Microsoft Ignite Fall 2021 – What we learned

October 2021 saw the latest Microsoft Ignite Conference with a focus on collaboration and the product which is clearly at the forefront of the organisations’ plans. ‘Microsoft Teams’ there were also plenty of exciting updates for us too with developments on the Microsoft Azure platform including expanded security features, the ability to build applications in any environment and improved tools for migration and analytics.

But, for this blog, we thought we’d include some of the updates and innovations to the platforms and tools you use every day

Microsoft Office 

The office platform and app for windows are being updated to help users find content more easily, across multiple file types whether they are stored in the cloud or shared through Teams or Outlook. The Recommended Files section is also getting an upgrade with new inline action buttons and the My Content pane is also gaining new search and filter capabilities.  More and more we’re accessing files more multiple devices, so a smoother search functionality for finding documents in a hurry will be a welcome update for many.

 Microsoft PowerPoint 

Upgrades to Microsoft’s steadfast presentation package include a recording studio feature designed to help users record and share presentations more easily. The studio will also integrate with Cameo and Designer in PowerPoint to improve the quality of slides, creating a more immersive and engaging experience.

Microsoft Excel. 

A boost for developers this one, a new JavaScript API will allow creation of custom data types including images, entities and formatted number values, backed by custom data sources.

Microsoft Viva

One for the HR & People professionals out there, Microsoft’s employee experience tool is now available to all users with core modules including Viva Topics, Viva Insights, Viva Connections and Viva Learning with the vision of helping organisations foster a culture of human connection, purpose, growth, wellbeing and results.

and last but not least, Microsoft Teams

Microsoft announced a bevvy of improvements and innovations for Teams including Microsoft Loop an application for information sharing across the 365 suite which includes Teams and Dynamics 365. Improvements within the app focus on security and mixed reality capabilities and ways to host more compelling virtual events on the platform.

Want to catch up with Microsoft Ignite? You can right here