some of my favorite new features for Teams these past few weeks. None of them are big enough to fit in a big post, but they still deserve some honorable mentions :)

The first feature was supposed to roll out in September, but I see it's been pushed back a few weeks. Users will soon be able to start a chat with existing distribution groups, mail enabled security groups and O365 groups. Follow roadmap item 62354 for updates, as it may be delayed again.

The next feature has been released, but may not have reach all tenants yet. Roadmap item 94719 describes how users will be able to change the destination folder for file downloads in Teams.

Another feature I'm looking forward to is roadmap item 88281 "schedule send in chat", allowing a user to write a message, but not sent it right away. Much like the similar schedule send feature in Outlook. 

Another rich collaboration feature being announced in roadmap item 97158 allows users to record, send and play video messages (max 1 minute) to each other. This feature will be on by default, but can be controlled through Teams messaging policies. 

It is getting easier to find that one missing, unread item in your feed. Teams is adding a toggle switch to display only unread items (mobile and desktop). The feature should be rolling out this month, but keep an eye out on roadmap item 88389 for updates.

The last feature I want to mention is the "Excel live" feature. This is truly bringing collaboration to a new level. It will allow users to cooperate live in a workbook shared in the meeting. Users can dive right into the shared space and collaborate. 
This feature is listed as roadmap item 96099 and is just around the corner. The message center post published late September is promising some admin controls in the future.


That was all for now, I am expecting some great news during Ignite, so stay tuned for more updates.