[m365weekly] #146

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Issue #146

☁️What’s on my mind

Here we go. As you can read a little further down, Microsoft has made Copilot available for purchase by small businesses.

I think the sales figures in a few months’ time will be a real indicator of how much people believe the AI story, how much AI is just hype, and how much this technology is actually useful.

What about you? Will you get a Copilot for at least a month to test how it works?

Have a nice rest of the week,
Matic Z.

[BREAKING NEWS] Copilot is now available for everyone – even for individuals

Although Microsoft had announced that Copilot would be available for small businesses sometime between April and the end of June, they have rushed it this time.
Copilot is available to small businesses starting today. While there was a minimum order quantity of 300 licenses for Enterprise users, this is not true for licenses in this case. You can order just one Copilot license. The price, of course, remains the same.

Bringing the full power of Copilot to more people and businesses. Microsoft introduces Copilot Pro, a premium subscription offering advanced AI features and capabilities, aimed at enhancing users’ productivity and creativity. Additionally, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now accessible to businesses of all sizes, with no seat minimum, allowing organizations to harness AI-powered productivity.

Are you looking for IT talent?

Maybe she or he is hidden among the readers of this newsletter. Many cyber security experts and outstanding sysadmins read it.

Post your job listing here on M365 Weekly Newsletter and get noticed!

☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace

How to use Microsoft Stream | 8 new features.

Teams – You can now share contact details in chat. Great news for Teams users! You can now use the @ symbol in chat also to share a contact’s details from your organization. This handy feature is rolling out to Targeted Release by the end of January and will be available for Standard Release in early February.

5 SharePoint features you can use in your Windows Explorer. Sync your SharePoint document library to Windows Explorer to enjoy some of SharePoint’s powerful features directly in your file explorer. This way, you can work more efficiently and access SharePoint features right from your desktop.

☁️Sysadmin Stuff

Microsoft 365 Admin Monthly Digest. Join the AMA session, don’t miss out on new Copilot onboarding resources, including email templates and in-product tools like Copilot Lab, and explore the latest Microsoft 365 admin center features …

How to Create a Microsoft 365 Tenant Trial? Setting up a trial Microsoft 365 tenant is simple and straightforward. After completing the steps in this guide, you’ll land in the Microsoft 365 admin center of your tenant. Enjoy the perks of your own trial tenant.

How to clear Microsoft Teams cache. If you’re experiencing stubborn issues with Microsoft Teams, clearing the cache might be the solution. This process forces the client to re-download fresh information from Microsoft’s servers, improving performance. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the article.

A Guide to Disable Team Creations for Microsoft 365 Users. Are you struggling with too many teams in Microsoft Teams? As a Microsoft 365 admin, you can simplify your Teams management by restricting users from creating new teams. It’s quite simple, just follow the two steps in this article.

☁️Security & Data Governance

SharePoint Sites naming convention best practices. When naming SharePoint sites, it’s essential to adopt a consistent and user-friendly approach, especially for larger organizations. Short, meaningful names help avoid technical limitations and enhance user experience. Be mindful of the impact on email addresses and visibility to external users. A well-structured naming convention not only maintains consistency but also makes filtering and managing sites more efficient.

Practical Protection: Getting Started with Incident Response. Dealing with major incidents can be made easier by having a practical incident response (IR) plan in place. Read on to learn how.

Manage Microsoft 365 Passwords from the Security Info Page. Microsoft has removed the Password option under Security & Privacy settings, but don’t worry, you can still manage and change passwords using Security info settings.

☁️Noteworthy (long)reads

OpenAI says it’s “impossible” to create useful AI models without copyrighted material. OpenAI recently admitted that using copyrighted material is essential for developing AI tools like ChatGPT, stating it would be “impossible” without it. The company’s defense relies on the legal principle of fair use, which allows limited use of copyrighted content without the owner’s permission under certain circumstances.

Regulators aren’t convinced that Microsoft and OpenAI operate independently. EU regulators are examining Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI for potential antitrust risks, as they worry it could lead to entrenched market positions and harmful competition behavior.

DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

January 2024, Wiki page in Teams retiring. More info here. (Thanks Teresa for providing the reminder!)

March 31, 2024 – Classic Teams retirement. You’ll have to deploy the new Teams client.

April 15, 2024 – Microsoft Stream (Classic) retirement. Final stage. All data on Stream Classic will be deleted. Migrate to the new Stream (on Sharepoint).

By September 30, 2024 – Business Connectivity Services (BCS) retirement in Microsoft 365. (Timeline and alternative solution)

December 16, 2024 – Retiring of Delve application.

End of 2024 – Mail and Calendar Apps in Windows will be retired. The new Outlook will be installed on new Windows 11 devices.

☁️Classifieds

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☁️On a Less Serious Note

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☁️ Last but not least …

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