Data Lifecycle Management: Separate Copilot retention policies from Teams chats

In a previous post I mentioned how Microsoft is adding the capability to use Purview Data Loss Prevention on Copilot to block certain information from surfacing for the user. Now, Microsoft is adding Copilot to it's retention policy controls, and starting mid-February, public preview tenants can start exploringthis new feature. Admins will be able to create separate retention policies for Microsoft Teams chats and Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions, and allows for a more tailored data management. The feature will of course require that the targeted users have Microsoft 365 Copilot license.  According to the message center, the public preview will be during February, and we can hope for a general release sometime in March. The feature will be available by default, but policies will have to be set up.

A new file experience, learn how to block anonymous access to chat and avatars for all

The file app in Teams is getting a makeover, making it far easier to navigate through your own files, and to rediscover or relocate files shared by you or to you. The look and feel is a lot cleaner, and way easier to navigate. According to the roadmap, it should be available to must users by the end of July.

Anonymous access can be a concern for some organizations. Microsoft is now making it easier to control if anonymous meeting users have access to chat or not. Currently rolling out to tenants world wide, is the addition to Teams control panel and Powershell, to set a policy to exclude anonymous users. Take a look at the options and how to set them in this article. Internal users will get a warning when using a feature anonymous users can't use, if there are any in the meeting.

Avatars is rolling out to "anyone" with a valid license. Soon anyone can get their own Avatar for meetings. This feature is a great addition for those who are unable to join with a live camera feed. The avatar brings a new level of presence where a user can animate a lot of reactions otherwise unavailable to them. To set up avatars, users will have to use a Teams app where they can create several avatars. These avatars are then available in their meetings. Take a look at this documentation to get started.