GreyHatBeard

Does community matter? Hell yeah! This week, Femke Cornelissen joins us to chat about the importance of community to her journey to becoming a Technology Evangelist at Wortell in the Netherlands. We chat about her jump from marketing to SharePoint Consultant and how chatting at Ignite helped her realise the power of community.Want to get more involved in the community? Check out these great events already booked in for this year that we are involved in.8 March - Microsoft Ability Summit 2023 - Home (eventcore.com) 13 April - Community day event Netherlands - link coming soon22-24 May - Collab Summit - European Collaboration Summit (collabsummit.eu) 2-4 May – M365 Conference - https://m365conf.com/   13 June - Community Days | Viva Explorers Belgium 15 June - aMS Berlin - 15.06.2023: Call for Speakers @ Sessionize.com Experts Live 25 May  - Experts Live - Netherlands18-20 September Experts Live - Prague20-22 June - EPPC - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com) 21-22 June - Commsverse - The Microsoft Teams Conference 2023 5 Aug - Scottish Summit - Microsoft Cloud community Event 18-20 September -  Location | Experts Live EU 27th September 2023 - CollabDays Bletchley Park 2023 | Collabdays 13-14 Oct - South Coast Summit - South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology Conference 15-16 November - Microsoft Ignite - Home - Microsoft Ignite Information Home Page 27-30 Nov - ESPC- European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com) Photo by William White on Unsplash

Garry and Kevin are joined this week to talk Viva Connections with Anoop Tatti (https://aka.ms/anoopt), covering what Viva Connections is, why you would use it and how you can build it out with the usual distractions along the way!Viva HomeAnnouncement - https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-viva-blog/more-options-coming-soon-for-the-viva-connections-desktop/ba-p/3644419How to set up Viva Home - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/edit-viva-homeGreat video by Darrell As A Service on how to set up Viva Home or not - Your new Viva Connections landing page? - YouTubePnP Samples:https://github.com/pnp/AdaptiveCards-Templateshttps://github.com/pnp/sp-dev-fx-aces

This week, Kevin, Al and Garry (sadly Luise couldn't make it last minute) look back at 2022 to pick our favourite tech news of the year and our own personal highlights. Kevin even decided last minute about what everyone's focus was for 2023 so there are some late panics in the show that are worth sticking around for!Microsoft Viva Goals brings purpose and alignment to the employee experienceSet Team and Company Goals | Microsoft VivaWhat New Terms Like 'Goblin Mode' Reveal about Work in 2023 (microsoft.com)Teams Toolkit Overview - Teams | Microsoft LearnBuild Microsoft 365 apps that help keep employees in the flow of workIntroducing Microsoft Syntex - Content AI in the flow of work - Microsoft Community HubMicrosoft Syntex, Content AI | Microsoft 365Shared channels in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft LearnEntra, Purview, Priva, & Viva: Microsoft's New Move to Naming Products (synergy-technical.com)Microsoft Viva Sales | Microsoft VivaIntroducing Mesh avatars for Microsoft Teams in Private Preview - Microsoft Community HubMicrosoft will start charging for some Microsoft Graph Teams API calls starting July 5th 2022 | The thoughtstuff BlogIntroducing the Microsoft Graph Developer Proxy community preview - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogMicrosoft Teams Premium licensing - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft LearnChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue (openai.com)

No news this week as we had a slightly shorter recording so we have included some links below. However, instead we have a cracker of a show with Will Rowe from MS-Talent, talking about the current job market in Microsoft IT related roles, the impact of hybrid, why people are moving and even blue back hair (yes really).Careering out of control - Will's own podcast with even more adviceTech layoffs - https://www.geekwire.com/2022/report-amazon-to-cut-10000-corporate-and-tech-jobs-making-largest-layoffs-in-its-history/Leading women in tech urge schoolgirls to take on the UK's... - NCSC.GOV.UKCulture of learning at Crayon https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-learn-blog/crayon-strengthening-a-global-company-during-the-pandemic-with-a/ba-p/3262746Building OKRs into your businesshttps://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-viva-blog/how-to-build-okrs-into-your-business/ba-p/3670976Customizing F5 debugging in Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio Code - Microsoft 365 Developer Blog Replace ngrok with your own local tunnelling service Breaking changes for the Microsoft Graph Insights API   - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogEvents:Still time to sign up for ESPC 22 - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com)Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

A very brave Emily Mancini tackles the subject of Yammer and when it excels for organisations over Teams. The chat with Luise, Al and Kevin takes in the different use cases around Yammer and Teams, how you can help adoption, why you should consider both and a lot lot more. There were certainly opinions this week!

This week, Kevin, Al and Luise were joined by Emily Mancini to talk about the latest news with Power Platform updates, great eBooks about Viva via Mark Rackley, new devices (with live demos!) and the end of an era in Microsoft related journalism as Mary Jo Foley leaves ZDNet after 16 years. This led to a slightly diverted chat about what we were up to 16 years ago - can you guess? Power Platform Oct 2022 Updates - https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/whats-new-power-apps-october-2022-feature-update/Viva eBook - https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE56FRUViva Admin features https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-viva-blog/announcing-new-microsoft-viva-it-admin-features/ba-p/3650475 The Presenter + and Microsoft Audio DockSara Fennah's Presenter+ review https://teamsqueen.com/2022/10/25/first-look-at-microsoft-presenter/ End of an era for Mary Jo Foley https://www.zdnet.com/article/mary-jo-foley-looks-back-on-a-momentous-16-years-of-covering-microsoft-for-zdnet EventsGarry keynoting FinJS London - https://buff.ly/3gs7IE7 Viva Explorers Day https://communitydays.org/event/2022-11-12/viva-explorers-community-day-uk M365 Chicago Microsoft 365 Chicago Virtual Event (m365chicago.com) ESPC - https://www.sharepointeurope.com/conference/schedule/ 

The SharePoint Wizard Ami Diamond is on the show to talk about community and why it matters to him, especially with his YouTube channel and host of WhatsApp groups he maintains.The SharePoint Wizard ChannelCommunity days - https://communitydays.org/

Garry and Kevin are joined by Ami Diamond (aka the SharePoint Wizard) to talk about the big news from Microsoft Ignite, including Microsoft Syntex, Teams Premium, Designer, Loop and big exciting news about Planner (no really).Microsoft Ignite 2022 Book of NewsWeekly view in SharePoint calendar - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=SharePoint&searchterms=100504 Microsoft Syntex—Content AI integrated in the flow of work | Microsoft 365 BlogMicrosoft Syntex - How big a deal is this? | Deep Analysis (deep-analysis.net)Susan's Hanleys Roadmap Slides Microsoft 365 at Ignite—Re-energize your workforce in the office, at home, and everywhere in between | Microsoft 365 Blog https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2022/10/11/microsoft-and-meta-partner-to-deliver-immersive-experiences-for-the-future-of-work-and-play/Enhance collaboration with Microsoft Teams chat and channels features for the hybrid workplace - Microsoft Community HubMicrosoft Designer - Stunning designs in a flashLoop - https://loop.microsoft.comPresenter+https://twitter.com/sfennah/status/1582082424187813889?s=20&t=Zll43rUYu6OuoenuY23cvQAnnouncing updates to the Planner API in Microsoft Graph - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogProject and Planner value from innovation

Kevin, Al and Garry were guest-less so covered the large amount of news and had a chat about Viva, Teams and Power PlatformHybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong? (microsoft.com)Microsoft Viva EbookWhat's New in Microsoft Teams | August and September 2022 - Microsoft Tech Community Microsoft Teams apps coming in preview to Office and Outlook apps on Android https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/microsoft-teams-apps-coming-in-preview-to-office-and-outlook-apps-on-android/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/start-your-journey-to-becoming-a-microsoft-365-developerMicrosoft Power Up Program for career switchersMicrosoft Power Platform Conference shares new opportunities - Microsoft Power Platform Blog Collab Days Bletchley Park - 5 Oct - Kevin and GarryCollabDays Bletchley Park | CollabdaysTechorama Netherlands October 11 - 12Home | TechoramaCollab Days Belgium - Oct 15thCollabDays Belgium 2022 | CollabdaysIgnite - 12-14 OctRegister - https://ignite.microsoft.com/homeSouth Coast Summit - 14-15 OctRegister - South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceSecurity & Compliance Workshop - Security and Compliance with Microsoft 365 - 1 Day Workshop Tickets, Fri 14 Oct 2022 at 09:00 | EventbriteCodemotion - 18/19 OctHome | CodemotionViva Explorers - 12 NovViva Explorers Community Day (Manchester, UK), Sat, Nov 12, 2022, 9:00 AM | MeetupEuropean SharePoint Office 365 and Azure Conference 28 Nov - 1 DecEuropean SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com

Newly minted MVP Leon Armston joins us to chat about all things SharePoint Syntex, covering what it is, what you need to use it and some real life scenarios that Leon has used.Leon's Blog SharePoint Syntex | Microsoft 365Automate document generation with SharePoint Syntex and Power Automate (preview) - SharePoint Syntex | Microsoft Docs Licensing for SharePoint Syntex - SharePoint Syntex | Microsoft DocsSharePoint Syntex Adoption – Microsoft AdoptionAI Builder Calculator | Microsoft Power AppsRegex generator – GPT Crush – Demos of OpenAI's GPT-3https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-gb/ai-builder-calculator/(6) LinkedIn - James EcclesGet started with SharePoint Syntex - Learn | Microsoft DocsSharePoint look book (microsoft.com)PnP Syntex SamplesSyntex RoadmapPhoto by Alex Knight on Unsplash

This week we are joined by Leon Armston, newly minted Microsoft 365 Apps and Services MVP, who shares his thoughts on the latest news.Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro and Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic, everything you need to know. - Tom TalksDriving adoption of Microsoft Viva at Microsoft - Microsoft Tech CommunityIntroducing Adoption Score – helping customers get the most out of Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Tech CommunityPublic preview of SharePoint Framework 1.16 – First release of upcoming features - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogIntroducing Microsoft Teams App Camp - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogWhat's new: Power Apps August 2022 Feature Update | Microsoft Power Apps EventsMetaverse One - 7th SepRegister - Metaverse One – A Community Metaverse Event (metaverse-one.space)Collab Days Netherlands - Sep 10th 2022CollabDays Netherlands 2022 Power Platform Conference Sep 20-22https://powerplatformconf.com/Teams 10X - Sep 28th/29thhttps://teams10x.com/Collab Days Bletchley Park - Kevin and GarryCollabDays Bletchley Park | CollabdaysTechorama Netherlands October 11 - 12Home | Techorama Ignite - 12-14 OctRegister - https://ignite.microsoft.com/homeCollab Days Belgium - Oct 15thCollabDays Belgium 2022 | CollabdaysSouth Coast Summit 14/15th OctoberRegister - South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceSecurity & Compliance Workshop - Security and Compliance with Microsoft 365 - 1 Day Workshop Tickets, Fri 14 Oct 2022 at 09:00 | EventbriteViva Workshop - Employee Experience with Microsoft Viva - 1 Day Workshop Tickets, Fri 14 Oct 2022 at 09:00 | EventbriteCodemotion - 18/19 OctHome | CodemotionEuropean SharePoint Office 365 and Azure Conference 28 Nov - 1 DecEuropean SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com) Viva Workshop - Microsoft Viva and Syntex Workshop - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022 (sharepointeurope.com) 

Part 2 of our recording with Gavin Jones as we dig into productivityModern Workplace Accelerator | MeeTime ServicesGavin

This week, Gavin Jones joins Al and Garry to cover the latest news and views from across the Microsoft 365 space.

Last week was Microsoft Inspire, the main conference for Microsoft Partners, and so we are covering the announcements that were made. The exciting news is that there were new products, new APIs, new release dates and no new renames!Viva Engagehttps://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-viva-blog/announcing-microsoft-viva-engage/ba-p/3571382 Viva Learning APIUse the employee learning API to integrate with Viva Learning - Microsoft Graph beta | Microsoft Docs Teams and M365 updatesFrom enabling hybrid work to creating collaborative experiences—here's what's new in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft 365 BlogExcel Live - https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/announcing-excel-live-transform-microsoft-teams-meetings-with/ba-p/3573371Collaborative AnnotationsVideo ClipViva Goals is now GAMicrosoft simplifies Endpoint Manager enrollment for Apple updates - Microsoft Tech Community Microsoft Teams Connect Shared channels go GA -https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/microsoft-teams-connect-shared-channels-is-moving-into-generally/ba-p/3568000Introducing the Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform: A comprehensive, flexible customer care solution - Microsoft Dynamics 365 BlogOther news Garry's Bot video - Create Notification Bot for Microsoft Teams using Teams Toolkit (Tutorial) - YouTubeAC and JT present CloudDev Clarity - CloudDev Clarity | Episode 1 - Introducing the show!EventsCollab Days Netherlands - Sep 10th 2022 CollabDays Netherlands 2022 |Power Platform Conference Sep 20-22 https://powerplatformconf.com/Teams 10X - Sep 28th/29th https://teams10x.com/Techorama Netherlands October 11 - 12 Home | TechoramaCollab Days Belgium - Oct 15th CollabDays Belgium 2022 | CollabdaysSouth Coast Summit 14/15th October South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceCodemotion - 18/19 Oct (Milan) Home | CodemotionEuropean SharePoint Office 365 and Azure Conference 28 Nov - 1 Dec European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com

How old are you? Do you remember when the future of collaboration was SharePoint? Maybe you remember when it was web 2.0? Maybe you even remember back to when the internet or email was the future! This week, Hans Brender joins us to talk about the future of collaboration and we go a bit loopy talking about how Microsoft Loop will change the way we work, hopefully without us even realising it.Microsoft LoopMicrosoft Loop User GroupHans Brender - Aalen, Deutschland, HBsoft | about.mePhoto by Werner Du plessis on Unsplash

Hans Brender joins us to talk about the latest news just ahead of Microsoft Inspire. We cover:Viva Sales and how it changes the outlook for Viva (pun slightly intended)How to make beautiful Power Apps, inspired by the awesome Kristine KolodziejskiWhy you should upgrade your SharePoint Framework solutions with CLI for Microsoft 365Thinking about questions to ask at the upcoming Microsoft Search AMA Microsoft's Viva Sales: A new companion app that works with many CRM systems (not only Microsoft's) | ZDNetViva Sales and what it means for the future of Viva (mcd79.com)CLI for Microsoft 365 v5.4 (pnp.github.io)  https://www.kristinekolodziejski.com/Dribbble - Discover the World's Top Designers & Creative Professionalspowerapps-samples/samples/fluentui-for-teams-theme at main · pnp/powerapps-samples · GitHubHow to enhance maker experience with a custom theme for Teams apps (m365princess.com)Microsoft Search, Ask Us Anything - Microsoft Tech Community  Upcoming eventsMicrosoft Inspire July 19/20 https://inspire.microsoft.com/AMS Kinshasha August 20th Hear Hans speak on OneDrive Tips and TricksRegister using Microsoft FormsCollab Days Netherlands - Sep 10th 2022 CollabDays Netherlands 2022 |Power Platform Conference Sep 20-22 https://powerplatformconf.com/Techorama Netherlands October 11 - 12 Home | TechoramaCollab Days Belgium - Oct 15th CollabDays Belgium 2022 | CollabdaysSouth Coast Summit 14/15th October South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceEuropean SharePoint Office 365 and Azure Conference 28 Nov - 1 Dec European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference (sharepointeurope.com)

We are joined by Aaron Rendell, Head of Technology for CPS, to talk about Power Platform Centre of Excellence and how the CoE Starter Kit is what is says - a starter. We chat about the different processes and plans you that you should have in place to make your Power Platform usage the best it can be and to truly enable your citizen developers the right way.Microsoft Power Platform | Power Platform COE Establishing a Power Platform Centre of ExcellenceMicrosoft Power Platform Center of Excellence Kit - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsNew: turn images and designs into apps using AI-powered express design | Microsoft Power AppsPower Platform adoption maturity model - Microsoft Power Platform - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsEvents:Microsoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology Conference(Call for speakers for South Coast Summit is open until end of July - if you want any advice, message GreyHatBeardPrincess and we'll happily help)Photo by Alex Blăjan on Unsplash

Another episode, another something a little different. Following on from our show at the South Coast Summit last year, we decided to keep a similar format but with much better sound this time. We are joined by a host of great community members to talk about what their fantasy dinner party would be with three rules - there has to be one person from the community, one from Microsoft and one other (living or dead). Naturally, the rules were thrown out the window half the time but we had some great responses.Big big thanks to all those who came along to record with us:Luke EvansCarmen YsewijnLaura Graham-BrownAlexio ChandiwanaYannick ReekmansAlison MulliganChike EduptaAshley Graham-BrownZoe WilsonSara Fennah

A slightly different show as we recorded our Happy Hour Etiquette session at the Scottish Summit. Al, Kevin and Luise were joined by Marijn Somers and Sara Fennah to share thoughts and tips on etiquette in Microsoft 365.The sound wasn't the best so we hope that it came across ok for you all. Let us know if you'd like more live recordings like this.

We are joined by Tomasz Poszytek to talk about all things processes in Teams. You may think that it is just about approvals but there is so much more that you can do to make your business processes more automated. We also talk about how you can plan your automations too.Useful links:Adaptive CardsOverview of Universal Actions for Adaptive Cards - Teams | Microsoft DocsPower Automate - Process advisor - Power Platform Release Plan | Microsoft DocsWhat is a Center of Excellence - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsTomasz Poszytek - YouTubePhoto by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash

Do you know what Infrastructure as Code is? If you do, have you thought about it with Microsoft 365? We are joined by Luke Evans to talk about what Infrastructure as Code is, why it's important and how you can do it in the world if Microsoft 365.Some useful links (that slightly give away what we will talk about!):M365 DSCClaus Jespersen - clajes/ConditionalAccess: Repository holding various Notes from the Field with many Conditional Access Tips and Tricks (github.com) Simian - Platform (gosimian.com)PnP Provisioning EngineTrace | Office 365 Documentation Tool | SysKitPhoto by Edge2Edge Media on Unsplash

This week we are joined by independent Microsoft 365 consultant Luke Evans (Twitter, LinkedIn) to talk about the latest news including a nicely timed announcement of Viva Goals (Microsoft's release of Ally.IO), how to organise your Teams with no owners, some amazing new accessibility tools announced at the accessibility summit and the latest SharePoint updates.Microsoft Viva Goals brings purpose and alignment to the employee experience - Microsoft 365 BlogMicrosoft Launches Group Ownership Governance Policy (practical365.com)Microsoft Security Experts - Managed Services | Microsoft SecurityMicrosoft Ability Summit 2022Microsoft Adaptive Mouse, Hub & Buttons - Accessories Designed for Accessibility - Microsoft StoreSharePoint pit stopFormCustomizer extension in latest SPFx v1.15 preview versionEventsMicrosoft Build - https://mybuild.microsoft.com/en-US/home Microsoft Build - 24th-26th MayAttend in person for UKGarry speaking Build Microsoft 365 apps that help keep employees in the flow of workLuise speakingCreate interactive meeting apps for Microsoft TeamsWeb-APIs mit Power Apps ansteuern10/11 June Microsoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 202229/30 June Microsoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)14/15th October South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology Conference 

We went a little different with this show as Kevin and Peter Rising were on an offsite together and so recorded a chat during lunch on their thoughts on what was top of mind. Hybrid meetings, measuring well-being with Viva and exciting news on a new Microsoft 365 book were all covered.

What will the future of work be? Rather than just guessing, Zoe Wilson talks to us about the the future of work, especially within the UK Public Sector. We chat about what it means to offices, how people do work and what the feelings of people are to modern work.The 2022 Work Trend Index Report - Making hybrid work work (microsoft.com)Worklab - WorkLab: Vital facts about the future of work. (microsoft.com)Photo by Surface on Unsplash

This week we are joined by Zoe Wilson, Director of Innovation and Customer Success at Agilisys, to talk about the latest news including some new updates to Teams with better search, the power of a Power Platform API (with documentation!), securing the metaverse and some great ideas from top authors around protecting your time.  Nominate your favourite podcast at Tech Community Awards (commsverse.com)What's New in Microsoft Teams | March 2022 - Microsoft Tech CommunityIntroducing Microsoft Power Platform API (preview) | Microsoft Power AppsService Account updates - Frequently asked questions about Power Automate licensing - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsThe metaverse is coming. Here are the cornerstones for securing it. - The Official Microsoft BlogThe New World of Time Management in an Age of Hybrid Work Luise's post on avoiding  overcommitting - https://www.m365princess.com/how-to-avoid-overcommitting/ EventsMicrosoft Build - https://mybuild.microsoft.com/en-US/homeEnd of Teams Nation - Teams Nation – 100% free, 100% community driven conference dedicated to Microsoft Teams5-7 April Microsoft 365 Conference (m365conf.com)6-8 April European Power Platform Conference - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022 (sharepointeurope.com)4-6 May Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon (m365virtualmarathon.com)10/11 June Microsoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 202229/30 June Microsoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)Learn more about the Women in Teams community - (563) The Women in Microsoft Teams Community "Join Us" - YouTubeSign up for the Women in Teams - https://aka.ms/WomenInTeams

This week we are joined by the fascinating Wictor Wilen who talks about the journey that he has taken with the open source project Yo Teams. We talked about why he created the project, how it has grown, how the community has helped make it what it is and what's next for Yo Teams (plus Kevin asks the stupid question about how many Teams Apps he has created but just pretend that didn't happen). Whether you are a dev or not, it's a fascinating chat about the journey from something just for you him to a tool used by thousands of developers worldwide.Wictor Wilén (@wictor) / Twitterhttps://github.com/pnp/generator-teams

This could be the most important podcast that you listen to all year! If you have flows in Power Automate running with Service Accounts then listen to this show as soon as you can. We are joined by Wictor Wilen to talk about a few of the big news stories in the last couple of weeks including the importance of understanding your licensing in Power Automate with service accounts. We also had calmer chats on the latest Teams functionality, how cool it is that you can customise the SharePoint menu now and that you can now try Microsoft Search in Windows.Big thank you to Nate Chamberlain for recommending us!  https://twitter.com/chambernate/status/1502285726125285378?s=20&t=aP1MYb8aVU3XzxjHGoCQRw The Flow chatChange the owner of cloud flow - Power Automate | Microsoft DocsIs Power Automate dead when it comes to running any background processes? by Jukka NiiranenGreat Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work (microsoft.com) - Work Trend Index 20225 years of Microsoft Teams - 3 ways to meet new hybrid expectations with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 - Microsoft 365 Blog  Command bar customisation in SharePoint Command bar customization syntax reference | Microsoft DocsMicrosoft Search finally coming to Windows 10! Releasing Windows 10 Build 19044.1618 to Release Preview Channel | Windows Insider Blog Events 23 MarchTeams Nation – 100% free, 100% community driven conference dedicated to Microsoft Teams5-7 AprilMicrosoft 365 Conference6-8 AprilEuropean Power Platform Conference - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022 (sharepointeurope.com)4-6 MayMicrosoft 365 Virtual Marathon (m365virtualmarathon.com)10/11 JuneMicrosoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 202229/30 JuneMicrosoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)

If you turn on Power Platform, everyone just uses it, right? Michael Roth joins us to point out why this isn't true and what you should be considering to do about it. How do you get people engaged? How do you ensure that appropriate governance is in place? How do you get the balance between the two? We chatted about all that and more.Pre-Requisite Questions for Power PlatformMicrosoft Power Platform Center of Excellence Kit - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsPhoto by Megan Ellis on Unsplash

This week, we are joined my Michael Roth who helps us cover the new privacy tool from Microsoft, switching tenants and accounts in Microsoft 365 from within the web apps, a bundle of SharePoint updates and even more Teams updates. There was some "it's not a feature, it's a bug" as well as a sneaky "it depends" that got in there too and certainly some hot takes on what Microsoft is delivering. Find and visualize personal data in Microsoft Priva - Microsoft Priva | Microsoft DocsMicrosoft Priva is Now Generally Available for Enterprise CustomersFind and visualize personal data in Microsoft Priva - Microsoft Priva | Microsoft DocsTenant switching for some Microsoft 365 Web AppsSharePoint Roadmap Pitstop: February 2022What's New in Microsoft Teams | February 2022Jonnychipz Schooled In - Microsoft Viva with Kevin McDonnellEvents23 MarchTeams Nation – 100% free, 100% community driven conference dedicated to Microsoft Teams5-7 AprilMicrosoft 365 Conference6-8 AprilEuropean Power Platform Conference - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022 (sharepointeurope.com)4-6 MayMicrosoft 365 Virtual Marathon (m365virtualmarathon.com)10/11 JuneMicrosoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 202229/30 JuneMicrosoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)

Exams - the bane of adolescent life but also something that stick around if you're in the Microsoft world. Are they worth it? Do they have to be that painful? This week we are joined by the queen of certifications, Sara Fennah, to talk about all things Microsoft Certification and how you can make the most of themSara Fennah's Blog – Hints, Tips and Random Thoughts from an MCT (m365train.co.uk)The Teams Queen Blog – A Site Dedicated to Microsoft TeamsMicrosoft Certifications | Microsoft Docs

This week we are joined by the greatest trainer of them all, Sara Fennah, who helps us cover the biggest news of the week. The four of us joined to talk about Microsoft's new sustainability dashboard in Power BI, the North Star Architecture guidance for industries around Power Platform, the joy/hope that Shared Channels in Microsoft Teams should bring and the awesome resources on the Microsoft Adoption site for Microsoft Viva.Measure your cloud carbon footprint with the Emissions Impact Dashboard for Microsoft 365 (Preview)Microsoft Cloud for SustainabilityNorth Star Architecture for Power Platform · GitHubNorth Star Architecture for Power Platform – Power CAT Live - YouTubeShared Channels in public preview Microsoft Viva – Microsoft Adoption Events23 FebFeb 2022 - M365 Security & Compliance User Group | MeetupBletchley Park 2022 | Collabdays23 MarchTeams Nation – 100% free, 100% community driven conference dedicated to Microsoft Teams 6-8 AprilEuropean Power Platform Conference - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022 (sharepointeurope.com)10/11 JuneMicrosoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 202229/30 JuneMicrosoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)

We have some exciting news as we have a new co-host! The amazing princess of Microsoft 365 - Luise Freese! Luise will join as a regular host on the shows, adding her experience and sparkle to the conversation. To kick off this week, we talked about four of the biggest news stories with the possible demise of HoloLens, celebrating a year of Microsoft Viva, easier Application Lifecycle Management for the Power Platform and a new poster for your wall full of Microsoft certifications.Has Hololens 3 been cancelled?https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-reportedly-ends-work-on-hololens-3https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/4/22918025/microsoft-hololens-3-canceled-reports-comment-rumorsCelebrating a year of VivaMicrosoft Viva celebrates 1 year: Transforming the employee experiencehttps://www.microsoft.com/worklabApplication Lifecycle Management with Power PlatformIntroducing the ALM Accelerator for Power PlatformPnP | Sharing Is CaringMicrosoft Power Platform Center of Excellence Kit - Power Platform | Microsoft DocsMicrosoft Certifications Posterhttps://aka.ms/certposter Other news and eventshttps://www.leonarmston.com/2022/02/testing-out-sharepoint-syntex-content-assembly-aka-modern-mailmerge/CLI for Microsoft 365 v4.4GitHub Shots Bootcamp Live on Microsoft Dev Radio, February 2022https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-devops/github-shots-bootcamp-live-on-microsoft-dev-radio-february-2022/m-p/3041259Collabdays UK Bletchley Park - Wednesday, 23 February 2022https://www.collabdays.org/2022-bletchleypark/M365 Security & Compliance User Group - Wed, 23 Feb 2022Feb 2022 - M365 Security & Compliance User Group | MeetupEuropean Power Platform Conference 6-8 April BerlinEuropean Power Platform Conference - European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference, 2022Teams Nation - 23 March 2022Teams Nation – 100% free, 100% community driven conference dedicated to Microsoft TeamsScottish summit - 10/11 June 2022Microsoft Cloud Community Event - Scottish Summit 2022

Very excited to share this episode with you as we have our first podcast crossover! Kevin and Garry are joined by Andrew Moran, Jon Jarvis and Sophie Dimelow from the Microsoft Spotlight podcast to talk about Women In Tech. The chat covered a very broad range of areas including why we were talking about it, unconscious bias and what we as a collective can do to help.Do check out the Microsoft Spotlight podcast too at Microsoft Spotlight Podcast.

We're back! Kevin, Al and Garry return from their break over Christmas and New Year and pick a story each to cover before sharing the latest events.If you would like to appear on the show, we now have a Sessionize link and would love to hear from you over at https://sessionize.com/greyhatbeard/.Syntex content assembly and the content lifecycle - Microsoft Tech CommunityJanuary 2022 – Syntex Licensing Updates and New Year Reflections - Microsoft Tech CommunityGet Started - Microsoft365DSC - Your Cloud ConfigurationThe Surprising Impact of Meeting-Free Days (mit.edu)Notes from a Big Cloud (peterrising.co.uk) Events and other fun26 Jan – M365 S&C UGRegistration - Jan 2022 | MeetupCFS - https://sessionize.com/M365SandCUG/ 17 March – London Power Platform User Group23 Feb – Collab Days Bletchley23 March – Teams NationRegistration - https://www.teamsnation.online/CFS - https://sessionize.com/teamsnation2022/June 29/30 - CommsverseRegistration & CFS - https://www.commsverse.com/ 

Happy Christmas one and all and happy holidays for anyone celebrating even more! This episode, Kevin, Al and Garry are joined by some pillars of the Microsoft 365 community who share their Christmas wishes. Big thank you to Carmen Ysewijn, Karoliina Kettukari, Kat Grennan, Luke Evans, Marijn Somers, Mark Vale, Michael Roth, Paul Bullock, Pete Rising, Randy Chapman, Simon Doy, Steve Goodman, Tom Morgan, Yannick Reekmans and a random cat!Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Ho ho ho, merry Christmas to all those who celebrate and apologies to the relentless bombardment of forced joviality to all those who don't. This week, Kevin, Al and Garry look back at the biggest topics of 2021 to see how big those new stories now feel. Strange to think that this time last year, none of us knew about Viva. Amazing to see the growth of Cyber Security and the sad fact of virtual conference fatigue. Could we really have hoped that our dream of the death of IE11 would finally come true. Join us to find out.Below are links to news articles that we covered in previous shows on the big topics of the year:Microsoft VivaThe Massive Market Impact of Microsoft Viva - by Josh BersinHow employers can prepare for the ‘great resignation'The ‘great resignation' is a trend that began before the pandemic – and bosses need to get used to it (australiantimes.co.uk)Microsoft Teams Tech Conference (commsverse.com)South Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceTeams hits 250 million monthly active usersGitHub Copilot · Your AI pair programmerGitHub CodespacesMicrosoft talks about buying DiscordThen Sony invests insteadEnd of IE11Our favourite shows - go back and give them a listen:Al - Live from South Coast Summit Garry - Some thoughts on Design ThinkingKevin - Livin la Viva Loca

After a few messages where Garry asked Al about a book he had used before, we decided that the subject of the book was a good start for a show to talk about. So, here we are with Garry, Kevin and Al talking about Design Thinking and why putting people first is key to getting great solutions, whether they are fully developed apps or building out a SharePoint site.Some of the books and links we used are below:“Design thinking” explained - RaconteurDesign thinking, explained | MIT SloanThe Design Thinking Playbook  - the book that started the whole conversation!Sprint - how to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five daysGamestorming - a playbook for innovators, rulebreakers and changemakersLUMA Workplace - Solve problems faster and better with unique innovation tools & resourcesAnd one that we forgot to mention but is a great event down in the South West of Englandhttps://agileonthebeach.com/Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

With Thanksgiving in the US last week, there weren't too many updates coming out from Microsoft so we dig a little deeper to bring you some interesting updates. Find out what Flowspace is and whether Microsoft is moving into the office furniture space. Learn whether Microsoft will be fighting more anti-trust suits. See whether 20 year old university projects still work. Micrsoft Lists -  Building fast, offline-capable Microsoft 365 web applicationsHow to  Edit lists offline (microsoft.com) A game changer? setValue in Microsoft Lists | Path to SharePoint... and Beyond!  Microsoft Flowspace office pod guarantees privacy with excitement of being around colleagues - dlmagRed Dot Design Award: Flowspace Pod (red-dot.org)  Nextcloud complains to EU about OneDrive bundling in Windows • The Register .Net 6 out on Azure Functions Announcing Azure Functions 4.0 public preview with .NET 6 support - Microsoft Tech CommunityUpgrading a 20 year old University Project to .NET 6 with dotnet-upgrade-assistant - Scott Hanselman's Blog Microsoft 365 Developer Program launches new instant sandbox with Teams sample data pack - Microsoft 365 Developer BlogPerforming Static Code Analysis on PowerShell Module and Scripts – Liam Cleary [MVP and MCT] (helloitsliam.com)Script Samples | PnP Samples 

This week we cover the often missed functionality of Azure DevOps to help you manage work better. Whether it's product management or running a migration, you can use DevOps boards to track your waterfall, scrum and even wagile projects! Garry, Al and Kevin talk through the different things to consider and why it is worth finding out more.Intro of DevOps Dojo - Azure DevOps Blog (microsoft.com)https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/boards/best-practices-agile-project-management?view=azure-devops&tabs=agile-processDevOps tutorial | Microsoft AzureThe Phoenix Project - Book (itrevolution.com)The Unicorn Project | by Gene Kim (author of The Phoenix Project) (itrevolution.com)

Al, Garry and Kevin catch up on some of the topics they didn't cover before on Ignite around Lists and Security & Compliance, then also look into what the Surface Laptop SE is.Introducing Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsMicrosoft Reimagine - Imagining a new era of education | Microsoft EDUMicrosoft introduces Windows 11 SE, new $250 Surface Laptop SE for education market | ZDNetMicrosoft to add new education-focused M365 A1 per-device subscription plan | ZDNetSupport all learners with the new Microsoft 365 A1 for devices license | Microsoft EDUMicrosoft Lists announcements - Ignite 2021 November 2-4, 2021Microsoft Viva – The Teams Queen BlogThe Great Reshuffle and how Microsoft Viva is helping reimagine the employee experience - Microsoft 365 BlogThe ‘great resignation' is a trend that began before the pandemic – and bosses need to get used to it (australiantimes.co.uk)Introducing Feedback for Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Tech CommunityNew Pomodoro app in Windows 11 Clock https://twitter.com/jamesmcroft/status/1459067662093336585?s=20Festive Tech Calendar 2021 

The Ignite summary continues (check out Part 1 for the start) as Kevin, Al and Garry cover their thoughts on Ignite 2021 (Autumn Edition) and pick the news that caught their attention most including Power Apps licensing (good news for a change), Viva licensing (more good news!), Container Apps and a few returning surprises (possibly less good news).Book of News - https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-november-2021-book-of-news/PowerApps per use licensing https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/powerplatform/2021/11/02/new-power-platform-capabilities-announced-at-microsoft-ignite/Viva - Microsoft Viva is now generally available to help transform your hybrid work experience - Microsoft 365 BlogViva roadmaps from Susan Hanley -  https://twitter.com/susanhanley/status/1455669594320945164?s=21 Container Apps https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/apps-on-azure/introducing-azure-container-apps-a-serverless-container-service/ba-p/2867265?ocid=AID3042118Open AI Service https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/new-azure-openai-service/Migrate SP workflows to power autoMate - thanks Resa  Dorraini !https://twitter.com/rezadorrani/status/1456062036232871936?s=21The worst news https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/announcing-power-apps-microsoft-access-security-mobility-new-experiences/

Kevin, Al and Garry cover their thoughts on Ignite 2021 (Autumn Edition) and pick the news that caught their attention most including Loop, Context IQ, Mesh for Teams, Connected Spaces for Dynamics 365 and more. We continue to the chat in part 2. Book of News - https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-november-2021-book-of-news/Some of the links below are repeated but they are duplicated for anyone who wants to click into a specific subject.Microsoft Loop - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/whats-new-in-microsoft-365how-were-empowering-everyone-for-a-new-world-of-hybrid-work/Context IQ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/whats-new-in-microsoft-365how-were-empowering-everyone-for-a-new-world-of-hybrid-work/Microsoft Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces - Gain a new perspective with Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces - Microsoft Dynamics 365 BlogMesh for Microsoft Teams https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/whats-new-in-microsoft-365how-were-empowering-everyone-for-a-new-world-of-hybrid-work/Mesh for Microsoft Teams aims to make collaboration in the ‘metaverse' personal and fun | Innovation Stories Microsoft Teams Connect https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/whats-new-in-microsoft-365how-were-empowering-everyone-for-a-new-world-of-hybrid-work/ 

A slightly different show today as Al and Kevin came live from above the South Coast Summit expo floor to record with a few guests. The sound isn't the greatest this time but the content is fantastic as we had Alison Mulligan, Luke Evans, Zoe Wilson and Mark Christie sharing with us what their dream conference would be. Find out who wants Satya Nadella speaking, who likes to get hands on with hardware and who would love it to be a giant festival.Big thanks to our guests and give them a follow on Twitter or LinkedIn:Alison MulliganLuke EvansZoe WilsonMark ChristieFinally a huge huge huge thank you to the conference organisers Aaron Rendell and Nathan Sweeney - no-one would have believed it was the first big event they had put on. So impressive and they've both earned a well deserved rest.

For this show, we decided to heavily borrow from Office365Distilled's show about Commsverse and share the sessions that we are excited to watch at the South Coast Summit. Al and Kevin picked a few of the talks that caught our interest or that we know how amazing the people can be.Check out the sessions list on the South Coast Summit website.Burnout Begone as a Service - Dona Sarkar (13:00) - Accessibility and inclusion trackHello from the other side - how makers and developers make a FusionDev team - Yannick Reekmans and Luise Freese (11:00) - Power Platform track) Approaches to Managing Insider Risk in a work from anywhere world - Graham Hosking and Dan Cousineau (11:30) - Security and compliance trackFeed on knowledge harvested with Viva Topics (even if you are a minnow) - Sara Fennah and Kevin McDonnell (14:00) - Collaboration TrackPlanning a career in Power Platform - Alison Mulligan (14:30) - Power Platform trackWorking with Templates in Microsoft 365 - Chirag Patel (14:30) - Collaboration trackModern Work Management in Office 365 - what is the right tool for you and your organisation? - Sam Graber (14:30) - Collaboration trackAI Builder in Action! - Marco Rocca (16:00) - Data and AI trackHow I found luck - Keith Whatling (17:00) - Where Keith is going, he don't need no track

Al and Kevin cover the latest news including a chat about the new Surface devices, some SharePoint updates, Viva Learning GA date and the amazing fact that Skype isn't dead yet.Sign up for newsletter now available at WorklabMicrosoft's fall Surface event: the 7 biggest announcements - The VergeMicrosoft Whiteboard receives Surface Slim Pen 2 support, new features, and a UI overhaul | Windows CentralSharePoint Roadmap Pitstop September 2021 (microsoft.com) Viva Learning preview moving to general availability - M365 Admin (handsontek.net) Microsoft says Skype is "here to stay" with this major feature update | ZDNetWhere is Microsoft Teams data stored? A comprehensive breakdown | Onna Technologies, Inc. - JDSupra Microsoft to add new education-focused M365 A1 per-device subscription plan | ZDNet CommunityProvisionGenie/ProvisionGenie: ProvisionGenie

Does Employee Experience matter? Yes and we are joined by Karoliina Kettukari of Meltlake to help explain to you why, how employees can make the most of Microsoft Viva to help their experience and what organisations should consider when it comes to adoption and change in the world of employee experience, especially for frontline workers.As we often do, we would highly recommend checking out the Microsoft Worklab site for more on the subject.

Garry and Kevin sat down to run through the latest news as Viva Connections Public Preview went out, more attempts to explain Yammer and Teams and the excitement of collaborating on flows in Power Automate lands. All while Kevin tried not to burst with the excitement of meeting real people at Commsverse.Viva Connections Public Preview - Microsoft Tech Community73%: The Hybrid Work ParadoxThe effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers | Nature Human BehaviourNew collaborative app from ServiceNow brings employee experiences into the flow of work in Microsoft Teams Bringing large groups and communities together in Teams - Microsoft Tech CommunityAnnouncing Public Preview of Power Apps respecting Conditional Access on individual apps Power Fx Formula Columns in Dataverse (for Teams)Announcing co-presence in Power Automate | Power Automate Blog (microsoft.com)Power Apps, Accessibility, and WCAG - Hart of the MidlandsSharePoint: Hub to hub site associationSharePoint Navigation Switcher Microsoft acquires Clipchamp to empower creatorsOffice LTSC is now generally availableHome computing pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair dies aged 81 | Clive Sinclair | The GuardianHalt and Catch Firehttps://github.com/GavinMendelGleason/excel_as_codeEventsCollabTalk - What Does It Take To Build Community? – buckleyPLANETSouth Coast Summit – A Microsoft Cloud Technology ConferenceEuropean Collaboration Summit - Home (collabsummit.eu)Scottish Summit will be hybrid https://twitter.com/kevmcdonk/status/1438935272192987142?s=20

This week, we decided to just have a chat about what was making us think at the moment and what we thought would be coming up over the next six months.Al caught us by surprise by talking about sustainability and opened our eyes to things that we can do in the digital space.Garry is getting deeper and deeper into the world of Dev Ops, not just the tools but the processes as well.Kevin keeps up his excitement about all things Employee Experience with Microsoft Viva and also looks forward to seeing what people can innovate with after the slight lulls during the pandemic.Listen to the show and then let us know what you think on Twitter or on the Microsoft Cloud Hub Discord Server.

Kevin, Al and Garry are back together for the first time in a while and so we tried to find the finest news around to share with you. Unfortunately, Kevin does decide to show his muppets off.Github codespacesGithub.devAbout billing for Codespaces - GitHub DocsDaily briefing and MyAnalytics branding updates to reflect Microsoft Viva - Microsoft Tech Community Together Mode:https://twitter.com/kevmcdonk/status/1432999299412078592?s=20https://twitter.com/kevmcdonk/status/1432763528193220622?s=20CarPlay on TeamsTeams updates - What's New in Microsoft Teams | August 2021 - Microsoft Tech CommunityMicrosoft hires former Uber exec to lead a new consumer apps effort - The VergeCosmos hacked ChaosDB: How we hacked thousands of Azure customers' databases | Wiz Blogkevmcdonk/S4MSC-Twitter: Sample for creating Microsoft Search custom indexes from Twitter data (github.com) New Discord community for Microsoft Cloud related chat - mscloudhub.com/community (sorry, we forgot to mention this one!)CommsverseSouth Coast SummitScottish Summit

With the first big Microsoft related conference in the UK scheduled for September, we invited two of the Commsverse organisers to chat to use about what you can expect from Commsverse and also how Teams Devices can improve the ways that you can use Teams. Mark talked about all the different things that will be at the event itself (that you can join in person or virtually) and Randy shared loads of info on how Teams Devices can help, from better headsets all the way through to a full meeting room with sound bars, ceiling microphones and even a mahogany table.Register for Commsverse now or find out more details on their website.

We are joined by Mark Vale and Randy Chapman, co-organisers of the Commsverse conference all about Microsoft Teams, as we discuss the latest news including automated recording of Teams, holographic meetings and why Kevin wants to look you in the eyes.Rest in peace Abel Wang- Please do donate on Abel's behalf to Girls Who Code or buy a t-shirt in his memory to go to the same charityWhat is new in teams - July 2021Teams hits 250 million Mimesys' holographic meetings Kevin's new center cam  - https://thecentercam.com Chris Herd's thread on hybrid workingWorkspace collaboration optimiserHow to run a maturity model workshop CommunityPaul Bullock's PnPun samplesScottish summit call for volunteers Events Commsverse - https://online.commsverse.comSouth Coast Summit - https://www.southcoastsummit.org