Teams Adds Office‑Location Tracking: Surveillance or Safety?

Could your boss soon track your every move? Microsoft is quietly rolling out a location‑tracking feature in Teams that uses Wi‑Fi and peripherals to map your office whereabouts. Microsoft is also turning up the security dial across Microsoft 365 with a new baseline that blocks legacy protocols and restricts risky file types. And if patch management keeps you awake at night, Windows Autopatch just added a CVE dashboard that shows every vulnerability and which devices remain at risk.

Links and resources

• Microsoft Teams is getting a new location tracking feature that lets bosses snoop on staff – research shows it could cause workforce pushback | IT Pro
• Microsoft Baseline Security Mode Brings Secure-by-Default Protection to Microsoft 365
• Windows Autopatch Adds CVE Reporting to Boost Security Visibility

Episode overview

This Week in IT – Key Updates & Insights:

1. Microsoft Teams Location Tracking

Microsoft is rolling out a new Teams feature that uses Wi-Fi and connected peripherals to pinpoint employees’ office locations, even down to the floor and department. While designed to support hybrid work and emergency scenarios, this feature raises privacy concerns. It’s off by default, but organizations can enable it, making users’ locations visible during office hours. The episode discusses the importance of transparency, user control, and the potential impact on trust between employees and employers.

2. Microsoft 365 Security Baseline

A new security baseline mode for Microsoft 365 is now generally available. This mode applies stricter security settings across Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, and Entra, including blocking risky file types and disabling legacy protocols. Organizations can test these changes in simulation mode to assess workflow impact before full rollout. The update also enforces phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication and blocks legacy Office documents and macros, helping protect against malware and ransomware.

3. Windows Autopatch CVE Dashboard

Windows Autopatch introduces a new dashboard that tracks vulnerabilities (CVEs) from the past 90 days, showing which devices remain exposed. The dashboard provides detailed CVE information, exploitation status, and links to Microsoft advisories, enabling admins to quickly identify and address security risks. Filtering and export options make it easier to analyze and act on vulnerability data.