Office 365 Weekly Digest | February 5 - 11, 2017

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Welcome to the February 5 - 11, 2017 edition of the Office 365 Weekly Digest. The new Skype for Business Mac client highlights last week's Message Center notifications, and there are also 2 important reminders for service changes coming on February 28, 2017. If you'd like to test drive Microsoft Teams, there are still spots open for the two sessions on Wednesday, February 15th. The summary word for last week's blogs is "New" - as in new Office 365 Roadmap site, new security features and services in Office 365 and new Office training roadmaps and resources. Noteworthy from last week are the summaries for the recent Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) sessions for OneDrive and StaffHub, information on new SharePoint Online preview web parts and the API for Office 365 Secure Score.

MESSAGE CENTER

Note: The information below may not be posted to your Office 365 tenant as not all notifications apply to all tenants.

 

Updated Feature: New Internal Sharing Mails

Posted: February 7, 2017 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Stay Informed | Action: Awareness | We’re updating the OneDrive for Business Internal Sharing Mails. Mails sent from sharing documents from OneDrive for Business to internal users will have a new modern look that provides more information to the recipient as to what's being shared at a glance. At this time these mails will no longer be CC'd to the original sender. We will be replacing this behavior by sending these mails from the original sender's mailbox (as opposed to a no-reply address) in the near future. We'll be gradually rolling this out to First Release customers in early February. Additional information is available at https://support.office.com/article/Share-files-in-OneDrive-for-Business-4f605827-a1a4-41a3-871e-6308d8b12bb1.

 

New Feature: Monitor your AD FS infrastructure with ease using Azure AD Connect Health

Posted: February 7, 2017 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Stay Informed | Action: Awareness | Azure AD Connect Health allows you to monitor and gain insights into your AD FS infrastructure and more! It requires no additional hardware and the deployment is very simple. Be assured that if something is happening to your AD FS or Web Application Proxy servers you will be quickly notified by email. Additionally, unlock access to analytics and reports about your AD FS infrastructure and usage. Azure AD Connect Health is available to you, as part of your Azure AD Premium subscription. Take advantage of this capability which is super easy to deploy and gives you a more reliable connection to Office 365 and Microsoft Online Services. It's very simple to get started - learn more at https://aka.ms/chadfsomcmessc.

 

Updated Feature: Skype for Business on Mac client

Posted: February 7, 2017 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Stay Informed | Office 365 Roadmap ID: 68409 | We’re updating the Skype for Business on Mac Client. Existing customers can update to the latest from within the client. New Mac customers can download from our download center. This release includes P2P desktop sharing, additional USB device support, and several other improvements for the client. Please inform your IT staff and helpdesk of this change. Also update your user training, if you feel this change is important to you. More details are available at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Skype-for-Business-Blog/Skype-for-Business-on-Mac-February-Update-now-available/ba-p/44581.

 

New Feature: MyAnalytics Welcome Email

Posted: February 8, 2017 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Stay Informed | Action: Awareness | Office 365 Roadmap ID: 64662 | The MyAnalytics welcome email is a new Office 365 feature. You’ll begin seeing this new feature over the coming weeks. After a user has been licensed, MyAnalytics will begin the setup process, start to accrue data (through calendar and email) for that user, and begin to develop statistics on that data. Once setup is completed (this may take a few days), MyAnalytics sends a welcome email to the licensed user. The welcome email gives the user some basic information about MyAnalytics, for example what it is and how it works, and also gives the user a first look at some of their statistics. No action from the user is required in order to receive the welcome email. For more information, please visit https://support.office.com/article/Microsoft-MyAnalytics-for-Office-365-admins-77590915-6eb0-47a6-a72f-8116cfcfc2c7.

 

We’re removing the device compliance reports from Mobile Device Management (MDM) for Office 365

Posted: February 8, 2017 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Plan for Change | Action: Awareness | We are removing device compliance report from MDM for Office 365, beginning February 8, 2017. You will may longer be able to access the device compliance report in the Security & Compliance Center -> Reports, after today. This change should be completely rolled out by the end of February. Instead of using the device compliance report, we recommend using Azure Active Directory PowerShell to get device compliance information. Additional details can be found at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=841853.

 

REMINDER: Removing the Office 2013 version of Office 365 ProPlus

MC81842 | Posted: October 19, 2016 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Plan for Change | Action: Required by February 28, 2017 | Office 2016 is the recommended version of Office 365 ProPlus and includes all the latest upgrades and new features. As we announced in September 2015, when we released Office 2016, beginning March 1, 2017, the Office 2013 version of Office 365 ProPlus will no longer be available for installation from the Office 365 portal. Beginning March 1, 2017, your users will no longer see Office 2013 as an option for download through the Office 365 portal, and admins will no longer have the option under Software download settings in the admin portal to choose to enable Office 2013. In addition, we will no longer provide feature updates for this version, nor provide support. We recommend you install Office 2016 as soon as possible to have the latest and greatest features and support. Additional information is available at https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3199744.

 

REMINDER: Project Online requirements are changing

MC89200 | Posted: December 19, 2016 | Urgency: Normal | Category: Prevent or Fix Issues | Action: Awareness | Beginning February 28, 2017, Project Online will require the latest version of Project to connect to Office 365. We are making architectural changes to features in Project Online which impact older versions of Project, connecting to Project Online. If you are using Project 2016, you need to be on a supported build to connect to Project Online. For Project Professional 2016 customers, the RTM build (16.0.4266.1000) is the minimum build. For Office 365 customers using the Project Online Desktop Client (the subscription version of Project Professional 2016), you need to be on the previous Deferred Channel build (currently build 16.0.6741.2088) or any other build that is more recent. If you are using any prior version of Project, you will encounter issues connecting to Project Online. This change will not affect you if you are not connecting to Project Online. Make sure you've upgraded to a supported Project 2016 build, by February 28, 2017, to continue connecting to Project Online without interruption. Read more about the system requirements at https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/projectsupport/2016/12/15/using-project-online-time-to-be-sure-you-upgrade-the-client-software/.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS Azure Active Directory Webinars for February

When: Multiple sessions currently scheduled through February 16, 2017 | Are you looking to deploy Azure Active Directory quickly and easily? We are offering free webinar briefings on key Azure Active Directory deployment topics! Sessions include: Getting Ready for Azure AD, Streamlining Password Management, Securing Your Identities with Multi-Factor Authentication, Managing Enterprise Applications and Accessing Your Organization’s Internal Apps. Each 1-hour or 75-minute webinar is designed to support IT Pros in quickly rolling out Azure Active Directory features to their organization. All webinars are free of cost and will include an anonymous Q&A session with our Engineering Team. So come with your questions!  Capacity is limited. Sign up for one or all of the sessions today!

 

Modern Workplace: Cyber Intelligence - Help prevent a breach

When: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 8:00am PT | According to Forbes, investment in cybersecurity is expected to more than double from $75 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2020, but how can you be sure your organization is creating the right framework to help safeguard against a security breach? Join us for the first episode in a two-part Modern Workplace special security series, “Cyber intelligence—help prevent a breach,” airing February 14, 2017 at 8 a.m. PST / 4 p.m. GMT. In the first episode, we explore the world of a chief information security officer (CISO) and show you how to help keep your organization more secure from potential security breaches. The episode also includes an exclusive demonstration of Office 365 Threat Intelligence which can help increase your security. | Registration Link

 

Online Customer Immersion Experience: Test Drive Microsoft Teams

When: Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 10:00am PT & 12:00pm PT | Around the world teamwork is on the rise. Research suggests employees now work on nearly double the number of teams than they did just five years ago. This means more than ever people are reliant on their peers to help get things done. But a “one size fits all” approach does not work when it comes to group collaboration—different tools appeal to different groups and address unique needs. Join Microsoft to test drive Office 365 and our hottest new collaboration tool: Microsoft Teams. Each 90-minute session starts with an online business roundtable, discussing your biggest business challenges with a trained facilitator and then transitions into a live environment in the cloud.  You will receive a link to connect your own device to a remote desktop loaded with our latest and greatest technology so you can experience first-hand how Microsoft tools can solve your biggest challenges. Space is limited: each is session is only open to 12 participants.  Reserve your seat now.

 

FastTrack Webinars: Learn how to do more, together

When: Multiple sessions currently scheduled through February 23, 2017 | Ask questions, learn shortcuts and find out how Office 365 can make you and your team more productive. Each webinar is a live, instructor-led session offered at multiple dates and times. Facilitated discussion follows each session, with opportunities to ask questions and discuss specific scenarios to you. Direct registration links for each webinar are provided below.

 

BLOG ROUNDUP The NEW Office 365 Roadmap Site is Live

The Office 365 Roadmap has moved to a new home, but the URL is not all that is changing! We are improving the experience on mobile devices and making it easier to quickly review details of roadmap items. By popular request, the items on the roadmap will also include a unique ID, which will be used in the Message Center communications as well. And don’t worry, we will redirect roadmap.office.com to the new site. Note: Due to an issue with the prior Office 365 Roadmap website, we made an emergency decision to proceed urgently with the new site. Accessibility fixes and ongoing improvements will be forthcoming. The new site is https://products.office.com/en-us/business/office-365-roadmap, feedback appreciated!

 

New Office 365 capabilities help you proactively manage security and compliance risk

Missing a key security signal could mean not catching a breach, but the number of security signals is increasing exponentially. It’s becoming impossible to manually prioritize them. That’s why Office 365 applies intelligence to help you proactively manage risk and ward off threats. Today, we’re pleased to introduce several new capabilities in Office 365 that help you manage risk and stay ahead of threats: (1) Office 365 Secure Score, (2) Office 365 Threat Intelligence Private Preview and (3) Office 365 Advanced Data Governance Preview. Office 365 Secure Score is a new security analytics tool that applies a score to Office 365 customers’ current Office 365 security configuration. Office 365 Threat Intelligence Private Preview is a service that leverages billions of data points from the Microsoft Intelligent Security Graph to provide actionable insights to the global threat landscape and help customers stay ahead of cyber threats. Office 365 Advanced Data Governance Preview applies machine learning to help customers find and retain the most important data to them while eliminating redundant, obsolete and trivial data that could cause risk if compromised. | Microsoft Mechanics: Introduction to Office 365 Secure Score | Microsoft Mechanics: Office 365 Advanced Data Governance Overview | Office Videos: Threat Intelligence for Office 365

 

Track your Office knowledge and skills with Office Training Roadmaps

We have released Office Training Roadmaps to help your company set training expectations and track progress for six Office apps. The training roadmaps help you quickly find what you need to learn and are available both online and as printable posters for Office 365, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Access 2016. Also, if you or your company needs help getting started with Office apps, we have expanded our Quick Start Guides to include Excel, Outlook and Sway. All of these free resources can be found at the Office Training Center.

 

January 2017 updates for Get & Transform in Excel 2016 and the Power Query add-in

Excel 2016 includes a powerful set of features based on the Power Query technology, which provides fast, easy data gathering and shaping capabilities and can be accessed through the Get & Transform section on the Data ribbon. We are pleased to announce six new data transformation and connectivity features that have been requested by many customers. These updates are available as part of an Office 365 subscription. If you have Excel 2010 or Excel 2013, you can also take advantage of these updates by downloading the latest Power Query for Excel add-in.

 

Microsoft Tech Summit: What's new in the mobile & intelligent intranet

Video: (1 hour, 39 minutes) | We are evolving your intranet - making it more mobile for users on the go and infusing it with intelligence so that information finds you, not you hunting and searching for information This session with focus on much of what's new and what's coming for Microsoft SharePoint mobile apps, modern team sites connected to Microsoft Office 365 Groups, modern document libraries and lists, publishing sites and pages, and business apps integration with Microsoft PowerApps and Microsoft Flow. (Note: includes information about what's on the 2017 roadmap for SharePoint)

 

NOTEWORTHY OneDrive for Business: AMA Summary

The summary from the OneDrive for Business Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) session on February 1, 2017 is now posted! It is available in Word and Sway formats. We hope you’ll continue to share your feedback on UserVoice.

 

Microsoft StaffHub: AMA Summary

The summary from the Microsoft StaffHub Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) session on February 6, 2017 is now posted! It is available in Word and Sway formats. We hope we’ll continue to ask questions and to share your feedback with the product team in the StaffHub group in the community and on UserVoice.

 

Microsoft IT Showcase: Getting your team started with Microsoft Teams

Published: February 8, 2017 | Microsoft Teams is the chat-centered workspace that is integrated with Office 365. It gives teams instant access to everything they need in a dedicated hub for teamwork where chat, content, people, and tools live together in Office 365. This guide is designed to help you, as an owner, get your team started in Microsoft Teams.

 

New SharePoint Online Link web part rolling out now

SharePoint team is excited to announce that the new Link web part is starting to roll out to our customers! The SharePoint Online Link web part makes sharing links to external and internal pages and documents much nicer by providing a visual and contextual preview for the link and its contents -- with image, title and text snippet -- right inline within the internal communication (page or news). Just add a Link web part to your page, paste in your URL and see the magic happen!

 

Announcing Power BI Web Part (Preview) for SharePoint Online

We’re excited to announce the preview of the Power BI web part for SharePoint Online, starting in First Release today. We have many plans to enhance this web part further as we continue to deepen our commitment to reinventing business processes inside SharePoint. The web part allows you to paste a URL to an existing Power BI report on modern pages, alongside our other modern web parts. Thus, your reports will display on browsers, and the enhanced SharePoint mobile application for Windows, Android, and iOS. | Video: Now in Preview: Integrate Power BI reports in SharePoint Online

 

Using the Office 365 Secure Score API

The Office 365 Security Engineering team is pleased to announce the availability of the Office 365 Secure Score API. This API is fully integrated into the Microsoft Graph. If you are wondering what the Office 365 Secure Score is, get the low down here, or visit the experience here: https://securescore.office.com. We think there are at least four possible business scenarios driving consumption of the Secure Score through an API: (1) Monitor and report on your secure score in downstream reporting tools, (2) Track your security configuration baseline, (3) Integrate the data into compliance or cybersecurity insurance applications and (4) Integrate Secure Score data into your SIEM or CASB to drive a hybrid or multi-cloud framework for security analytics.