With over 731,000 business users in the U.S. alone, Microsoft 365 is one of the most-used cloud productivity platforms in the world. The suite that began with the four main Office applications at the center, soon branched out to include multiple cloud tools, enabling companies to get more done from anywhere.
Each year Microsoft continues pushing the boundaries of technology and at this year’s Microsoft Ignite conference, the company did not disappoint. It announced. Multiple advancements coming to the Microsoft 365 universe, some of them quite futuristic.
2022 will bring new applications to M365 users plus Teams is expanding in a whole new 3D direction. We’ve got a full rundown of some of the exciting new features you can expect to see that you can leverage to expand capabilities at your business.
Microsoft Loop – New Canvas App
Another new application is coming to Microsoft 365 soon called Microsoft Loop. This is a canvas app that allows you to create and share ideas, pages, and workspaces that integrate portable components, which stay in sync across applications.
It’s meant to be a new way to work together and allow elements like files, links, or data imported from other apps to be used in a workspace and shared. Data brought in from an app will always stay in sync with the source.
This can improve efficiency when working on collaborative projects and give everyone a new way to brainstorm and then bring that brainstorm into reality.
Recording Studio in PowerPoint
Recording Studio is being added to PowerPoint and it will allow users to easily create a polished slide deck and personalize it for audiences by adding a recording to tell the story of the presentation.
You can record, retake, and share your presentation easily. Recording Studio is also integrated with Cameo and Designer in PowerPoint to further enhance the visual appearance of the slides.
Mesh for Microsoft Teams (3D Meetings)
Imagine being able to have your video calls in an actual 3D space, where you could interact with team members or onboard customers in a more dynamic way. That’s what Mesh for Microsoft Teams is all about.
It uses the power of VR to bring people into a virtual reality world where they can interact in a more immersive format that’s closer to an in-person experience.
This technology will begin rolling out in a preview during the first half of 2022. Microsoft also notes that Mesh isn’t just for full 3D spaces. It will also be used to help give a feeling of someone’s presence on a video call even if they don’t want to turn on their camera.
People can create virtual representations of themselves that go beyond just their 2D image.
New Chat Features in Teams
Teams also has other enhancements coming that are a little less futuristic and a little more everyday use. This includes several chat enhancements to give users more options in Teams.
Chat features coming soon include:
- Chat with self: Send yourself messages in Teams, such as notes or reminders
- Chat density: Feeling distracted with too many messages? You can customize the number of chat messages on the screen to either see fewer or more.
- More emoji reactions: Over 800 3D emojis are being added to Teams
- Delayed message delivery: Select a specific time for a message to be delivered in Teams.
Context IQ
Context IQ is an AI feature that is integrated across multiple applications in Microsoft 365. It will suggest information to the user based upon the context of their tasks.
Editor is the first place that you’ll see Context IQ in action. It will help with attaching, inserting, or sharing a file by looking for relevant documents that the user might want based upon what they’ve just worked on.
When you tag colleagues with @ in a file, Editor with Context IQ will recommend people based upon others you’re working with on a document or those that you’ve previously tagged.
Manage Forms More Easily with Collections
Forms Collections is being added to Microsoft Forms and it enables you to organize your forms by topic. For example, you may have specific forms that you send to customers and other forms you use with vendors.
Collections will allow you to group these separately to make them easier to work with. You can create as many collections as you like, and you’ll be able to access them all online from any device. You will also be able to copy or share collections.
Make the Most of Microsoft 365 With Expert Help From Rocky Knoll!
Microsoft 365 has multiple business empowering capabilities, but many companies are only using a fraction of these. Rocky Knoll Technologies can help your Charlotte area business learn how to make the most of the platform to power your business.
Schedule a consultation by calling 704.594.7292 or reach us online.
