It's been a very busy week in the Microsoft world, primarily due to the Ignite conference this week. Join us as we unpack that, Windows update woes, and more in our Microsoft Weekly digest.
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Both iOS and Android now host Power Apps mobile apps in preview. Aside from this, a bunch of updates for other services in the Power Platform such as Power Automate have been announced as well.
The focus this time around for the Power Platform is on improved integration with other services such as Teams, while also improving internal harmony among the services existing in the platform.
Along with its mixed-reality announcements, Microsoft has labeled a 15% discount on its HoloLens 2 headsets for a limited time only. It has also revealed new features for Azure VMs and networking.
Microsoft has released a preview for SQL Server 2022, calling it its "most cloud-connected" release yet. Improvements on Azure include the introduction of Chaos Studio and OpenAI Service.
Microsoft has announced a series of updates to make it easier for organizations to transition to Windows 11 either locally or on the cloud via Windows 365. Improvements for Viva are in tow too.
Microsoft is bringing Mesh to Teams, enabling organizations to create immersive mixed-reality spaces to host meetings between personalized avatars. Over 800 3D emoji are being made available too.
Microsoft has formally announced its Loop workspace app. It offers portable components that are in sync with other Microsoft 365 apps. The Office.com and Office app on Windows are being updated too.
Supply Chain Management is getting new capabilities, while Connected Spaces and Supply Chain Insights are entering preview. Aside from this, Customer Service voice channel has reached GA.
At its Ignite 2021 conference, Microsoft has announced better compliance policies for Teams including harassment detection in more languages and tighter integration with Communication Compliance.
The new platform serves as a marketing solution to put organizations in control of customer data, while collaborative apps aim to join the worlds of Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Office, and Teams.
Industry clouds that have reached new stages of availability include financial services, manufacturing, sustainability, and nonprofit. Updates to Cloud for Healthcare have been unveiled as well.
Microsoft has announced a bunch of improvements to its cloud security and compliance suites including enhancements to Defender for Cloud in multicloud setups and a new Defender for Business solution.
Microsoft has formally announced the availability of a stable build of its Edge browser for Linux distros. It is also making it easier for organizations to transition from IE11 to IE Mode in Edge.
In a leaked video from WalkingCat, Microsoft showed off its upcoming show dates, including for Build 2021 and even for its fall Ignite event, teasing a likelihood of digital events for all of 2021.
The week brought us Ignite news, Exchange on-prem vulnerability news, and even some expected Insider build news. Make sure to catch up with everything that happened via our handy overview.
Today at Ignite, there was a brief fireside chat where Panos Panay talked about Windows, and he mentioned that he's pumped about what he's calling "the next generation of Windows".
Microsoft Mesh is a new platform that aims to revolutionalize mixed reality by bringing real-time virtual collaboration across multiple devices. The Mesh app is now available in preview on HoloLens.
Beyond the security and compliance announcements at Ignite, Microsoft was also keen to highlight the enhancements made to Azure AD and identity verification either in preview or generally available.
Beyond the security and identity announcements from Ignite 2021, Microsoft also highlighted some compliance capability enhancements and brand-new certifications that have been made available.
Microsoft has taken the wraps off a number of announcements at its Ignite event, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Windows Server 2022 announcements centered on security and protection.
While Microsoft Viva was first introduced last month, it only launched one of its four modules. Today, the company detailed availability of the other three, such as Viva Connections.
Just like you'd expect from an Ignite conference, Microsoft is announcing a bunch of new features for Teams. PowerPoint Live is here, and presenter mode and dynamic view are coming this month.
At Microsoft's spring Ignite 2021 conference today, the company announced that Universal Print is now generally available as part of enterprise Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Microsoft today announced a couple of improvements that are coming to Outlook. There's a new look for the calendar on Outlook online, and suggested times are coming to Outlook mobile.
At Ignite 2021, Microsoft has announced a host of capabilities for mission-critical workloads on Azure include optimizations to compute, storage, backup, management, development, and networking.
New capabilities are available for developers building solutions across Azure IoT and mixed reality devices such as HoloLens 2. Azure Monitor for Windows Virtual Desktop is coming soon too.
Microsoft has announced that Visual Studio 2019 version 16.9 is now generally available. The company is also making it easier to deploy Java Enterprise Edition solutions on Azure via new scripts.
Microsoft has unveiled new features for its Azure analytics solutions such as Synapse Analytics and Cosmos DB. The company is also opening a new datacenter region in China to cater increased demand.
Microsoft has announced a bunch of new features for Azure Machine Learning and Cognitive Search including support for RBAC for the former and invoice and pre-built IDs extraction for the latter.
Along with the rumored Power Fx launch now being confirmed, Microsoft has also revealed further features for its Power Platform services, including Power BI and Power Virtual Agents.
Not only is a new Dynamics 365 application coming in preview, but Microsoft's customer relationship management platform is receiving new integrations with Teams as well, alongside other new features.
This week brought some arguably good news about a Windows 10 special folder, Exchange mailbox changes, and Halo Insider tests, to name a few. Be sure to catch up via our handy overview.
Microsoft has posted the session catalog for its next Ignite conference online, so you can start planning your event. It includes all of the topics you'd expect, from Windows to Azure.
Microsoft broke up its Ignite conference into two events this year, and as of today, you can now register for the second part of the event. It's going to take place from March 2 until March 4.
Microsoft is wrapping up its Ignite 2020 digital event, and now it's time for the second part of the event. The next Ignite virtual conference will be held in March, with dates to be announced.