Microsoft September 2024 Updates

Microsoft is rolling out several important updates across Teams and Outlook this November, aimed at improving both security and functionality. From location-based presence signals to stronger meeting passcodes and enhanced Outlook calendar integration, these updates will streamline workflows and reinforce your organization’s security. In this blog post, we’ll highlight the five key updates and explain how they will impact your organization.

1. Adding Location to Presence Signals

Microsoft Teams is adding a new feature that allows users to include their location in their presence signal. This update enables organizations to quickly identify whether team members are working from a specific office location or remotely.

Image source: Microsoft Learn

Having location-based presence signals can help ensure that critical operations are handled by personnel in secure environments, adding an extra layer of protection for sensitive tasks.

Rollout timeline: Early to mid-November 2024.

2. Volume Control for Language Interpretation

For organizations with multilingual teams, Microsoft Teams is introducing a feature that allows meeting participants to adjust the volume ratio between the original audio and interpretation. This ensures clear communication during meetings with language interpretation enabled.

Image source: Microsoft Learn

Improved communication in international teams helps ensure that important information is accurately conveyed, reducing the risk of misunderstandings that could compromise security.

Rollout timeline: Mid-November 2024.

3. Blocked Users Feature for Enhanced Security

A critical security update in Teams is the ability for admins to block specific users from interacting with their organization. If a user is added to the block list, they will be removed from any existing chats, and future one-on-one or group chats with them will be prevented.

This feature offers an extra layer of protection, allowing admins to prevent potentially malicious actors from gaining access to the organization’s communication channels.

Rollout timeline: Early to mid-November 2024.

4. Stronger Meeting Security with Longer Passcodes

To enhance the security of virtual meetings, Microsoft is increasing the minimum length of meeting passcodes from 6 to 8 characters. This change applies to users who join meetings using a Meeting ID and passcode.

Stronger passcodes make it harder for unauthorized users to gain access to meetings, protecting sensitive information discussed in virtual settings.

Rollout timeline: Early to mid-November 2024.

5. Improved Outlook Calendar Integration

A new feature in Microsoft Outlook allows users to drag and drop emails directly into the calendar to create events. This update simplifies scheduling and ensures important conversations can quickly be turned into action items.

Image source: Microsoft Learn

Rollout timeline: Late October to late November 2024.

Conclusion

These November updates from Microsoft bring important improvements in security and functionality. The rollout of features like stronger meeting passcodes, location-based presence signals, and enhanced Outlook integration will help your organization stay secure while improving daily operations and communication.

To ensure you are fully prepared for these updates, contact GCS and our team will help you implement these changes and keep your systems running securely and efficiently.