Office 365

Year in Review 2017

by Cian Allner Updated: 21st November 2017

Abstract

Looking back at key developments and updates plus predictions for 2018

Contents

Introduction3January4February5March6April7May8June9July10August11September12October16November and December17The Year ahead - Predictions for 201818Office 365 Resources21About the author22Credits23

Introduction

With approximately 25 new features every month in Office 365, the velocity of change is immense. As the end of the year approaches, its a good time to look back and take stock of many of the bigger changes in Office 365 during 2017.

Here is my selection of the updates and changes in Office 365 this year. Finishing with what to look out for in 2018 and the big trends, with a few predictions thrown in as well as some resources.

Note from the author

About this time last year, I compiled a list of updates in Office 365 during 2016, which I posted on the Microsoft Tech Community. It was my way of recapping the progress in Office 365 and celebrating the success and passion I had for Office 365.

This year I wanted to take it a step further and bring together many of the big announcements from 2017 into this document you are now reading. The idea was to provide more detail and information alongside these developments, hopefully making it a more useful resource.

As you can imagine, I have had to be selective in what I include, as otherwise this would be a much longer document. I have mostly focused on the core Office 365 services. Its been a monumental year for Office 365, Microsoft have delivered huge feature updates and they have an ambitious roadmap ahead.

Where were you when you heard about the Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business convergence this September? A surprise for many, it was probably the biggest news story this year in Office 365 and an exciting one at that, but it was also the overall cohesiveness that impressed me most.

The transformation of SharePoint alone and the journey its been on since May 2016 has been immense. Nothing better embodies Office 365 more than the advancements like communication sites and soon hub sites, that are readymade, accessible and address common business needs. Microsoft even found the time to bring back a fan favourite, FindTime!

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January

Data Loss PreventionSource: Unifying Data Loss Prevention in Office 365

Data loss prevention options were brought together allowing admins to create a single DLP policy in the Office 365 Security and Compliance Center that covers Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.

StaffHub available Source: Microsoft StaffHub is here!

Worldwide general availability of Microsoft StaffHuba new application for Office 365 designed to help staff workers manage their workdaywith schedule management, information sharing and the ability to connect to other work-related apps and resources.

Yammer a leader in enterprise collaboration providersSource: Forresters 2016 Enterprise Collaboration Wave report is out and Microsoft is a Leader!

Forresterone of the most influential research and advisory firms in the worldrecently released their latest report evaluating enterprise collaboration providers and were honored to see Microsoft and Yammeras part of the Office 365 suitein the Leaders designation in the report.

FastTrack expands to Windows 10, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft TeamsSource: FastTrack expands to support Windows 10, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams

Today, were pleased to introduce new FastTrack resources for Microsoft Teams, including a new scenario, awareness kit and Productivity Library cardsplus remote onboarding and user adoption guidance from our FastTrack team.

OneDrive enhancements Source: OneDrive brings new file collaboration and management features to the enterprise

Several new capabilities in OneDrive for Business announced that make it easier than ever to sync, share and collaborate on all your files in Office 365. Includes sync support for SharePoint Online team sites, standalone Mac client, simplified file sharing and OneDrive admin center.

Microsoft Teams momentum Source: Microsoft Teams gains steam

After launching in November 2016, in January alone Teams was in use by 30,000 organizations across 145 markets and 19 languages had actively used Microsoft Teams.

February

Outlook mobile anniversary brings apps to the inboxSource: Outlook mobile turns 2 and now comes with your favorite apps

After launching Outlook mobile two years ago with the goal of helping you accomplish more while on the go, now apps come to your inbox with add-ins for Outlook on iOS starting with Evernote, GIPHY, Nimble, Trello and Smartsheet.

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

New capabilities in Office 365 launched to help you manage risk and stay ahead of threats including a new security analytics tool called Office 365 Secure Score released as generally available and two previews - Office 365 Threat Intelligence and Office 365 Advanced Data Governance.

SharePoint FrameworkSource: SharePoint Framework reaches general availabilitybuild and deploy engaging web parts today

Developers and administrators can build and deploy parts that are used by Office 365 users in their production environments with the SharePoint Framework now in general release.

Message Center Weekly DigestSource: Office 365 Message Center Weekly Digest

Weekly digest introduced that enables Office 365 admins to receive a summary of their Message Center notifications via email.

March

Visio OnlineSource: Visio Onlineanywhere, anytime access to your diagrams

Microsoft Visio Online available, which enables users to share and view Visio diagrams in high fidelity from almost any device using their favorite browser.

Office 365 profile experienceSource: Introducing the new Office 365 profile experience

Extended profile card experience rolling out across Office 365 to enhance the way you collaborate with colleagues and external contacts. With several big improvements that improve on the existing experience across three pillars to create an intelligent, holistic and integrated profile experience.

Microsoft Teams availableSource: Microsoft Teams rolls out to Office 365 customers worldwide

Microsoft Teamsthe chat-based workspace in Office 365 generally available in 181 markets and in 19 languages. Since the preview in November, more than 50,000 organizations have started using Microsoft Teams. Weve also introduced more than 100 new features to deliver ongoing innovation and address top customer requests.

Skype for Business enhancementsSource: Skype for Business drives digital transformation

Two new calling features in Skype for Business Cloud PBX with the availability of Auto Attendant and Call Queue as well Skype for Business Call Analytics dashboard preview.

Microsoft Graph reporting APIs and admin improvementsSource: Whats new in Office 365 administrationpublic preview of Microsoft Graph reporting APIs

Preview of new Microsoft Graph reporting APIs released, enabling customers to programmatically access the data available within the usage reports. Several admin enhancements such as Teams management, export usage reports data and SHD available from mobile apps.

April

Office 365 Enterprise K1 planSource: New value in Office 365 Enterprise K1 for frontline workers

Updates to the Office 365 Enterprise K1 plan including StaffHub, OneDrive for Business with 2 GB of cloud storage, Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams capabilities.

Threat Intelligence and Advanced Data GovernanceSource: Announcing the release of Threat Intelligence and Advanced Data Governance, plus significant updates to Advanced Threat Protection

Enhancements launched that bolster Office 365s security and compliance capabilities. Threat Intelligence helps customers stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape, while Advanced Data Governance helps them remain compliant and in control of data. Also, DLP and ATP improvements.

Office 365 Groups admin updatesSource: Whats new in Office 365 Groups for April 2017

New enhancements for administering Office 365 Groups announced - Restore deleted groups, Retention policies and Label management.

SharePoint a leader in Enterprise Content ManagementSource: SharePoint evaluated as a Leader in latest edition of The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Content Management

SharePoint evaluated as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Content ManagementBusiness Content Services, Q2 2017.

Groups extended to Outlook for Mac, iOS and AndroidSource: Introducing Groups in Outlook for Mac, iOS and Android

Groups rolling out to Outlook for Mac, iOS and Android. Groups is already available in Outlook for Windows and on the webso now you can access your group conversations and content no matter which platform you use.

Microsoft To-Do PreviewSource: Introducing Microsoft To-Donow