Microsoft Boosts Security With Long-Requested Teams Phishing Alert, ‘Tests’ 45% Price Hike in Asia
Microsoft is introducing a long-anticipated phishing and spam alert feature to Teams.
Teams has been a long-lasting target for bad actors intending to gain access to organisations’ systems and data, primarily via phishing and spam attempts. IT admins have been lobbying for more robust capabilities within Teams that can protect users, particularly less tech and internet-savvy users, from standard phishing and scam attacks. Microsoft is finally answering such calls.
In other Microsoft news, the tech giant has announced significant price increases for its Microsoft 365 (M365) subscriptions in six Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The hikes range from 29 percent to 46 percent, largely attributed to the integration of advanced AI features, such as Copilot, into the suite.
For example, in Australia, the annual M365 Family subscription will rise from AU$139 to AU$179, a 29 percent increase, while the Personal subscription will increase from AU$109 to AU$159, marking a 46 percent surge.
A Microsoft spokesperson, as reported by The Register, explained that these price adjustments reflect the expanded benefits added over the past 12 years, including enhanced security with Microsoft Defender, creative tools like Clipchamp, and improvements to core applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. The company further justifies the price hikes with the addition of new features like Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Designer.
Intermedia Unveils ‘Industry First’ Integrated UC, CX Solution For Microsoft Teams
Intermedia has added contact centre functionality to its Intermedia Unite for Teams Advanced solution, which it says makes it the first in the industry to embed UC and CX capabilities directly within the Microsoft Teams platform.
Expanding on Intermedia’s Unite for Teams Advanced, Intermedia says that adding advanced contact centre capabilities now turns Microsoft Teams into a unified platform for both UC and CX. This upgrade allows businesses to seamlessly manage voice, chat, SMS, and email interactions within Teams while maintaining its native collaboration features, including meetings, team chats, and group discussions.
