Microsoft Teams Roadmap 2021

What’s coming next for Microsoft Teams?

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Microsoft Teams Roadmap 2021
CollaborationInsights

Published: April 20, 2021

Rebekah Carter - Writer

Rebekah Carter

Microsoft is constantly delivering new features and functionality to Teams users. Now boasting more than 115 million daily active users, Teams stands out as the central solution for teamwork in the age of anywhere work. Everywhere you look, companies are using teams to connect, collaborate, and share ideas. To stay in the top spot, Microsoft ensures that it’s always on the cutting edge with the latest tools for digital transformation.  

During the first few months of 2021, Microsoft announced a host of exciting new features to the Teams environment. We’ve seen the launch of a new PowerPoint presentation option, bypass Lobby features, and breakout room timers. Microsoft Ignite was an avalanche of innovation, delivering everything from dynamic views to live reactions. 

But Microsoft isn’t done.  

Here are some of the most exciting things to look forward to in the 2021 Roadmap.  

What’s Coming in April 

Most of April’s roadmap is dedicated to rolling out the exciting features announced during the Microsoft Ignite event for 2021. The event showcased a host of upcoming features, including a new dynamic view that will intelligently arrange the elements of a meeting room to allow for a better viewing experience.  

In April, more users will begin to experiment with features like the View Switcher in the top bar of the meeting that allows users to control how they see their meeting content. There’ll also be extensive access to Presenter mode, for when you want to showcase your presentation in the most immersive way possible. Plus, PowerPoint Live for Microsoft Teams is beginning to roll out too, which allows users to deliver PowerPoint slides straight into Teams.  

Other exciting features set to appear in 2021 include: 

  • Live Reactions in Microsoft Teams meetings for better interactions, and easier overviews of the sentiment users feel in a larger meeting 
  • Webinar attendee registration and email confirmation with automatic updates 
  • 1,000-person interactive webinar meetings with moderation control, and 20,000 attendee view-only broadcasting experiences 
  • Microsoft Teams Rooms Remote and meeting capacity notifications for Room environments.  
  • Attendee reporting for insights into attendee engagement 
  • Teams and Microsoft Dynamics 365 event experience support 
  • Task publishing checklists and editing capabilities, as well as new approval apps with updated templates and markdown support. 
  • Teams’ mobile enhancements with access to offline files, more emojis, trimmed GIFs, and chat pinning features.  
  • Operator Connect for simple and quick access to PSTN calling for Teams with non-Microsoft Telephony conferencing. 
  • The ability to mask PSTN participant phone numbers for privacy 
  • Ability to include computer sound when sharing desktop on Windows or Mac 
  • Microsoft Viva Connections desktop 
  • Secured and scalable meeting rooms with Teams Rooms managed services and remote device provisioning  
  • Teams’ user usage reports (made anonymous for privacy protection) 
  • Policy enhancements and security solutions from the Teams Admin centre  

Microsoft has also announced the impending arrival of Personal Mode for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android, and updated functionality for downloading participant reports through Teams. There’s also the continued roll out of Microsoft Viva experiences to look forward to.  

Viva Connections is already rolling out to SharePoint license holders, and Viva Learning will be coming in April. Viva Insights are going to be available from April too, supporting stronger user experiences for the entire workforce.  

Impending Features for May 

The host of new features that are now arriving following Microsoft Ignite is enough to get anyone excited about the future of Teams. After the updates of April are complete, here’s what you can expect to see in May:  

  • Microsoft Teams Real Time Events data: This should provide Teams users with access to real-time insights into how their events are going, crucial for the future of virtual events
  • Microsoft 365 Global Usage report: A new form of usage report for Teams users, the Global Usage report is set to roll out in full during May 2021, giving admins an overview of how employees are using the Microsoft 365 environment 
  • Teams Casting: Microsoft users on mobile devices will be able to cast their meeting from their devices on both Android and Apple as of May 2021. This should make it quicker and easier to follow along with meetings by casting your screen to a larger device
  • Integrated CART captioning: Users will have the option to view captions from a CART provider in the Microsoft Teams meeting window. This will improve the way that teams with different language proficiencies can connect via video streams
  • Interoperability with Azure: Interoperability with Azure Communications Services will deliver a better overall customer experience. You can connect users of custom-built apps with users on Teams via video, voice, or chat, starting in May  
  • End-to-end encryption: Teams taking one-one-one voice calls through Teams and VoIP will be able to choose end-to-end encryption for extra security. IT will have complete control over who can use this feature
  • Multi-Geo support: To support companies with data residency requirements, the Microsoft Multi-Geo offering now includes Microsoft Teams. You can choose exactly where your data is going to sit
  • Outlook for Windows: You’ll be able to update your settings to make every meet created in Outlook a Teams meeting by default. This means you don’t have to remember to click a Teams Meeting Button 
  • Branded lobby: Admins will be able to add custom logos to their Teams experience, for display in the lobby environment, as well as the meeting waiting room (pre-join) environment. You will need the advanced Comms SKU
  • Ability to enable/disable videos: Microsoft Teams users in GCC-High and DoD will be able to enable or disable a single video, or all videos before, or during their Teams meetings
  • Present from PowerPoint: Users on Microsoft Teams will be able to present slides straight from their PowerPoint environment to Teams via the PowerPoint Live feature. This is beginning to roll out now, with a full rollout planned for May
  • Meeting Lock: For privacy and protection, the Teams admins using the desktop app experience can lock their meetings to prevent subsequent people from joining
  • Live Events Producer Experience: This new feature will allow users to produce Teams Live Events as a Producer in a separate window, which allows for the better management of events

Impending Features for June  

Perhaps the most exciting feature for the end of Spring and beginning of Summer is the potential arrival of Microsoft Teams Connect. This will be Microsoft’s versions of the “Shared Channels” function available from Slack. The Teams Connect experience rolled out in preview during the 2021 Ignite conference and is set to release in full during June.  

According to Microsoft, Connect will allow you to connect with external partners and clients in Shared Channels, without having to log in and out of different accounts and guest profiles.  

Other exciting features coming in June include:  

  • Teams Connect with Admin Controls: Through Teams Connect, teams will be able to collaborate with people from different organisations. You can share channels with any user group or Azure AD identity. Admins maintain controls in the Teams Admin Centre, to control how external users can access data
  • Live captions in additional languages: Microsoft is also planning on bringing more Live caption experiences to users in different languages. Currently, the captioning option is available in English, but from July you will also be able to use it in French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Brazilian  
  • SharePoint previews: When users copy/paste links to SharePoint content in a Teams channel or chat, those links will automatically convert into rich content cards that display images, author information, and the page title
  • PTSN unmuting: Admins and organizers will be able to stop PSTN participants from muting and unmuting. This also allows participants to request to speak with a “raise hand” feature on their dial pad
  • Walkie Talkie: The “walkie talkie” feature on Microsoft Teams will offer a push-to-talk experience for secure instant communications over the cloud. The built-in app will turn company-owned or employee devices into a walkie talkie
  • New Assignment Experience in Breakout: The Breakout Room feature of Microsoft Teams will soon be enhanced with a better UX for participant assignments. You’ll be able to sort through participants much faster, even when running multiple rooms
  • Co-organizers: Microsoft Teams organizers will be able to share their control in a meeting with the Co-organizer role. These professionals will maintain almost all of the capabilities of the original organizer, including options to manage the meeting format

What’s Next for Microsoft Teams? 

From app risk evaluations that help to make Teams environments more secure to new arrivals like the Microsoft Viva employee experience platform and the sensational “Teams Connect” feature, there’s plenty to look forward to on Microsoft Teams this year. No doubt that we’ll continue to see new features and functionalities being added to the roadmap as we continue to progress through 2021 too. 

Which Microsoft Teams features are you most looking forward to? 

 

 

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