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Tag: Microsoft 365

  • ChromeOS Bringing Microsoft 365 and OneDrive Integration

    ChromeOS Bringing Microsoft 365 and OneDrive Integration

    Google is making it much easier for ChromeOS users to access their Microsoft data, adding Microsoft 365 and OneDrive integration.

    While Google offers excellent storage options for ChromeOS users, many still need access to their Microsoft 365 files and data. The company is easing that pain point, integrating Microsoft’s services via a Progressive Web App.

    The company announced the changes in a support article:

    Today, users of Microsoft 365 and OneDrive software can use the Progressive Web App (Installable here) for their Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel needs. To further help these users, we will have a new integration later this year on ChromeOS, making it easier to install the app and open files.

    Users will be offered a guided setup experience that takes them through the process of installing the Microsoft 365 web app and connecting Microsoft OneDrive to their Chromebook Files app. Files will be moved to Microsoft OneDrive when opening in the Microsoft 365 app.

    Microsoft 365 On ChromeOS – Credit Google

    The new feature is a win-win for customers and is a nice example of two rivals working together to improve the customer experience.

  • Microsoft Services Recovering From An Hours-Long Outage

    Microsoft Services Recovering From An Hours-Long Outage

    Microsoft services appear to be working after an hours-long outage that impacted Microsoft 365, Outlook, and Teams.

    According to Downdetector.com, users started experiencing problems in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 25. The issue appeared to impact a broad range of Microsoft services and lasted for several hours.

    The company acknowledged the issue on Twitter, saying it appeared to be a networking issue.

    The company’s status page says services have been restored, as does their Twitter account.

  • France Shoots Down Free Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace in School

    France Shoots Down Free Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace in School

    France has shot down the possibility of schools using free versions of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

    Schools around the world rely on Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, since both productivity options provide commercial-grade features for free, especially for schools. As part of the EU, France is concerned the productivity suites are not compatible with EU privacy laws and run afoul of French procurement laws, since there is no payment exchanged.

    “Free service offers are therefore, in principle, excluded from the scope of public procurement,” the Ministry of National Education statement says, according to The Register.

    Moving to the paid versions of both productivity suites only solves one potential problem, namely the procurement issue, with data privacy still being a major sticking point.

    The EU has been cracking down on the use of US-based cloud services that store user data within the US. Because of the vast surveillance programs US agencies engage in, the EU does not deem US-based data storage as a safe option for its citizens.

  • Microsoft Takes Aim at Salesforce With Viva Sales

    Microsoft Takes Aim at Salesforce With Viva Sales

    Microsoft has unveiled its latest attempt to take on Salesforce, launching Viva Sales, “a new seller experience application.”

    Microsoft has been working on challenging Salesforce’s dominance in the CRM market for years. The company’s latest effort is the Viva Sales tool, designed to with with any CRM and integrate its data with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365.

    “The future of selling isn’t a new system. It’s bringing the information sellers need at the right time, the right context, into the tools they know, so their work experience can be streamlined,” said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft. “Empowering sellers to spend more time with their customers has been our goal — and we’ve done that by reimagining the selling experience with Viva Sales.”

    Viva Sales allows sales reps to tag customers in Outlook, Teams, or Office apps, automatically capturing the data as a customer record. The software then uses AI to help move a customer through the sales process, prioritizing the next steps and providing valuable insights. The AI also helps sellers with recommendations to improve customer engagement and follow-through.

    “Sellers rely on digital collaboration and productivity tools to connect with customers and close deals, but a lot of the insights they uncover with these tools don’t make it into the CRM,” said Paul Greenberg, founder and managing principal, The 56 Group. “Microsoft is taking on this challenge by offering a solution that complements the CRM. Viva Sales automates the busy work, captures critical information about the customer and helps sellers get the job done.”

    Salesforce clearly sees Microsoft as a significant threat to its business, with many believing its acquisition of Slack was a way for the company to better fend off the Redmond giant.

    While Viva Sales works with any CRM, the app could represent a significant foothold effort. If companies find that Viva Sales lives up to expectations, it’s one more piece of Microsoft software integrated into their workflows. Eventually, they may find a full switch to the company’s CRM is the next logical choice.

  • Microsoft 365, Teams Outage Largely Resolved

    Microsoft 365, Teams Outage Largely Resolved

    Microsoft has largely resolved an outage impacting Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Teams.

    The outage began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning. The outage impacted several Microsoft 365 services, including Teams, Outlook, Exchange, Word, and other apps.

    The company identified the issue as stemming from a broken connection in an internal storage service.

    Microsoft says most services have been restored, although there may still be some users experiencing issues.

  • Microsoft Warns of Phishing Attack ‘Targeting Hundreds of Orgs’

    Microsoft Warns of Phishing Attack ‘Targeting Hundreds of Orgs’

    Microsoft is warning of a new phishing attack that is abusing OAuth request links and “targeting hundreds of orgs.”

    OAuth is an open standard designed to allow services, apps, or websites access to an individual or organization’s information on other services, without the need to provide a password and full access.

    Unfortunately, it appears bad actors are using OAuth request links in a phishing attempt to gain access to users’ email. The bad actors are then able to set up filters to forward emails to another account, with experts warning this may be an attempt to acquire sensitive information.

    Microsoft warned about the issue on Microsoft Security Intelligence Twitter account:

    Microsoft is tracking a recent consent phishing campaign, reported by @ffforward, that abuses OAuth request links to trick users into granting consent to an app named ‘Upgrade’. The app governance feature in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps flagged the app’s unusual behavior.=

    The phishing messages mislead users into granting the app permissions that could allow attackers to create inbox rules, read and write emails and calendar items, and read contacts. Microsoft has deactivated the app in Azure AD and has notified affected customers.

    We’re seeing the campaign targeting hundreds of orgs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Azure AD, and Defender for Office 365 can help protect against similar attacks by blocking the OAuth consent links or flagging unusual behavior of users or cloud apps.

    — Microsoft Security Intelligence (@MsftSecIntel), January 21, 2022

  • Microsoft Offering Office Pirates 50% Off

    Microsoft Offering Office Pirates 50% Off

    Microsoft is offering Office pirates a tempting offer, giving them 50% off if they will convert to a paid license.

    As the most popular office suite on the planet, Microsoft Office is a popular target of software pirates. Microsoft is looking to convert them to paying customers, offering pirates 50% off of a genuine license.

    The company is highlighting the risks associated with pirated software as an additional incentive, including:

    • Exposure to virus and malware attacks​​
    • Corrupted files and data loss
    • Inability to receive critical updates or edit files

    The company says users of pirated copies of office may see a notification offering an upgrade to a genuine copy.

    After launching an Office app you might receive a message that says Get genuine Office.

    If you see this, we’ve determined that the Office product installed on your device isn’t legitimate and you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.

    Users interested in taking advantage of Microsoft’s offer for Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Family licenses for 50% off, can do so by clicking on the message notification, which links to this page.

  • Microsoft Ending OneDrive Support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1

    Microsoft has announced it is ending support for OneDrive on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

    OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service. Each Microsoft 365 accounts comes with 1 TB of storage, making it a popular option for many users. The company is discontinuing support for the OneDrive desktop application on older versions of Windows, freeing up resources to focus on current versions and provide improved security.

    Microsoft’s Ankita Kirti made the announcement in a blog post:

    “In order to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience, beginning January 1, 2022, updates will no longer be provided for the OneDrive desktop application on your personal Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 devices.

    “Personal OneDrive desktop applications running on these operating systems will stop syncing to the cloud on March 1, 2022.

    “After March 1st, 2022, your personal files will no longer sync and should be uploaded/accessed directly on OneDrive for web.”

  • Office 2021 Arriving October 5, No Subscription Required

    Office 2021 Arriving October 5, No Subscription Required

    Microsoft Office 2021 is arriving on October 5, and users will be able to purchase it for a one-time fee and no subscription.

    While Microsoft has gone all-in on Microsoft 365, it’s subscription-based version of the popular office suite, there are many instances where individuals and companies may not want to be locked into a subscription. For those customers, Microsoft makes Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), for both Windows and macOS.

    According to a blog post by Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365, Office LTSC offers some performance improvements, but is missing key elements included in Microsoft 365.

    Office LTSC is designed for specific scenarios: regulated devices that cannot accept feature updates, process control devices on the manufacturing floor, and specialty systems that cannot connect to the internet. To meet this need, Office LTSC will provide a locked-in-time version of familiar productivity tools. While it offers performance improvements and expanded accessibility, it will not offer the cloud-based capabilities of Microsoft 365 Apps like real-time collaboration and AI-driven automation in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as security and compliance capabilities that give added confidence in a hybrid world.

    The latest version of Office LTSC will be available October 5, the same day as Windows 11.

  • Microsoft Teams Bringing Breakout Room and Search Improvements

    Microsoft Teams Bringing Breakout Room and Search Improvements

    Microsoft Teams is set for some major updates to its Breakout Room and search features.

    Microsoft Teams is one of the leading corporate messaging platforms, and has long-since surpassed Slack as the market leader. The company has been adding major new features and improving existing ones in an effort to continue its dominance, as well as keep any rivals at bay.

    According to entries in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, some of those improvements are aimed at the application’s search features.

    A new search experience in Teams will make finding messages, people, answers, and files faster and more intuitive. A redesigned search results page provides better context and faster results, with AI-powered relevance based on the people and content you engage with most in Teams and other Microsoft 365 services.

    Search autosuggest will also see some improvements.

    Top hits is a new section at the top of the autosuggest results in search where users will see the most relevant results across people, chats, files and more. This feature will improve discovery and reduce search times.

    The company is also looking to improve Breakout Rooms by making it possible to assign presenters to manage them.

    Extend the management of Breakout Rooms to specific presenters.

  • Microsoft Working to Unify OneNote Applications on Windows

    Microsoft Working to Unify OneNote Applications on Windows

    Microsoft is planning to unify its versions of OneNote for Windows, providing a singular experience to its users.

    Microsoft currently offers multiple OneNote apps for Windows: the version installed with Office and the one available via the Microsoft Store. The company is looking to unify the apps, providing users with a common experience.

    The company outlined its plans in blog post:

    If you’re wondering which OneNote app on Windows will receive the updates, here’s the best part: no matter which OneNote app you use today, we have a path for you to get these updates. Today, OneNote supports two apps on Windows: the OneNote app installed with Office and the OneNote for Windows 10 app available in the Microsoft Store. Advances in Windows and Office will allow us to unify the two apps so that you’ll have the simplicity of a single OneNote app on Windows while enjoying the interface and features you’re already familiar with. 

    Microsoft says no action is needed at the current time, but new features will be rolled out over the next 12 months as the company works to unify the apps.

  • The Deal Is Done: Slack Is Officially Part of Salesforce

    The Deal Is Done: Slack Is Officially Part of Salesforce

    Salesforce has completed its $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, combining the leading CRM platform with one of the leading messaging platforms.

    The two companies announced in December they had reached a deal for Salesforce to acquire Slack. The deal was seen as a way for both companies to better compete with Microsoft. Microsoft Teams had eclipsed Slack, in terms of user count, thanks in large part to being part of Microsoft 365. Similarly, Microsoft has made it a goal to topple Salesforce as the leading CRM provider.

    The deal underwent additional scrutiny by the DOJ before receiving regulatory approval, paving the way for the deal to close.

    Executives from both companies highlighted their intent to create a “digital HQ,” to serve as a way for companies to reinvent their productivity.

    “We couldn’t be more excited to have Slack as part of the Salesforce family, combining the #1 CRM and the trailblazing digital platform for the work anywhere world,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. “Together we’ll define the future of enterprise software, creating the digital HQ that enables every organization to deliver customer and employee success from anywhere.”

    “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink and reshape how and where we work,” said Stewart Butterfield, Slack CEO and Co-Founder. “Salesforce and Slack are uniquely positioned to lead this historic shift to a digital-first world. I could not be more excited for what’s to come.”

    The deal was welcomed by other companies as well.

    “We are obsessed with continually delighting our clients, and offering them the best experience and value across every interaction,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM. “Salesforce and Slack coming together will help us become more connected, more productive, and more innovative so we can better serve our clients.”

  • Microsoft Killing Auto-Play Web Videos In Edge Update

    Microsoft Killing Auto-Play Web Videos In Edge Update

    Microsoft is putting auto-play web videos in its crosshairs, turning off the feature by default in an upcoming Edge update.

    One of the most frustrating aspects of browsing the web is videos that start auto-playing as soon as you land on the site. Especially if you have music or other programming playing in the background, the videos can be unwelcome intrusions.

    An upcoming update to Microsoft Edge will tackle the problem, turning off video auto-play by default. First spotted by TechRadar, the feature is listed in Microsoft’s 365 roadmap.

    To help you maintain your focus online, we have changed the default for auto playing media to Limit from Allow, beginning with Microsoft Edge version 92.

    The feature will be rolling out in July.

  • The Return of Clippy: Microsoft Bringing Clippy Back As An Emoji

    The Return of Clippy: Microsoft Bringing Clippy Back As An Emoji

    Love him or hate him, the animated paperclip Clippy is set to return as an emoji.

    Few things have so divided Microsoft Office users as much as Clippy. Introduced in Windows 97 (and removed in Office 2007) as a Microsoft Office virtual assistant, some people loved Clippy’s antics, while others hated him.

    The company teased Clippy’s return in a tweet saying, if the tweet received 20,000 likes, the company would replace the Microsoft 365 paperclip with Clippy.

    The tweet has received 154.9K likes (including one from yours truly. You’re welcome for that, by the way), pretty much ensuring Microsoft will follow through with its promise.

    “When we looked at redesigning the paper clip, we thought, ‘How could you not?” Claire Anderson, Microsoft’s art director, and resident “emojiologist,” told CNN Business. “It’s a way of honoring where we’ve come from as we also look at a new tech style. .. But like most nostalgic things, we know Clippy can be polarizing.”

  • Microsoft Outlook a Major Security Issue for WFM

    Microsoft Outlook a Major Security Issue for WFM

    Amid an unprecedented transition to work from home (WFM), Microsoft Outlook has come into focus as a security weak point.

    Microsoft 365 has been an important factor for many organizations, helping their employees stay connected and productive while working remotely. Unfortunately, using Microsoft Outlook is directly linked to a higher incidence of data breaches.

    Software company Egress found “that 85% of organizations using Microsoft 365 have had an email data breach in the last 12 months.” In addition, there was significant disparity between the number of data leaks experienced by companies using Outlook, versus those that weren’t.

    Organizations using Microsoft 365 have seen a 67% increase in data leaks via email since March 2020 – compared to just 32% of the businesses who don’t use it. And these aren’t one-off incidents. We also learned that 15% of Microsoft 365 organizations had been breached over 500 times during that same time period.

    Microsoft is already under scrutiny for its role in the SolarWinds breach. This latest report is sure to be an unwelcome one, and will likely increase scrutiny even more.

    In the meantime, organizations that rely on Microsoft Outlook would do well to read the Egress report in its entirety.

  • Microsoft Acknowledges Outlook Outage

    Microsoft Acknowledges Outlook Outage

    Microsoft has acknowledged an outage impacting Outlook, for both desktop and Microsoft 365, with a fix in the works.

    Users started reporting issues with text disappearing while typing an email. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue on its status page, saying a fix should be rolled out progressively over the next several hours.

    We’ve identified the underlying cause of impact and are applying a fix. This fix will reach all affected users incrementally over the course of the next four-to-five hours. Once users receive the fix, they will need to restart their email client to apply the fix. In some circumstances, users may need to restart their client a second time for the changes to take effect. We expect to complete this process and restore service for all affected users by May 12, 2021, at 3:00 AM UTC.

    As of the time of writing, Downdetector.com was already showing the mitigation efforts were starting to pay off, with a decline in the reported number of issues.

  • Microsoft Releases 64-Bit Version of OneDrive

    Microsoft Releases 64-Bit Version of OneDrive

    Microsoft has (finally) released a 64-bit version of the OneDrive sync client for Windows.

    OneDrive is Microsoft’s online cloud storage service, and serves as a critical part of Microsoft 365. Until now, the company only offered a 32-bit version. The move to 64-bit allows OneDrive to handle more and larger files.

    Ankita Kirti detailed some of the advantages in a company blog post:

    The 64-bit version is the right choice if you plan to use large files, if you have a lot of files, and if you have a computer that’s running a 64-bit version of Windows. Computers running 64-bit versions of Windows generally have more resources—such as processing power and memory—than their 32-bit predecessors. Also, 64-bit applications can access more memory than 32-bit applications (up to 18.4 million Petabytes).

    The release is currently in preview. Users can download it here.

  • Microsoft Working on Second Microsoft 365 Outage in as Many Weeks

    Microsoft Working on Second Microsoft 365 Outage in as Many Weeks

    Microsoft is working to address an outage with Microsoft 365, the second time in as many weeks.

    Users started reporting issues with Microsoft 365 late Thursday afternoon, with DownDetector showing some 8,000 reports. Microsoft initially said it was investigating a DNS issue that was the suspected cause of the problem.

    As of late Thursday evening, Microsoft was mitigating most of the issues, but had not completely resolved them.

    The outages are an embarrassment for Microsoft at a time when people are relying on Microsoft 365 more than ever before.

  • Box Exploring Potential Sale Amid Shareholder Pressure

    Box Exploring Potential Sale Amid Shareholder Pressure

    Box, the popular file-sharing cloud service, is exploring a possible sale in response to pressure from an activist shareholder.

    Box is one of the premier file-sharing cloud services, and one of the main competitors to Dropbox. Unfortunately, Box has not capitalized on the remote work transformation currently underway to the same extent as its rivals. This has led hedge fund Starboard Value LP to threaten a challenge to the board.

    Now Reuters is reporting that Box is considering a sale to another company or private equity form. One of the issues Box has faced is the crowded field it competes in, with many of its services matched by larger rivals with more comprehensive offerings. For example, Microsoft 365 comes with a OneDrive account, featuring 1 TB of storage.

    Box did not comment on Reuter’s story, and it remains to be seen if a deal will happen. The sources indicated a sale is not certain.

  • Microsoft 365 Down, Microsoft Working On Fix

    Microsoft 365 Down, Microsoft Working On Fix

    Microsoft 365 has been down for many users throughout Monday, with the company working on mitigation efforts.

    Shortly after 3:00, users started reporting issues with Microsoft 365, according to DownDetector. Users reported issues with virtually every aspect of Microsoft 365. The company confirmedthe issue, and how widespread it is.

    Any service that leverages Azure Active Directory (AAD) may be affected. This includes but is not limited to Microsoft Teams, Forms, Exchange Online, Intune and Yammer. Admins may also be unable to access the Service Health Dashboard.

    Microsoft has rolled out mitigation efforts, although some users continue to be impacted.

    Microsoft has yet to explain exactly what caused the issue, although it says it has identified it.

  • Standalone Microsoft Office Update and Text Prediction Coming Soon

    Standalone Microsoft Office Update and Text Prediction Coming Soon

    Microsoft is preparing updates to its venerable office suite, including two big features: continued support for the standalone, non-365 version and text prediction.

    Microsoft has been aggressively pushing Microsoft 365 (previously Office 365) for some time. Many businesses and individuals, however, don’t want to pay a monthly fee to access their office suite. What’s more, the various cloud features of Microsoft 365 may not offer much value for some customers.

    The company has announced it will continue to support a standalone version of Office, called Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). In fact, Microsoft is committed to supporting Office LTSC for the foreseeable future.

    “At Microsoft, we believe that the cloud will power the work of the future. Overwhelmingly, our customers are choosing the cloud to empower their people—from frontline workers on the shop floor, to on-the-go sales teams, to remote employees connecting from home,” writes Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365. “We’ve seen incredible cloud adoption across every industry, and we will continue to invest and innovate in the cloud as we partner with organizations everywhere to build the best solutions for the new world of work. But we also know that some customers just feel that they can’t move to the cloud despite the widely embraced benefits.”

    A preview of Office LTSC will be available in April.

    Microsoft 365 Text Prediction - Image Source: Microsoft
    Microsoft 365 Text Prediction – Image Source: Microsoft

    At the same time, the company is also bringing its long-anticipated text prediction to all users. The company teased text prediction in September. As the user is typing, text prediction recommends the most likely next word. The feature continues to learn over time, becoming more accurate in its recommendations.

    According to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, text prediction will be available to all users in March.