M365 Changelog: Briefing Email from Microsoft Viva: Language Expansion (FR, DE, IT, PT)

MC299387 – The Briefing email from Microsoft Viva helps users start their day on track by surfacing information to prepare for upcoming meetings, follow up on outstanding tasks as well as protect time for independent work. Currently, the briefing email is available for Microsoft 365 Enterprise users with Exchange Online mailboxes in English and Spanish. In June 2021, Microsoft announced in a message center post (MC259743) expanded support for Exchange Online mailboxes in French, German, Italian, and Portuguese set to start in November.

This message is a follow-up communication with guidance for admins of Microsoft 365 customers with Exchange Online mailboxes in French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Please review the actions suggested below.

Microsoft is extending the notice period for users with Exchange Online mailboxes in French and German. Effective November 19th, 2021 Microsoft is turning off the briefing email from Microsoft Viva for French and German users and will enable it again starting in early January 2022 and completing by the end of February, 2022. No changes will be made to the availability of the daily briefing email for users with Exchange Online mailboxes in Italian and Portuguese.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 81999

When this will happen:

Rolling out to users with Exchange Online mailboxes in French and German in early January 2022 and expected to be complete by the end of February 2022

How this will affect your organization:

Once this change has been rolled out, the briefing email from Microsoft Viva will be supported in French and German. Users in your organization who previously could not receive the briefing email because their mailbox language was set to French or German will now begin receiving the briefing email. So, you may see an increase in the number of users receiving the briefing email starting in January 2022. Microsoft will add support for additional languages in the next few quarters.

The briefing email is a personalized brief in Outlook with important information on upcoming meetings and outstanding tasks, to help you prepare for the day ahead. If there is an actionable suggestion, users will receive the briefing email at the beginning of each workday; at least one actionable insight must be detected for there to be a daily mail.

This feature is enabled by default and controls are available for administrators and users to turn it off.

  • Exchange Service Administrators or Company Administrators can disable this feature using Microsoft 365 admin center or PowerShell. Settings for the briefing email are available under “Briefing email from Microsoft Viva” in the Microsoft 365 admin center. These are separate and independent of the Viva Insights (formerly MyAnalytics) settings.
  • Your users can opt-out of the briefing email by selecting Unsubscribe, located near the bottom of all Briefing emails.

The customized email is only available to an end user; no administrator or manager can see another individual’s Briefing email. All data is stored inside the user’s mailbox. Briefing email is subject to the same GDPR compliance terms as Office 365.

What you need to do to prepare:

Review and assess the impact for your organization. Additionally, you might consider reviewing with your works council and updating your training and documentation as appropriate. Learn more about Briefing email from Microsoft Viva and how Microsoft protects your privacy.

Additional information

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