What’s new in M365? May 2023 Roadmap highlights

What’s new in M365? May 2023 Roadmap highlights

Each month, our M365 PACE experts take a look at what’s on the cards for the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. Here are four key developments you can look forward across Microsoft 365 this this month. 

 

Microsoft Whiteboard App in Teams

Microsoft is introducing the Whiteboard App in Microsoft Teams this month, giving you the ability to create, collaborate and share straight from Teams, outside of Teams meetings.  

The app makes it easy to access all your whiteboards in a single place, prepare a whiteboard ahead of your next meeting, or add a whiteboard tab to chats or channels for asynchronous collaboration across your team.  

Screenshot of the new Whiteboard app in Microsoft Teams. Credit: Content+Cloud.

Screenshot of the new Whiteboard app in Microsoft Teams. Credit: Content+Cloud.

 

You don’t need to do anything to get the new Whiteboard app – it’s pre-installed in Teams to supercharge your visual collaboration with a seamless experience. Admins can choose to pre-pin the app for users in their tenant through the Teams Admin Centre. 

 

Enhanced search experience on the Teams App Store

(Microsoft Roadmap 122521) 

Microsoft is improving the search experience in the Teams App Store by extending search capabilities to include short and long descriptions, category names and support for minor typing errors.  

This enhancement to app discoverability is being rolled out this month, with full availability by late June.  

Screenshot showing an extended search for the phrase “poll” in the Teams App Store. Credit: Content+Cloud.

Screenshot showing an extended search for the phrase “poll” in the Teams App Store. Credit: Content+Cloud.

 

The improved search functionality will give you a more accurate and comprehensive search experience. Previously, the search only parsed the app name, publisher name and keywords mentioned in the app manifest. The enhanced search experience now includes wider results and can even help you find the app you’re looking for if you haven’t got the spelling quite right.

 

Viva Insights: Auto-categorisation in Meeting Insights

(Microsoft Roadmap ID 117396 )

Microsoft Viva Insights will soon begin automatically categorising meetings for users based on meeting size, cadence and number of participants. Meeting category insights are already available in the app to help you understand how you allocate your time across types of meeting – but the feature currently uses categories that you manually assign in Outlook and Teams.

The new categories are designed to help you identify meetings that are time or participation heavy. Categorisations will only show in Viva Insights and will not be reflected in your Outlook or Teams calendar. Categories for the new auto-categorisation are:

  • Long meetings: more than one hour and up to eight participants
  • Large meetings: up to one hour long and more than nine participants
  • Large and long meetings: more than one hour long and more than nine participants
  • Recurring meetings: series of meetings with multiple instances
  • 1:1 meetings: include one other participant
Screenshot of Viva Insights meeting category insights in Microsoft Teams. Credit: Microsoft

Screenshot of Viva Insights meeting category insights in Microsoft Teams. Credit: Microsoft

 

Using these insights, you can assess whether meetings falling under any of the categories are a valuable use of time and resources as a step towards doing more with less. If you’re not yet categorising in Outlook or Teams, you’ll be able to access meeting category insights and begin developing an understanding of how your time is being spent in meetings. If you already categorise your meetings, you’ll get additional insights about meeting time allocation according to well-known meeting attributes.

Auto-categorisation is being rolled out now and will be fully available by the end of May to all Viva Insights users, including those that haven’t categorised any meetings before. If you haven’t categorised your meetings between the last three months and the next four weeks, you’ll see auto-categorisations from Viva Insights only, whereas if you have categorised in Outlook and Teams, you’ll see both personal and automated categorisations.

 

Workspaces in Microsoft Edge

(Microsoft Roadmap ID 124844) 

Microsoft Edge users will soon be able to create Edge Workspaces – a shared set of browser tabs where teams can view the same websites and latest working files in real-time. 

How to create and share a new Edge Workspace. Credit: Microsoft.

How to create and share a new Edge Workspace. Credit: Microsoft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In each Edge Workspace that you create, you will find a set of tabs and favourites as created and curated by you and your collaborators. All the tabs are automatically saved and kept up to date in the Workspace.

You will be able to use Workspaces in Microsoft Edge with your Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) account once they are rolled out next month.

 

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. 

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