June 11, 2021
JourneyTEAM recently hosted the Tech Insider Update for Q2 2021 — a rapid-fire presentation that delivered a high-level overview of the latest changes and enhancements to the Microsoft stack. This includes Microsoft Office 365 and cloud solutions, Exchange Online, Azure AD, and Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement platform (including Sales, Marketing, Field Service, Customer Service, and Business Central). Also covered was the Microsoft collaboration platform (SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, and Viva), and Power Platform (Power Automate and Power BI). In addition to highlighting the most recent updates, industry-leading JourneyTEAM experts provided business strategies and insider tips that can help you perfect your digital technology posture and put the latest updates to work at your organization.
OFFICE 365, CLOUD, EXCHANGE ONLINE, AND AZURE AD
Cloud & Office 365
If you have old hardware or servers and use Office 365, take note: TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in Microsoft 365 will soon be disabled.
Exchange Online
The new Exchange Admin Center is available in GA.
Spoof Intelligence Management in Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is available in preview.
The Reply All Storm Protection feature has been updated. The default minimum number of recipients has dropped from 5,000 to 2,500. Admins can customize detection thresholds.
Azure AD & Intune Updates
Temporary Access Pass is available in GA (use of Microsoft Authenticator app required).
Azure AD AuthN (authentication) for Servers has been updated so now you can use Azure AD login for Azure Windows VM.
Updates to Azure AD Conditional Access include enabling of password reset requirements. There is also a new user action for Conditional Access to Azure AD — “Register or Join Devices” — that enables more granular control.
Using GPS location (versus IP address) for Identity and Access Control in Azure AD is now in public preview.
Microsoft Unified Endpoint Management (formerly Intune) filtering capabilities have been updated.
MICROSOFT COLLABORATION PLATFORM
SharePoint
The SharePoint app bar now shows up by default.
People Picker within SharePoint lists has been updated.
Page analytics are now available at both the page and site level.
There are now Microsoft Lists rules built on SharePoint.
Lists and Libraries configuration capabilities have been updated.
People cards for SharePoint lists and library web parts are now available.
Microsoft 365 Compliance Center now has auto-apply retention labels.
An immersive reader is now available for modern SharePoint pages and new posts.
There is new integration between Power BI and Microsoft (SharePoint) Lists.
New SharePoint site templates are available.
Teams & Yammer
You can now share your emails and attachments to Teams from within Outlook.
The history within Teams has updated to enable backward and forward navigation.
If Meeting Details is enabled in your tenant, you can now download attendance lists and meeting recordings.
The Meet Now feature in Teams now provides immediate access to the link, including from within Outlook.
Yammer now offers Live Events and New Conversation insights.
Approval templates in Teams are coming soon (current capabilities are ad hoc).
Forms
Default alert policies for phishing activities are now available in the Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance Center.
Shortened URL is now available for Forms sent to collect responses.
Forms and quizzes now have text formatting.
Improvements have been made to polls in Teams meetings.
Planner
You can now add up to 25 tasks labels and colors in Planner and Planner for Teams.
Tasks can now be moved between plans within the same Microsoft 365 group.
The ability to create a task from a message in Teams, and move tasks to plans across Microsoft 365 groups, is coming soon.
Project
Roadmap reports can be added to the Power BI template.
You can now create attachments on Tasks.
Email notifications are now available in Project (for the web).
You can now export a timeline to PDF.
The ability to create a task from a Teams message, and move tasks to any of your plans, is coming soon.
Viva – Connections
You can now serve up an intelligent SharePoint intranet from within the Teams client using Viva Connections.
Viva – Insights
The new Praise feature can provide you with reminders to show gratitude to your colleagues.
The new Virtual Commute feature helps you to wrap up your day by removing completed tasks and preparing a list of those that are incomplete to prepare for tomorrow.
DYNAMICS 365 – CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
Dynamics 365 Sales
Mobile functionality updates including new icons for Sales and Dynamics, push notifications, streamlined homepage, improved search, recent records list, activity management in record, and more.
Dynamics 365 Marketing
The Customer Journey Editor has been updated with the ability to create custom channels.
The new Email Editor offers improved functionality.
Updates to Teams Live Events and Webinars in Marketing events are coming soon.
Dynamics 365 Field Service & Customer Service
Dataverse Appointments – Schedule Board (Universal Resource Scheduling) has been updated.
Project Operations can now leverage Project for the Web.
Tasks in Dynamics 365 are now tasks in To-Do.
Dynamics 365 Business Central
Release Wave 1 is about to come out with about 50 new updates, many in response to community feedback.
Especially helpful for cases of mergers, acquisitions or divesting companies, organizations can now reassign a Business Central Environment from one Azure Active Directory to another.
You can now edit individual records or bulk edit selected transactions.
Editing on transactions can now be locked.
Inventory Management has been improved to include new Inventory Receipt and Inventory Shipment transactions.
You can now attach Business Central documents to customer invoices.
POWER PLATFORM
Power Automate
Environment Variables are available to access as dynamic content.
Power BI
Power BI Premium per user is now generally available at $20/user/month; or alternatively, $10/user/month if you already have an E5 or M5 license. It includes paginated (SSRS-style) reports, increased daily refreshes, 100 GB model size limit, advanced AI, and XMLA Endpoint read/write connectivity.
The Goals feature is now in public preview; however, Power BI Premium Per User or Power BI Premium Capacities is required.
You can watch the complete Tech Insider Update for Q2 of 2021 here to learn more about the most recent Microsoft updates. [LINK]
For a deeper dive into individual updates, check out our Q2 2021 Tech Insider Update Playlist. [LINK]
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM JOURNEYTEAM
Here are some special announcements from JourneyTEAM about the new programs and services we offer! Contact us via the link provided at the bottom for more information.
Maturity Model Assessment
We offer a Maturity Model Assessment for the purpose of thoroughly evaluating your organization’s operational maturity. Based on our findings, we create a plan that will help your organization develop and implement more mature business processes in sales, marketing, field service, customer service, and more, using Microsoft technology. You will receive:
A detailed mapping of your organization’s ecosystem
An evaluation on the state of your business processes
A detailed plan on how to reach your goals for successful process maturity
SharePoint Intranet Packages
We help organizations set up intranets at all different levels, from a basic “intranet in a box” to complex and extensive intranets. We offer three packages to get a launchpad in place, and provide you the tools to manage and configure your intranet from there.
Sherpa for Dynamics 365 Business Central
Our Sherpa Program for Dynamics 365 Business Central provides expert-guided self-implementation, delivered in an open enrollment format. We also provide a Sherpa program for Dynamics GP migration to Dynamics 365 Business Central.
For any additional questions, please contact Journeyteam at (801) 565-9199.
Why JourneyTEAM
JourneyTEAM is an award-winning consulting firm with proven technology and measurable results. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have extensive knowledge of each of Microsoft’s products including Dynamics 365, SharePoint intranet, Office 365, Azure, CRM, GP, NAV, SL, AX, and can help you tailor the software to fit the exact needs of your organization. We have solutions for sales, marketing, productivity, collaboration, analytics, accounting, security, and more. JourneyTEAM specializes in the industries of Finance, Media & Communications, Capital Equipment, Manufacturing, Installation, and Service. Whether you’re looking for total project support or someone to help you along the way, JourneyTEAM will provide the exact level of support you need.