Below is a quick recap of the 8 “Plan For Change” messages from O365 Admin Center so far this year. The cloud moves quickly, if you have Tenant Admin rights please read these to be more familiar with the latest cloud features. I was surprised to see Site Settings and Site Contents links will be removed from OneDrive. However, it makes sense to move away from classic SharePoint site to more of a DropBox style cloud first storage service.
Cheers!
MC95315 – Feature update: Changes to Yammer Analytics Dashboard
03-08-2017
We have moved overview and access information from the Yammer Analytics dashboard, to the Office 365 device usage report. As a result, we are removing the Overview and Access sections from the Yammer Analytics dashboard, in 30 days. Other sections, such as Members, Messages, Groups, and Files, will remain in place until there is a suitable replacement for them.
How does this affect me?
You can now use the new Office 365 device usage report to show you the activity overview across the Office 365 services in your organization.
What action do I need to take?
Please click Additional Information to learn more about how to get the Yammer device usage report.
Additional information
MC94822 – Feature update: Change to unused anonymous links
03-01-2017
On March 30, 2017, we are adjusting how anonymous access and internal links (people within my organization) are used in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business – to improve reliability and manageability. We are standardizing how sharing links are used and registered in the system to offer you the greatest levels of creation, visibility and control.
How does this affect me?
On March 30, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business will adjust aspects of anonymous access and internal links (people in my organization) that may impact any links generated before May 2016.
Any links created before May 2016, and not used since, may no longer work and the owner will need to recreate a new anonymous link and share it again with the invitee. If a link had been generated AND used before May 2016, it will continue to work after this change.
If you have any unused links that you want to continue to work, you just need to click on the link before March 30, 2017.
Please click Additional Information to learn more about sharing documents with people outside your organization.
Additional information
MC94730 – Intune Company Portal Update for Apple Application Transport Security
02-28-2017
How does this affect me?
You will be impacted by this change if you:
– Use the iOS Company Portal app, and
– Have any IT infrastructure that the iOS Company Portal app communicates with that is not compliant with ATS.
Microsoft will be releasing a new version of the Company Portal app for iOS to meet Apple’s new requirements.What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
In the next 30 days, ensure that all the network connections you have configured for use within the iOS Company Portal app meet Apple’s new requirements. Some places to check include ADFS configuration, proxy server configuration, and any custom links set in the Admin Console like the support website URL.
We plan to release a new version of the Company Portal app in April, ahead of the non-specific Spring 2017 date provided by Apple. However, if Apple should change their timeline, we’ll adjust accordingly to give you as much time as we can.
For links to Apple’s announcements and a tool you can use to evaluate your compliance with Apple’s new ATS requirements, please click Additional Information.
Additional information
MC94780 – Changes to In-Place eDiscovery searches and In-Place Holds with Exchange and SharePoint Online
02-28-2017
On July 1, 2017, we are disabling the ability to create new In-Place eDiscovery searches and In-Place Holds (*-MailboxSearch) in the Exchange Admin Center in Exchange Online, as well as the creation of new cases in the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online.
Scenarios dependent on these features have been transitioned to the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center. In both cases, you will still be able to edit and run existing searches in the Exchange Admin Center and work with existing cases in the SharePoint eDiscovery Center.
How does this affect me?
You are receiving this message because our reporting indicates your organization is using one or more of these features. Beginning July 1, 2017, we will disable the ability to create new In-Place eDiscovery searches and In-Place Holds (*-MailboxSearch) in the Exchange Admin Center in Exchange Online in addition to the creation of new cases in the eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online.
You can continue to interact with all existing searches and holds in the Exchange Admin Center, or eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online. We are only removing the capability to create new searches.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Where possible, discontinue use of existing eDiscovery and Holds using the Exchange Admin Center and eDiscovery Center in SharePoint Online. Start using the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center today.
Please click Additional Information to learn more.
Additional information
MC94651 – We are removing the Site settings button from OneDrive for Business
02-24-2017
We are removing the Site settings and Site contents buttons from the OneDrive for Business settings pane on March 6th. This change does not affect classic OneDrive.
The Site settings page was designed to modify settings for a SharePoint site. The majority of these settings, such as creating subsites or modifying site collection administrators, are not applicable to OneDrive for Business.
How does this affect me?
Users in First Release, will no longer be able to navigate to Site settings from the OneDrive for Business settings pane unless they click Return to classic OneDrive.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
If you need users to easily navigate to Site settings for OneDrive for Business, you can reset the OneDrive experience to Classic by going to the SharePoint Admin Center > Settings. Under OneDrive for Business experience, select Classic experience. Please click Additional Information to learn more.
MC92090 – We’re removing Site Mailboxes in SharePoint Online
01-31-2017
Beginning March 2017, new SharePoint Online organizations will no longer have access to the Site Mailbox feature, existing SharePoint Online organizations will no longer be able to create new Site Mailboxes; however, any Site Mailboxes provisioned prior to March 2017 will continue to function.
How does this affect me?
You are receiving this message because our reporting indicates your organization has one or more Site Mailboxes available. Beginning March 2017, your users may no longer create new Site Mailboxes.
In September 2017, we will have a process in place allowing you to transition your existing Site Mailbox site to an Office 365 Group. We will communicate again in June 2017, via Message Center, with more details.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
If you are using the Site Mailbox feature in SharePoint Online, you should consider transitioning to Office 365 Groups, to support email-centric collaborative scenarios.
Please click Additional Information to learn more.
MC94651 New feature: OneDrive for Business sync client updates
01-30-2017
We are rolling out updates to the OneDrive sync client that improve the user experience, administration, and accessibility of syncing files from Office 365. This includes a support syncing Shared Folders and SharePoint Online document libraries as well as a new activity center, and a new standalone sync client for Mac.
How does this affect me?
We have begun rolling this out to existing sync users. The roll out will be complete by February, 2017.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
There is nothing you need to do to prepare for this change. Please click Additional Information to learn more, and access the standalone client for Mac.
MC81842 – Removing the Office 2013 version of Office 365 ProPlus
01-27-2017
Office 2016 is the recommended version of Office 365 ProPlus and includes all the latest upgrades and new features. As we announced in September 2015, when we released Office 2016, beginning March 1, 2017, the Office 2013 version of Office 365 ProPlus will no longer be available for installation from the Office 365 portal.
How does this affect me?
Beginning March 1, 2017, your users will no longer see Office 2013 as an option for download through the Office 365 portal, and admins will no longer have the option under Software download settings in the admin portal to choose to enable Office 2013. In addition, we will no longer provide feature updates for this version, nor provide support.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
We recommend you install Office 2016 as soon as possible to have the latest and greatest features and support. Please click Additional Information to learn more.
