Microsoft Purview Sensitivity Labels: Sensitivity label grouping modernization coming this fall (?)

There is a change coming to Microsoft Purview Information Protection that simplifies sensitivity label architecture. The goal is to make label management easier, more scalable, and less rigid for organizations. The new model will only include standalone labels and sublabels. Parent labels will be replaced by label groups, which act as organizational containers. These groups cannot be applied to content and have no actions or scope, but they retain color and priority for visual organization. Hopefully, this change will make it much easier to move labels around and make other changes in production: for example, converting a standalone label into a sublabel or moving sublabels between groups without breaking dependencies.  From my experience, this update solves one of the biggest challenges in large environments: rigid label hierarchies. The new dynamic model gives admins the agility they need to adapt quickly as compliance and business needs evolve. For admins, migration will be quic...

Python in excel and copilot is coming soon.

The integration of Python in Excel for the web marks a significant enhancement for data analysis and automation, especially when it is added to Copilot. I think this is the one feature I hear my customers ask for the most when I do demos on Copilot in Excel.

Python in Excel with standard compute became generally available to all eligible users with access to Excel for Windows. But now, there is an upcoming rollout that will extend this availability to Microsoft Excel for the web, allowing all eligible users to utilize Python formulas in their workbooks without any installation. These formulas will be executed in a secure container on the Microsoft Cloud, ensuring enterprise-level security.

With this release, users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license will also be able to leverage the Copilot in Excel with Python feature. This integration enables deeper data analysis by combining AI and Python capabilities within Excel. There will be a premium sku available, offering premium compute for faster calculations.

This update is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 471001, and hopefully it will be available for all by the end of March.