Microsoft Teams Adopts Facebook-Style Storylines, Windows 11 New Features

LISTEN ON:

This Week in IT, Microsoft Teams is bringing a Facebook-style storyline to users, the February CU for Windows 11 brings several new features and updates to File Explorer and the Taskbar, and government users in Australia think Microsoft Copilot isn’t quite as good as they’d hoped.

Links and resources

Episode overview

This week’s IT news focuses on Microsoft’s updates to Teams and Windows 11, as well as a review of Copilot by Australian government users.

  • Copilot Review by Australian Government: A report from the Australian Treasury revealed that users found Microsoft Copilot less useful than expected, as it supported fewer workloads. However, it was particularly beneficial for part-time staff and neurodivergent individuals.
  • New Storyline Feature in Microsoft Teams: Microsoft is introducing a Facebook-inspired storyline feature in Teams, allowing users to share updates and news within their organizations. This feature will be generally available soon and is built on VivaEngage.
  • Accessing Storylines: Users can access storylines through notifications in the activity section, one-on-one chats, and a dedicated tab in personal chats.
  • Viva Engage Premium License Benefits: With a Viva Engage premium license, users can get analytics on storylines, and leaders can delegate posting to others. This feature will be enabled by default for commercial customers next month.
  • Patch Tuesday Updates: This month’s Patch Tuesday included fixes for two zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows 11, as well as new features and fixes related to mouse issues and Windows Studio effects.
  • Windows Studio Effects: Windows Studio effects, which optimize features like live translation and background blur using the neural processing unit, now have an icon in the system tray when in use.
  • Taskbar and File Explorer Improvements: Microsoft has made changes to taskbar previews and animations and added minor improvements to File Explorer, such as the ability to create new folders from the left pane and reopening tabs after a restart.
  • Settings App Updates: Users without administrative permissions can now change the time zone in the settings app, a feature that is particularly useful for travelers and those in large countries.