How Will Microsoft 365 September 2022 Updates Impact Businesses?
This month, Microsoft 365 introduces new experiences to its users to promote hybrid and collaborative workspaces. Here are some new features that will help make that happen for your business.
Key Highlights
- Microsoft 365 updates are necessary and give you access to the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches for an improved experience.
- Improvements in Microsoft 365 will enable teams to create and collaborate more effectively.
- The updates not only focus on business roles and functions but also allow employees to express themselves and feel connected, regardless of where they work.
- Microsoft strives to fulfill the need for balance between demands for flexibility by employees and your business needs.
OneDrive
OneDrive helps your business to stay organized, connected, and protected by fueling all file-sharing functions across Microsoft 365. In addition to accessing your files from anywhere and acting as a backup in case you lose or damage your device, you can share and collaborate on them in real time with other Office apps. To improve the collaborative experience and allow you to prioritize effectively, Microsoft is introducing the ‘New Activity’ or ‘Recent Files’ feature on the My Files list view that keeps you up to date with everything at a glance.
The new feature will be able to show you the latest activity, such as edits, Share, @mentions, and user comments on files or documents that you are working on with others. This will make it easy for businesses in Northeastern Ohio to maintain up-to-date data that facilities smooth operations and well-informed decision-making.
Another update on OneDrive is the additional sharing options on the Share button. When you click on Share, a contextual menu with all the sharing options will be available for sharing your files and folders. In addition, the menu will include a share link (email link or send a link), copy link, and manage access functions. This promotes efficiency as now you can get all additional sharing options with just a single click.
Outlook
Another update to look forward to on Microsoft 365 will be the folders and rules support for Groups in Outlook. The feature allows you to create folders and rules in the mailbox on the Groups section using Outlook on the web. This allows your business to move and copy messages across folders in the Group, making it easy to follow up on emails within the same category or subject matter. The rules update inside Groups will also help organize incoming Group mails. However, these features are not available by default. The admin must activate it.
Teams
Microsoft Teams has supported a maximum of 9 videos on gallery view (3×3) by default. You must manually select the option ‘Large Gallery’ to see more videos on the screen. However, with the recent update, you automatically see up to 49 videos (7×7) by default. This is good news for large teams that work remotely as they can hold one meeting for all employees. The Large Gallery and Gallery view option will remain, though.
In addition, the update on Microsoft Team will also allow for a custom download location for files in Teams. This will make it easy for businesses to stay organized as employees can easily track file locations. You can choose a preferred download file location where all downloaded files are automatically directed or have the option to specify where you should save a file every time you initiate a download.
There is also an improvement on the Microsoft Teams Phone that now allows for Pay-As-You-Go plans, making it flexible for you to choose a plan that best suits your business needs. In addition, the new call option includes a phone number and unlimited inbound calls, while outbound calls are charged per minute. This is, however, only available in selected markets.
Another update is the flexibility to leave a call or meeting on all devices. Before the update, there were issues when a Team user tried to leave a meeting or call on multiple devices. But now, an option will be displayed to users with multiple devices in a call prompting them to leave all devices when selected. The feature will be available for desktop, iOS, and Android users.
The final and probably the best update on Teams is the live translated captions in meetings and calls. Due to several factors, it can sometimes be hard to hear what is being said on a call or meeting. However, this new update will ensure that your remote team gets to understand what is being said by reading real-time captions. Even more impressive is the ability to have the captions in your preferred language for better understanding.
Viva
Your employees must stay aligned and focus on your goals and mission as a business. Viva supports the objectives and key results (OKR) goal-setting framework to help your team focus on the top priorities of your business. It can be used as a standalone web application, from within Microsoft Teams and with other third-party integrations.
Microsoft Office
Updates on Microsoft Office make it easy for your business to access, create and organize ideas on the web or a mobile device. When using the web, you can pin your top collaborators under My Content to easily find them anytime you need to. If using a mobile application, Microsoft Feed allows you to discover exciting and relevant content, insights, and activity drawn from the vast Microsoft 365 network. You can use the Microsoft Lens in the app to capture information from photos, screenshots, and camera views, copy and paste between platforms, share with others and save it to your device.
The September 2022 updates on Microsoft 365 continue to prove that it is a powerful tool that facilitates productivity, collaboration, and integration with other applications to transform the way you do business for the better. Rea & Associates provides you with the necessary support to get started and ensure a smooth transition while meeting your business needs. We can also offer guidance and support for any problems you may be experiencing with Microsoft 365.