Smarter Retention in Microsoft 365: A Step Toward Cleaner, More Relevant Data - Coming soon

Anyone who has worked with SharePoint management knows that data governance is a cornerstone of digital productivity, especially in large organizations where information can accumulate rapidly. Today, retention policies in Microsoft 365 allow administrators to manage data based on creation or modification dates. However, in my experience, this approach is not always sufficient. Files that haven’t been accessed in years may still linger in OneDrive or SharePoint, cluttering storage, slowing down search, and diluting the relevance of AI-powered tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot. A new feature in Microsoft Purview Retention Policies, expected this winter, promises to enhance Data Lifecycle Management. This upcoming setting will enable policies to identify files that have remained untouched for a specified period and automatically flag them for deletion or archival. This enhancement is particularly valuable for organizations leveraging Microsoft 365 Copilot. By removing outdated or irreleva...

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.