11th MVP Award Rewarded

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...

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.