Each month, our M365 PACE experts take a look at what’s on the cards for the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. Here we pick our highlights from the Microsoft 365 Roadmap in August, including the latest developments for Bing Chat Enterprise, Viva Pulse and SharePoint.
Bing Chat Enterprise for Microsoft 365
(Microsoft Roadmap 151035)
Microsoft is staying on top of the artificial intelligence (AI) innovation with its latest release: Bing Chat Enterprise. This tools addresses some of the privacy concerns of public AI tools with an AI-powered chat for work with commercial data protection.
Bing Chat Enterprise keeps your user and business data protected and prevents it from being leaked outside your organisation. Everything that goes in – and comes out – remains protected. Chat data is not saved or used to train the models and Microsoft has no eye-on access to it.
Bing Chat Enterprise can be accessed from the Microsoft Edge sidebar. Credit: Microsoft.
You can access Bing Chat Enterprise in preview release from bing.com/chat and from the Microsoft Edge sidebar. It’s available at no additional cost for customers who are licensed for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium plans.
Chat embedded in Microsoft Edge browser
(Microsoft Roadmap 126334)
Announced this month, Microsoft will be adding embedded Microsoft Teams chats to Microsoft Edge.
When you open web links from a Teams chat in Microsoft Edge, you will be able to see the webpage and Teams chat side by side – your chat will open in the Edge sidebar for easy reference.
Your Teams chat will be visible alongside web links you open in the Microsoft Edge sidebar. Credit: Microsoft.
On-demand recording for webinars
(Microsoft Roadmap ID 123052)
Microsoft will soon be launching a new feature for Microsoft Teams webinar recordings. After a webinar has ended, organisers will have access to on-demand recordings to manage and share with attendees.
On-demand webinar recordings can be published within the webinar management experience, with an email automatically sent to attendees sharing a link to access the recording. You can also preview the email and edit the content before it is shared with attendees.
New SharePoint site creation experience
(Microsoft Roadmap ID 141819)
The SharePoint site creation experience is being revamped to give users more information about what they are creating before they get started.
The update allows you to choose a site template based on your scenario. Before you create your site, you’ll be able to see what the template does, a list of site capabilities, a list of pages and other features alongside a visual preview.
You can see a visual preview of the template before you use it to create your SharePoint site. Credit: Microsoft.
A few templates have been renamed to clarify their purpose:
- ‘Standard team’ is the new name for the default team site template (formerly ‘Team collaboration’)
- ‘Standard communication’ is the new name for the default communication site template (formerly ‘Topic’)
- ‘Training course’ is the new name for the template used to present training courses (formerly ‘Training and courses’)
Microsoft is also updating the content in a few other site templates: Organisation home, Event, Human resources, Volunteer centre and Crisis management.
Microsoft Viva Pulse
(Microsoft Roadmap ID 117393)
Viva Pulse is the latest module to be launched as part of the Microsoft Viva employee engagement tool. The new app is a feedback tool designed to empower managers to get day-to-day feedback on projects and team dynamics for quicker action.
Mangers can use smart templates, choose from research-backed questions and view analytics all from Viva Pulse. It enables teams to use their voice to help managers pinpoint what’s working well and what areas need more focus.
Viva Pulse allows you to gather ad-hoc feedback to better understand your team’s needs – and address them in the moment. Using pre-populated, research-validated survey templates, managers can dive into important topics such as change management or work situations. You can also customise the templates to meet unique team requirements.
A staple of Viva Pulse is employee privacy protection. Whether you choose to share feedback you have received with others directly or through connected experiences enabled by your organisation, reports that identify you as the author won’t be shared without your action.
Microsoft Viva Pulse provides a snapshot of team sentiment to help managers and project leads get quick feedback and adjust actions, if needed. Credit: Microsoft.
Find out more about M365 PACE
Are you finding it challenging for your organisation to stay ahead of change in Microsoft 365? Our M365 PACE service provides you with tailored insights and expert guidance to help you focus on what’s most valuable in the roadmap of updates and new features. Get in touch to find out more about staying ahead of change in Microsoft 365.
