Announcement for the SMB Community
Announcement: The Small and Medium Businesses Community will be archived on April 4th, 2025. All blogs and content will be moved over to the Microsoft 365 Community. For new conversations around small and medium businesses, please be sure to use the SMB tag, which can now be found in every product community. Check out the Copilot SMB discussion space for any questions about Copilot, the Microsoft Teams SMB discussion space, and join the Partner Community for Partner related news. Thank you for being a part of the SMB Community, and we look forward to continuing to support you throughout the Tech Community.
Importing a Baseline to Microsoft 365 Lighthouse
If you must import a Security Baseline into Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, what sources can you use? I know you can use the Security Compliance Toolkit (SCT). Still, I am thinking more along the lines of where else in the Azure Tenant and specific services can you export Security Baselines (or Policies) for import into Microsoft 365 Lighthouse?Supercharge Your Business. Getting Small Businesses Ready for 2025 with Microsoft 365
How Microsoft 365 is Empowering Small Businesses In the ever-changing world of productivity and collaboration tools, Microsoft 365 continues to shine as a vital tool for small businesses. With a treasure trove of applications designed to boost efficiency, security, and innovation, Microsoft 365 rolled out some game-changing features in 2024, earning high praise from industry experts. Last year was a rollercoaster for business owners and their customers. They faced rising inflation, tighter budgets, and the AI revolution. Through it all, Microsoft 365 was the trusty partner that helped businesses run smoothly and operate productively. The suite introduced exciting new features, integrated smart AI capabilities, and laid out a promising roadmap to tackle current trends and challenges. Recapping An Exciting 2024 Here are some notable new features we released in Microsoft 365 -- starting with Teams and Teams Phone: We introduced the Queues App in the fall, a Teams-native solution designed to empower organizations to manage Teams Phone engagements directly from within Teams. With it, they can manage call queues, auto attendants, get real-time metrics, and see reporting – to ensure they’re conducting customer engagement efficiently. We introduced Shared Calling, which makes a single phone number and calling plan sharable by a group, so teams can better manage calls in coordination. We enhanced survivable calling with the Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA), a backup solution designed to keep your phone services running smoothly, even during network outages. It now supports call transfer, forwarding, and incoming calls during network outages. In Microsoft Excel, we added some powerful updates: The ability to automatically sync data from Forms to Excel for the web. In real-time, responses can be synced between the two apps, ensuring data is always up-to-date. There’s seamless integration so if you go to an active Form and the Responses page, you can click “Open results in Excel” to create an Excel worksheet in OneDrive to do deeper manipulation of your data. The addition of checkboxes that can drive and be driven by existing Excel functions. With Interactive Checkboxes, they automatically check or uncheck based on the value of another cell. And finally, we integrated Python into Excel for users to have the ability to manipulate data in the familiar Excel environment but now with access to powerful Python's libraries and plots to make even deeper analysis possible. We made generally available a brand new Outlook: It has an exciting, newly redesigned interface, new productivity features, and integration with Copilot. Small and medium-sized businesses currently on Microsoft 365 are already moving to it but the choice to keep using classic Outlook will still be available. To help small businesses conserve their marketing budget, we introduced Microsoft Clipchamp in the fall of 2023 and Microsoft Designer in the summer of 2024. Clipchamp is a user-friendly video editor for creating professional-quality videos without needing technical skills. In Clipchamp, we rolled out over 100 pre-built templates, transitions, noise-suppression, background removal, auto-compose, and text-to-speech – saving users tons of time in making videos that may have taken many hours to do before. Designer is a powerful, AI image-generating and graphic design tool that can help any small business create professional-quality visuals with ease – without needing technical skills. Key updates were: We integrated Designer into Word and PowerPoint so users can generate images and use those images within these apps. In addition, Designer will suggest design templates for your slides. A Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription is needed and unlocks the use of Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps. And lastly, in 2024, we empowered SMBs to see how AI could make them more productive by expanding Microsoft Copilot into our popular apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams. Users can now summarize emails, generate insights in Word and Excel, and unlock powerful meeting insights in Teams. Among many new AI-powered features, we introduced Intelligent Call Recap in Teams which serves up AI-powered insights and recaps for your VoIP and PSTN calls in Teams, helping you stay on top of important details. Microsoft’s Continued Recognitions With Analysts and Customers As a testament to our excellence, Microsoft was once again crowned a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications for the sixth year in a row! Here’s what Gartner called out: Microsoft Teams is the top pick for businesses, especially when using it for internal collaboration. With a super reliable 99.999% uptime, it has solid telephony services to keep you connected. Teams is perfect for global cloud telephony, offering flexible PSTN options. Plus, Gartner called out our Operator Connect feature, which allows businesses to connect their existing telephony services directly to Teams, is now available in over 96 countries, including India. Copilot in Teams and Teams Premium brings cutting-edge AI features to meetings, chats, and calls. Gartner said that for those seeking the latest in AI, Microsoft is rapidly innovating. Teams now has over 350 million monthly active users. This growth highlights the platform’s continued popularity and widespread adoption among businesses worldwide. If you haven’t tried running your meetings on Teams, there’s no better time to. And over on G2 Reviews, Microsoft 365 currently has 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users like its ease of use, seamless integrations, and the extensive suite of tools it offers. Small businesses have praised the platform’s ability to streamline workflows and supercharge productivity. TechRadar also recognized Microsoft 365 as “the original and best office productivity suite” in December 2024, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. We’re thrilled that they said: “What ensured that MS Office became a market leader is the comprehensive way data can be covered by different applications and moved between them, making working more efficient and hassle-free.” Transforming Operations: How ICG Build Scaled with Microsoft 365 ICG, a startup construction firm, has successfully leveraged Microsoft 365 to establish and streamline its entire operations from day one. By utilizing Excel for budgeting, Word and PowerPoint for creating branded templates, Outlook for managing emails, Power BI for data visualization, and Teams for communication and collaboration, ICG has been able to scale its business efficiently. Here are some insights from their experience: Nick Masci, Principal & Co-Founder at ICG, shares: “Having everything in Microsoft 365 makes finding information fast and easy. Microsoft 365 has been instrumental in setting up our entire operations, from budgeting in Excel to managing emails in Outlook.” Melissa McEwen, Principal & Co-founder at ICG, adds, “Using Microsoft 365, we’ve been able to create branded templates in Word and PowerPoint, which has streamlined our client presentations and enhanced our professional image.” These testimonials highlight the transformative impact of Microsoft 365 on ICG’s operational efficiency and client engagement. Navigating 2025 Together Small businesses are in for another exciting ride in 2025 as they face trends like the continued integration of AI into our lives, a shift to returning to the office, and the continued need to be as efficient as possible. Microsoft 365 is here to support you with tools that boost productivity like Copilot; Teams and Teams Phone to support all work models, and powerful features that come included in our core apps like Design Ideas in PowerPoint that gives you multiple layout and design options to help you get your new slide started. Curious to learn more? You can read more about how to choose the right plan here. Are you a small or medium business owner/decision maker currently using Microsoft 365? We'd like to hear from you! We invite you to apply to join the Microsoft 365 SMB Customer Advisory Board. Applications accepted until February 28th, 2025. See aka.ms/SMBCAB for more details.
Survey on Microsoft Copilot Adoption in Enterprises – Seeking Participants!
Hi all, I would greatly appreciate your participation in my survey to gather insights from professionals who have experience with Copilot in a business environment. Your input will be invaluable to my study! As part of my thesis, I am conducting a study on the integration of Microsoft Copilot in Office 365 for enterprises. This research aims to explore how AI-powered tools are transforming workplace productivity and decision-making. Take the survey here: https://forms.gle/4pVgCU6Ky2hHGdD8A The survey takes only a few minutes, and your responses will contribute to a better understanding of AI adoption in organizations. Thank you for your support, and please feel free to share!Announcing the Microsoft 365 SMB Customer Advisory Board
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Microsoft 365 SMB Customer Advisory Board (CAB), an exclusive opportunity for small and medium business (SMB) leaders to connect directly with Microsoft. This initiative is designed to foster a direct line of communication, allowing SMBs to share their insights, challenges, and feedback with Microsoft, ultimately shaping the future of our products and services. Why Join the SMB Customer Advisory Board? The SMB CAB offers a unique platform for SMB leaders to engage in meaningful discussions with Microsoft executives and like-minded peers. Here are some of the key benefits of joining the CAB: Direct Communication: Gain a direct line of communication with Microsoft leaders, providing valuable feedback and insights that will influence product development and strategy. Networking Opportunities: Connect with other SMB leaders, share best practices, and discuss industry trends and challenges. Exclusive Insights: Access exclusive research and behind-the-scenes details from Microsoft, helping you stay ahead of the curve. Influence Product Development: Provide feedback on product strategy, messaging, training content, and pricing, to help align Microsoft solutions with the needs of SMBs. Complimentary Access: Receive a complimentary ticket to the Microsoft 365 Community Conference and exclusive swag. Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for the SMB CAB, applicants must meet the following criteria: Hold a strategic decision-maker role (C-Suite, Founder, Business or IT Leader). Represent a business with fewer than 1,000 employees. Be a current customer of Microsoft 365 products. Be based in Canada, LATAM, or the United States. Application Process We are accepting applications through February 28th, 2025. Interested SMB leaders can apply by visiting aka.ms/SMBCAB. The first meeting will kick off in person at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference from May 6-8 in Las Vegas, NV. While in-person attendance is encouraged, it is not required for membership acceptance. Join Us Today! Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to shape the future of Microsoft 365 solutions for SMBs. Apply today to become a trusted advisor and make a meaningful impact on the products and services that drive your business forward. For more information and to apply, visit aka.ms/SMBCAB. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the SMB CAB v-team at SMBCAB@Microsoft.com.
Shape the Future of Microsoft 365! 🚀 Share your feedback in our quick 5-minute survey!
We’re seeking customer feedback on an upcoming feature set related to security settings and device management in Microsoft 365. Please share your thoughts by filling out this 5-minute survey: https://forms.office.com/r/ynx42a41th If you’re interested in providing additional feedback, feel free to comment below.
