In this section, we will explore some of the most noteworthy updates of Microsoft 365, aimed at continuing to transform the way users work and collaborate in business environments. These Microsoft 365 updates are particularly relevant for Syntphony Employee Intranet as its components are developed on the basis of Microsoft 365 and Modern Experience, ensuring full compliance and alignment with the Microsoft platform.
In this article, we will discuss various points: improvements in SharePoint, AI-driven advancements in Microsoft Teams, updates in Microsoft Copilot, as well as other enhancements designed to improve productivity and efficiency in workflows.
The key updates of Microsoft 365
Let’s take a close look at the most prominent updates provided by Microsoft 365 in its suite of applications and services.
Microsoft Teams enhanced by AI
Microsoft 365 team has introduced some Copilot enhancements in Teams aimed at enhancing collaboration and meeting experiences.
Meeting enhancement with Copilot
Starting from May, there will be an improvement in the Copilot experience during meetings. Copilot will provide insights in meetings, in addition to transcribing them. By opening Copilot in the meeting chat, users will have a more comprehensive and inclusive view of what was discussed in the meeting, whether it was expressed verbally (transcription) or in writing (chat).
Improved message composition in chats
Another improvement introduced is the ability to request Copilot to adjust the message and provide a personalized rewritten version in the Teams chat writing box. For example, Copilot may modify the message to add a call to action or match the tone and style requested by the user.
Intelligent call summaries
The intelligent call recap, available in general starting from June with Teams Premium and Copilot, will provide AI-driven insights and summaries of VoIP and Public Switched Telephone Network calls in Teams.
Updates in Microsoft Stream
Stream in SharePoint represents a shift from the conventional approach to managing corporate videos. Traditionally, delivering videos at scale was technically challenging, leading to the development of specialized services by independent providers that managed, stored, and played videos from isolated platforms. This was the case with Stream (Classic). Although integrated within the same network, it remained isolated from other Microsoft 365 collaboration tools.
This meant that integrating videos into workflows was a challenge for most users. While independent services allowed for the embedding and linking of videos into other experiences, these products, like Stream (Classic), were generally underutilized, less known, and reserved for expert users. Additionally, Stream (Classic) lacked robust integration with the rest of Microsoft 365.
With this update, administrators no longer need to deploy or manage a specialized video solution that operates differently from the rest of the infrastructure. By treating all videos as conventional files in SharePoint, services and tools designed to work with SharePoint and OneDrive are now compatible with videos. As a result, Stream will have access to all the basic management features that other types of Microsoft 365 files have, such as archiving and versioning, eDiscovery, legal hold, retention policies, audit logs, permissions, file lifecycle, as well as APIs and analytics.
New section backgrounds in pages and news
In SharePoint, new features have been introduced that allow page authors to add selected images or gradient color backgrounds to page sections. The update includes enhancements to focal points, fill mode, overlay, and opacity settings, ensuring accessibility. This enables customization of SharePoint pages and news by configuring section layouts with custom images or gradient colors.
Users can find all the new functionalities when editing a Page or News section: in Edit mode, in the Section panel, they should select Edit section, choose an image or gradient color from the Background options, and when a background is set, a transparent overlay will automatically be added to facilitate text readability.
Next, we will explore a couple of relevant changes in other Microsoft tools.
Key updates in Microsoft Copilot
Priority access to Chat GPT-4 Turbo and unlimited conversations
Starting from April, all licensed customers have priority access to GPT-4 Turbo in Copilot. This update eliminates limits on the total number of chats per day and the number of turns per conversation, among other enhancements. Users receive faster and more comprehensive responses, both in web and work contexts.
In the web context, Copilot users benefit from the latest base models based on the most recent publicly available web information. The web context includes protection of commercial data, meaning that Microsoft does not have access to their requests or responses and does not use chat data to train the underlying base models, ensuring a safer alternative than using other public generative AI services.
The work context goes even further: it relies on their work data (calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, contacts, and more) to provide contextually accurate responses. Copilot can, for example, help users quickly scan their email for important messages or prepare for key meetings by extracting information from their work.
Moreover, the work context also benefits from enterprise-level data protection, ensuring that data remains within the boundary of the Microsoft 365 service.
In summary, the latest updates in Microsoft 365 are taking collaboration and productivity to new levels. With enhancements in Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint, users have access to more powerful and customizable tools that facilitate teamwork and project management. Additionally, the integration of Microsoft Stream into SharePoint represents a significant step towards a more cohesive and comprehensive experience in the Microsoft 365 suite.
