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  • Microsoft Teams: Support for Making a Silent Test Call

    Microsoft Teams: Support for Making a Silent Test Call

    Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 490055

    IT administrators will soon be able to run silent test calls in Microsoft Teams to proactively check network readiness and detect potential issues before they affect users. This feature requires a Teams Premium license and applies to Teams for Windows and Mac desktops.

    ✅ What’s Coming:

    IT administrators will soon have the ability to run silent, synthetic Microsoft Teams call simulations to specific subnets. This will enable proactive network readiness checks and allow for the early detection of issues before they impact users.

    This feature will help ensure high-quality, seamless communication experiences across the organization.

    Important Requirements:

    • Requires a Teams Premium license on the user’s devices.
    • Available for Teams on Windows desktop and Mac desktop clients.

    📅 Rollout Timeline:

    • Targeted Release:
      Rollout begins mid-July 2025, expected to complete by late July 2025.
    • General Availability (Worldwide):
      Rollout begins mid-August 2025, expected to complete by late August 2025.

    🚀 How This Will Affect Your Organization:

    • Silent test calls offer proactive monitoring, allowing IT teams to detect and address network issues before they impact end users.
    • Integrating silent test calls into your operational routines can improve network reliability and user experience.

    How the Silent Test Calls Work:

    • Tests run silently in the background on the Teams client at scheduled times.
    • Each test runs for 60 seconds.
    • Tests can be targeted to specific subnets.
    • Tests will only run on desktop clients (Windows and Mac).
    • Tests will only run if the device is idle (the user is not in an active Teams call).
    • No disruption to the user:
      There are no notifications, sounds, or visible changes during the test.
    • This feature will be available by default for IT admins to configure.

    🔧 What You Need to Do to Prepare:

    • This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates; no admin action is required before rollout.
    • Consider:
      • Reviewing your current configuration to understand how this may impact your environment.
      • Notifying your IT teams and users about this change.
      • Updating internal processes or documentation if you plan to integrate silent testing into your monitoring strategy.
  • 🔐 Important Change to External Sharing in SharePoint and OneDrive—Effective July 1, 2025

    🔐 Important Change to External Sharing in SharePoint and OneDrive—Effective July 1, 2025

    Microsoft is implementing a critical security update that affects how external users access content shared via SharePoint and OneDrive. This change is part of the integration with Microsoft Entra B2B and will impact previously shared links.

    🗓 When Is This Happening?

    Effective Date: July 1, 2025

    After this date, external users will no longer be able to access files, folders, or sites using links that were shared before your organization enabled SharePoint and OneDrive integration with Microsoft Entra B2B.

    ⚠️ What’s Changing?

    • Applies only to organizations that have enabled or plan to enable Entra B2B integration.
    • Old sharing links using the SharePoint One-Time Passcode (OTP) method will stop working.
    • External users will see an error message if they try to use these links:
      “Sorry, something went wrong. This organization has updated its guest access settings. To access this item, please contact the person who shared it with you and ask them to reshare it with you.”

    👥 Impact on End Users

    • External users will lose access to content shared via OTP links created before Entra B2B integration.
    • To restore access, content must be reshared using the new B2B method.
    • If the original sharer is unavailable, another authorized user must reshare the content.
    • No changes are required to the current sharing process—users can continue sharing as usual.

    ✅ What You Should Do

    • Notify your users: Let teams know that older shared links will no longer work after July 1.
    • Update documentation: Revise training materials and helpdesk scripts to reflect this change.
    • Prepare for MFA: External users will need to complete multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of the Entra B2B onboarding process.

    📘 Learn more about Microsoft Entra B2B integration for SharePoint & OneDrive

  • Microsoft Teams: Countdown Timer for Microsoft Teams Meetings

    Microsoft Teams: Countdown Timer for Microsoft Teams Meetings

    A new Countdown Timer feature is coming soon to Microsoft Teams to support more efficient and time-managed meetings.

    Starting in July 2025, this feature will allow any meeting participant to add a visible timer (up to 100 minutes) directly within the meeting window. The timer will include simple controls to start, pause, stop, and extend time, and will be visible to all attendees.

    To aid timekeeping, the timer will automatically change color as it counts down — helping participants stay aware of remaining time and stay on track.

    This feature is especially useful for:

    • Presentations or time-limited discussions
    • Agenda-driven meetings
    • Daily stand-ups and team check-ins

    Rollout Timeline:

    • Expected Start: July 2025
    • Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 494842

    Once available, it can be a helpful tool for teams looking to improve meeting discipline and keep conversations focused.

    Toyin Oyedun

  • New SharePoint Storage Report Coming to Microsoft 365 Admin Center

    New SharePoint Storage Report Coming to Microsoft 365 Admin Center

    Updated May 29, 2025

    Microsoft is introducing a new Storage tab in the SharePoint usage report within the Microsoft 365 admin center. This update aims to provide administrators with a clearer, high-level view of SharePoint storage usage and actionable insights for better storage management.

    🗓 Rollout Timeline

    General Availability: Mid-May to mid-June 2025

    This rollout includes worldwide availability, including GCC, GCC High, and DoD environments.

    Note: This feature is available to non-Education tenants. Education tenants should continue using the pooled storage report.

    🔍 What’s New?

    • View storage usage across multiple geographies
    • Track storage growth trends
    • Receive recommendations for:
      • Setting file version limits
      • Archiving inactive sites
      • Implementing site lifecycle policies
    • Banner alerts when nearing or exceeding storage limits

    📍 How to Access the Storage Report

    • Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center
    • Navigate to Reports > Usage
    • Select SharePoint
    • Click on the new Storage tab

    ✅ What You Need to Do

    No action is required to enable this feature—it will be rolled out automatically. However, it’s recommended to:

    • Review your current storage configuration
    • Notify relevant users or teams
    • Update internal documentation as needed

    📘 Learn more about the SharePoint Storage Report