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.

The new Teams and an update on avatars


The new Teams is rolling out in GA, and all users will start to see the "New Teams" toggle soon, if it's not already there. For now, users can choose to switch back and forth between the clients, but admins can control how this toggle behaves. With the "Teams Update Policy" it is possible to choose what the default mode should be, let Microsoft control when it shifts or disable the new client all together. I am guessing the old client will be disabled in the end, but here is the guide on how to control things for now.

Here is a heads-up on changes to Avatars in Teams. First of all, there will be a new license introduced to eligible users (MESH_AVATARS_FOR_TEAMS). This will be added to users with one of the following licenses: Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 E3/E5, and Office 365 E1/E3/E5.
Also, please note that avatars will not be available to users not meeting the minimum hardware requirement of a CPU with 2 cores and 6GB ram. This is done to ensure the right experience.