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

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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 By removing outdated or irreleva...

Copilot in PowerPoint with Organizational Brand Images coming soon

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Copilot in PowerPoint with Organizational Brand Images coming soon

Microsoft is about to improve Copilot in PowerPoint by making it possible to connect it to your organization's brand images. Or at least connect to either Organizational Asset Library (OAL) in Microsoft SharePoint or Templafy Library (a third-party solution) for integrating brand images.
The connection requires some configuration on the admin side, but none is required if the default image option in PowerPoint is good enough. This feature will require the user to have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and will work with PowerPoint for Windows desktop, Mac desktop, and PowerPoint for the web.

The Organizational Asset Library (OAL) in Microsoft 365 is a centralized repository hosted on SharePoint where organizations can store and manage their brand assets, such as images, logos, icons, and templates. This library ensures that users have quick access to approved brand assets, promoting consistency and efficiency in creating on-brand documents and presentations. This are some of the key features of OAL:
  • Centralized Storage: OAL allows organizations to store up to 30 asset libraries on a single site.
  • Searchable Metadata: Images in the OAL should have robust metadata (keywords, titles, alt-text) to facilitate easy search and retrieval.
  • Integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot: Copilot can search and retrieve assets directly from the OAL, making it easier for users to incorporate brand images into their presentations.
  • Support for Office Templates: Users can access organization-specific templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint desktop apps.
Here is an article describing how to set up an OAL for your organization.

If you already have a OAL set up in your organization, the configuration is quite simple. The instructions for connecting Copilot to the OAL is detailed in this learn article.

Once implemented, users will have a toggle when creating PowerPoints with Copilot, with the option to only use company images.

According to the message center, the rollout has begun and should be completed during April.