October 2022 Microsoft 365 Announcement Highlights

Microsoft made over 100 updates and announcements in the month of October for the Microsoft 365 platform. Don’t have time to read them all? We’ve gone through all of them and put together what we feel are the most important updates for you to be aware of.

1. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop app will be permanently disabled as part of the February 2023 updates 
   

   The Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop app has been retired as of June 15, 2022. IE11 retirement is occurring through two phases: (1) a redirection phase, currently in progress with devices progressively redirected from IE11 to Microsoft Edge, and (2) an upcoming Windows Update phase that includes IE11 being permanently disabled. The Windows security update “B” release that will permanently disable IE11 is scheduled to begin availability on February 14, 2023.  

   The Windows Update containing the permanent disablement of IE11 is scheduled to be available in the following releases: 

   • January non-security preview release, also known as 1C, scheduled for January 17, 2023 
   • February security release, also known as 2B, scheduled for February 14, 2023 

   The permanent disablement of IE11 will be included in all subsequent Windows Updates after the January non-security preview release and February security release.

2. Emoji reactions to Outlook Email Messages
   When it comes to designing intranets in SharePoint, a common question is whether it’s possible to control how site navigation links behave.  Previously, you could not define whether each link would open within the same tab or a new tab in the browser.  With this new feature, you’ll now be able to specify this behavior and optimize the user experience.
   
   
3. My Activity retirement in Teams desktop and web clients 
   The Activity section of Teams will soon no longer show the “My Activity” view from the drop-down menu at the top, resulting in only showing activity directed towards you. The rollout of this change will start in mid-November and is expected to complete by early December.  This change does not require any action on your part, other than updating any documentation or user training materials accordingly.  
   
   
4. Better search results in Microsoft Teams 
   If you’ve had mixed feelings about the search experience in Microsoft Teams, this feature brings a big improvement.  Previously, search results for messages were relatively flat and static.  You might see a text snippet you were looking for, but it wouldn’t take you any further.  With this change, you can now click on a message result and be taken to the full conversation and surrounding context. 
   
   
5. Public Preview: Enroll and manage Chrome OS devices with Microsoft Intune 
   Organizations can now view and manage company or school-owned devices running Chrome OS in Microsoft Intune. This feature integrates with an organization’s Google Admin center by using the Chrome Enterprise Connector. Device information is synchronized to Intune and details are available in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center. Supported remote actions include deprovision, restart, lost mode, and wipe. Please note this is currently in public preview and recommended only for testing with pilot users/devices as the service can be modified or deprecated before general release. 
   
   
6. OneDrive: Folder Backup for macOS
   Folder Backup enables an admin and/or end-user to redirect the local macOS Desktop and Documents folder to OneDrive.  This allows the end user to keep using those folders to save their content while delivering the protection and access anywhere promise that OneDrive offers.  The feature and relative list entries are very similar to the Folder Backup experience that has been on Windows for a while. 
   
   
7. New Updates for Endpoint DLP
   

   The following new features will soon be available in public preview: These will help you make the right decisions and take the right actions while using sensitive data, helping balance security and productivity. Microsoft Purview DLP is managed as a single, integrated, and extensible offering that allows organizations to manage their DLP policies from a single location and has a familiar user experience for both administrators and end-users. Updates include: 

   • Contextual evidence for DLP policy matches on endpoint devices: See the matched sensitive information type and the context surrounding it 
   • Authorized sensitive site groups: Create groups of service domains and manage restrictions for the groups within the DLP policy.  
   • Authorized removable storage or USB: Create groups of USB devices and designate different restrictive actions for each group within your DLP policy. For example, you will be able to create groups of USB devices based on serial numbers and allow 'copy' of documents to certain groups of USB devices while blocking 'copy' for others.  
   • Authorized network share paths: Create groups of network share paths and designate restrictive actions for each group within your DLP policy.  
   • Authorized printer groups: Create groups of printer devices and designate restrictive actions for each group within your DLP policy. For example, you will be able to allow the 'print' activity for certain authorized groups of printers and block 'print' for other unauthorized groups of printers.  
   • Network location as a condition in DLP policy: Use network location as a condition in your DLP policies. For example, you will be able to block 'copy' of sensitive content to network shares on personal Wi-Fi while allowing it on Corporate Wi-Fi on VPN.