Microsoft Teams Takes Center Stage at the 2026 Microsoft 365 Community Conference
Microsoft Teams is where people, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and agents come together to collaborate, communicate, and get work done—before, during, and after every interaction. Contributing to and benefiting from Work IQ, Copilot in Teams understands the context, relationships, and signals behind real work, bringing meetings, calling, chat, and collaboration into a single, connected experience across Microsoft 365. At the 2026 Microsoft 365 Community Conference, Teams will be front and center with a broad set of sessions that reflect how teamwork is evolving. From everyday collaboration and meetings to frontline communications, external collaboration, and Copilot‑powered workflows, Teams is designed to help organizations move work forward with clarity and confidence. Register for the M365 Conference today and save $150 with code SAVE150. #M365Con26 Across the Teams sessions at the conference, you’ll see how AI‑powered capabilities—like intelligent meeting recap, real‑time language interpretation, AI‑assistance for calling, and collaborative agents—help teams stay aligned whether work happens in the office, on the front line, or across time zones. What to Expect from the Teams Track The Teams track at the M365 Community Conference offers a practical, end‑to‑end view of how Teams supports new ways work gets done and how organizations can continue their journey toward becoming a Frontier Firm by connecting communication, collaboration, intelligence, and governance in one AI-powered platform. Sessions span key areas including: Collaboration across meetings and events, chats and channels AI-powered communications and modern calling Enabling frontline teams Seamless and secure external collaboration Workplace collaboration and management Operational excellence for IT admins Protection against modern and evolving threats How Teams integrates across Microsoft 365 and contributes to Work IQ for Copilot Whether you’re deploying Teams, managing it at scale, building on it, or using it to drive business outcomes, the Teams track is designed to meet you where you are and help you plan what’s next. You can find the full list of sessions here. Start Here: The Teams Track Session You Shouldn’t Miss To set strategic context for the Teams track, start with Your Guide: What’s New in Teams — Collaboration, Communication, and Copilot. Led by Ilya Bukshteyn, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Teams, and Chandra Chivukula, Vice President, Microsoft Teams Engineering, this session sets the foundation for the Teams track. You’ll get a high‑level view of where Teams is headed—how it’s becoming more intelligent, easier to manage, and increasingly shaped by Copilot across collaboration, meetings, and calling—before diving deeper into the rest of the Teams sessions throughout the conference. Women in Tech and Allies Lunch: featuring Lan Ye and Sumi Singh Lan Ye and Sumi Singh will join this year’s Women in Tech and Allies Lunch as featured panelists. As Corporate Vice Presidents leading Microsoft Teams product and engineering, they’ll share insights, experiences, and advice on fostering diversity and empowerment in technology. Their participation promises a dynamic and engaging discussion you won’t want to miss. Exclusive: Executive Teams Pre-Day Microsoft Teams will host an exclusive Teams Pre‑Day on Monday, April 20, 2026, in Orlando, FL., the day before the conference begins. This full‑day experience is designed for executive IT and business decision makers who shape productivity, collaboration, and communications strategy within their organizations. The day features direct engagement with Microsoft Teams leaders and product experts, with a focus on what’s next across Teams, including Copilot and AI within Teams, and how to maximize value across meetings, calling, devices, and collaboration. Space is limited, and attendance will be aligned to the intended audience for the day. If you’re interested in attending, connect with your Microsoft account team to see if there is still availability. Explore 1:1 Strategic Discussions at the Conference A limited number of 1:1 side meetings will be available during the conference for customers looking to discuss Teams strategy, roadmap alignment, and organizational priorities. These conversations are designed for higher‑level planning discussions and complement the technical depth available across breakout sessions and the Teams booth. Availability is limited. Connect with your Microsoft account team to explore options. Experience Teams Beyond the Sessions In addition to breakout sessions and lightning talks, visit the Microsoft Teams product demos in the Microsoft Innovation Hub on the show floor. It’s a great opportunity to see the latest Teams capabilities in action, explore real‑world scenarios, and connect directly with the product experts behind the experiences. Register for the M365 Conference today and save $150 with code SAVE150. We hope to see you there!
Spotlight On... AI Transformation & the Frontier Firm Playbook
Introduction AI transformation is not a single launch – it’s a multi‑phase journey that blends strategy, change management, and measurable business outcomes. The Frontier Firm Playbook captures how leading organizations move from AI pilots to pervasive impact by aligning use cases to business value, scaling responsibly, and building momentum with the right metrics. This article shares how to apply that playbook in practice – and how Viva Glint and Viva Pulse together serve as the employee listening and insights backbone of the transformation, capturing signals of readiness, trust, adoption, and impact that usage telemetry alone cannot reveal. Pulse enables rapid, scenario‑specific feedback early and often, while Glint provides the enterprise‑grade analytics, benchmarking, and trend analysis required to govern and scale AI transformation. Why Follow the Frontier Firm Playbook? Frontier Firms are those that consistently turn AI’s potential into a durable competitive advantage. What sets them apart is how they manage the transformation: Intentional sequencing: They sequence initiatives from foundational readiness to pilot-scenario quick wins, to scaled adoption. Measuring what matters: They go beyond raw deployment counts – tracking usage, behavior change, and business outcomes together. Building trust & capability: They invest in upskilling, clear communication, and responsible AI guardrails to foster confidence and competence. Continuous feedback loops: They continuously listen to employees (and customers), using feedback to refine the program as it evolves. Crucially, Frontier Firms treat AI adoption as an organization-wide people transformation, not just a tech rollout. HR: Co-Owner of the Journey In successful AI transformations, HR is a named co‑owner of the Frontier Firm journey alongside IT and business leadership. That’s because lasting AI-powered change depends on new behaviors, skills, and cultural shifts at scale – domains where HR excels: Workforce transformation: AI adoption reshapes roles, skills, incentives, manager routines, and culture. HR functions as the strategic enabler for these workforce changes, ensuring people are prepared and supported. Skills and enablement: HR drives role-based training, upskilling, and change communications, so employees feel confident and know why and how to use AI. Employee listening & trust: HR uses Viva Glint and Pulse to gauge sentiment, trust, and pain points, giving leaders evidence to steer the change effectively. Bottom line: AI transformation is as much about people as technology. Empowering HR to co-lead – backed by robust employee insights – greatly increases the odds of success. Viva Glint & Pulse: A Layered Listening Model Frontier Firms use a layered listening approach. Viva Pulse captures fast, situational feedback during early rollout and experimentation, while Viva Glint consolidates sentiment, comments, and outcomes into a durable insight layer that leaders use to steer, govern, and scale AI adoption. Different data sets answer different questions: Telemetry (e.g., Copilot usage stats and license dispersion) shows what is happening – who is using AI, how often, in which apps. Business outcomes (KPIs like productivity or quality metrics) show what changed as a result of AI. Glint and Pulse measure why those results are happening in a way to guide direct action to address the feedback – revealing human factors like confidence, trust, friction points, and enablement gaps. Simply put, Glint and Pulse track workforce sentiment and adoption motivators throughout the AI journey, allowing organizations to continuously check in with employees and to leverage advanced analytics to uncover key insights. This real-time input highlights challenges or wins that metrics alone can't provide—such as identifying whether low usage stems from inadequate training, apprehension about AI, or workflow mismatch. By using Glint and Pulse, HR and leaders gain a trusted, central gauge of organizational readiness and sentiment. This allows them to address issues (e.g., low confidence or ethical concerns) proactively and to celebrate successes (e.g., improved productivity and morale) with credible data. The Frontier Firm Phases & What to Measure Successful AI transformation follows a deliberate, phased path. Frontier Firms progress through three stages: Foundation, Expansion, and Frontier. Across all phases, Frontier Firms follow a consistent measurement journey: early readiness feedback (Pulse), deep sentiment and trend analysis (Glint), and usage/outcome correlation (Viva Insights + Copilot reports). Phase 1: Foundation Goal: Ensure the organization is prepared — strategically and culturally — to adopt AI. Frontier Firms start by aligning AI scenarios to business priorities and establishing clear guardrails. Just as importantly, they assess whether employees understand why AI matters and feel confident using it. What to measure: Employee confidence and trust in AI Enterprise cultural readiness Awareness of priority AI scenarios and enablement coverage Awareness of strategic mission aligned to AI investments Early signals of hesitation, risk, or uneven preparedness HR’s role: HR co‑owns this phase by shaping the change narrative, segmenting the workforce for targeted enablement, and ensuring managers are equipped to lead adoption. Phase 2: Expansion Goal: Prove value quickly in a small number of high‑impact scenarios. In this phase, Frontier Firms focus on 2–4 pilot scenarios that demonstrate tangible benefits and build confidence across the organization. What to measure: Copilot usage depth and repeat use in pilot groups Self‑reported time savings and quality improvements Employee feedback on usefulness, accuracy, and friction HR’s role: HR partners with business leaders to reinforce new habits through role‑based learning, manager routines, and peer sharing. Phase 3: Frontier Goal: Embed AI into everyday work and sustain momentum responsibly. Once value is proven, Frontier Firms scale adoption with consistent enablement, governance, and continuous listening. What to measure: Adoption patterns by role, team, and region Links between AI usage, employee experience, and strategic business outcomes Ongoing trust, confidence, and enablement effectiveness HR’s role: HR helps embed AI into role expectations, capability models, and performance conversations, ensuring adoption is sustainable and inclusive. Why this matters Across all three phases, telemetry shows what's happening — but employee sentiment explains why. By pairing usage and outcome data with workforce sentiment, Frontier Firms reduce transformation risk, accelerate value realization, and scale AI with confidence. Your AI Transformation Measurement Stack To manage an AI transformation, you will draw on multiple sources of data and insights. Viva Glint and Pulse sit at the center of this measurement strategy, complemented by usage analytics and workplace analytics across Viva. The table below summarizes how each tool or signal contributes: Measurement Tool / Signal Role in AI Transformation (What It Captures) Viva Glint and Pulse – Copilot Survey Templates Employee sentiment and readiness. Pulse is typically used for early and recurring checks tied to specific Copilot/AI Transformation moments, while Glint is used to aggregate, analyze, and correlate sentiment with usage and outcomes over time. Purpose-built surveys templates for Readiness, Adoption, Impact can be deployed in Viva Glint or Pulse designed to capture baseline and ongoing sentiment on AI: e.g., awareness, confidence, trust, perceived usefulness, and enablement effectiveness. Reveals why people are or are not adopting. M365 Copilot usage & adoption analytics Usage telemetry. Dashboard and admin reports showing who is using Copilot, how often, and in which scenarios (when available). Key metrics include active users, active days per user, and usage trends by team or role. Shows what AI usage looks like across the org. Viva Glint + Insights – Workplace Patterns report Work pattern changes. Analyzes how work habits are shifting as AI is adopted: meeting hours, focus time, after-hours workload, cross-collaboration patterns, etc. Compare teams using Copilot vs. those not using it to see if work is getting streamlined (e.g., fewer meetings, more focus time). Viva Glint + Copilot – Employee Experience Outcomes report Experience vs. adoption link. Combines the above data to see if higher AI adoption correlates with improved employee experience. For example, do people who use Copilot feel they “can do my best work” more often? Is workload perception changing? Understanding sentiment with Copilot also helps us uncover: -high adoption but low satisfaction signaling, e.g., the need for more enablement -low usage/low satisfaction signaling, e.g., the need to explore deeper barriers and root causes Viva Glint + Engage - Ambient Signals report (in development) Integrated telemetry + outcomes + sentiment. In development: advanced analytics to link behavioral data with outcomes and sentiment in real time. This can pinpoint moments that matter – e.g., correlating a spike in AI usage with a boost in productivity or identifying where low trust feedback coincides with low adoption. Viva Glint - Employee Feedback agent (in development) Continuous listening at scale. In development: an on-demand, conversational feedback tool enabling quick pulse checks on specific topics. For instance, a manager could ask their team about a new Copilot feature, and an AI-driven summary of responses would feed into the program's next steps. Together, these tools provide a 360° view of your AI initiative. But it is the voice of your employees, the qualitative “why” layer as measured by Glint and Pulse, that gives context to the quantitative numbers. It ensures you do not misinterpret raw data and helps HR and leaders make informed adjustments (whether that's more training, tweaking a use case, or communicating success stories to build confidence). Example 90‑Day Plan To illustrate how all these pieces come together, here is an example of a 90-day rollout plan that can be piloted with a subset of the employee population before rolling out function –specific or enterprise-wide initiatives for kicking off the Frontier Firm journey: Weeks 0–4: Awareness & Readiness Deploy short readiness and expectation surveys using Viva Pulse to capture early sentiment on AI confidence, trust, and perceived value. Use Viva Insights to establish baseline Copilot usage and adoption patterns. Segment early adopters to inform a targeted pilot rollout strategy. Set clear adoption and experience success metrics and develop enablement materials. Weeks 5-8: Pilot, Learn, and Adjust Launch pilots with defined scenarios and success criteria. Continue Pulse check‑ins to monitor usefulness, friction, and enablement gaps. Analyze sentiment heatmaps and early resistance signals to refine the pilot approach. Begin correlating early sentiment with usage using Copilot Employee Experience Outcomes data where available. Weeks 9-12: Scale with Confidence Conduct Viva Glint engagement or Copilot Impact surveys to measure sustained confidence, trust, and enablement. Correlate Glint sentiment insights with usage and Workplace Patterns data to identify what is driving (or blocking) adoption. Identify success stories and positive adoption signals to amplify across the organization. Establish a recurring measurement rhythm using Glint and Pulse as the systems of record for ongoing governance. Throughout these 90 days, the insights from Glint, Pulse and other analytics are crucial – they ensure you’re not just checking technical metrics but truly understanding how employees are experiencing the change. Early feedback helps you iterate the program for greater success in subsequent waves. “What Good Looks Like”: Key Success Signals How will you know if your AI transformation is on track? Here are some leading indicators that Frontier Firms watch for: Adoption: ~60–70% of target users actively using AI at least weekly by the second month, with the average frequency of use per user rising steadily. This shows not only broad uptake but deeper habitual use. Employee Experience: Improvement in employee survey ratings on items like “I can do my best work” or “I have the tools and support I need,” indicating that people feel more effective and supported with AI. Productivity Gains: Measurable time savings in key workflows – for example, a 10–20% reduction in routine meeting time for pilot teams, faster completion of tasks like document preparation or case notes, etc. Quality Improvements: Signs of higher quality output in pilot areas, such as fewer revision cycles required or fewer escalations and errors in AI-assisted processes. Confidence & Trust: Increasing user-reported accuracy ratings and confidence in AI recommendations over time, reflecting growing trust as the technology proves its value. Sustainability: A growing and active community of champions, an expanding library of shared best-practice prompts, and a visible improvement backlog for the AI program. These all indicate that the initiative is building self-sustaining momentum beyond the initial push. These metrics should be interpreted in combination. For instance, a jump in usage is encouraging – but if experience or trust scores drop, it flags a risk (perhaps people feel pressure to use AI without support). That's why Glint’s qualitative insights are so vital to pair with quantitative metrics. Frontier Firms watch both, ensuring increased AI adoption also means employees feel more effective and empowered, not frustrated or threatened. Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them) Even with a solid plan, there are missteps to guard against. Here are a few common pitfalls in AI transformation – and how Frontier Firms avoid them: Staying vigilant about these pitfalls will help ensure your AI initiative delivers sustained results. In particular, never underestimate the people side – unaddressed fears or lack of support can derail even the best technology. By measuring and responding to the human signals, you mitigate transformation risks (e.g., catching early signs of fatigue or compliance concerns) and strengthen your case for scaling AI responsibly. Resources Embarking on the Frontier Firm journey requires both strategic vision and tactical execution. Here are some resources to help you move forward: Frontier Firm Playbook – Detailed guidance on AI transformation patterns, example scenarios, and maturity stages (Microsoft’s playbook) Frontier Firm Scenarios – A library of industry-specific AI use cases to spark ideas By following the Frontier Firm Playbook – and leveraging Glint and Pulse to keep a finger on the pulse of your organization – you can turn AI from a promising experiment into a sustainable, enterprise-wide capability. The result is not just successful AI adoption, but a more engaged, empowered workforce ready to innovate continuously. Good luck on your journey to becoming a Frontier Firm!What's New in Microsoft EDU - March 2026
Join us on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026 for our latest "What's New in Microsoft EDU" webinar! We will be covering all of the latest product updates from Microsoft Education. These 30-minute webinars are put on by the Microsoft Education Product Management group and happen once per month, this month both 8:00am Pacific Time and 4:00pm Pacific time to cover as many global time zones as possible around the world. And don’t worry – we’ll be recording these and posting on our Microsoft Education YouTube channel in the new “What’s New in Microsoft EDU” playlist, so you’ll always to able to watch later or share with others! Here is our March 2026 webinar agenda: 1) M365 Copilot and AI updates for Educators and Students - Modify Existing Content - Minecraft EDU Lesson Plans - New Learning Activities: Fill in the Blanks, Matching and Self-Quizzing - Study & Learn agent for studnets 2) Learning Zone General Availability and the Copilot+ PC 3) Microsoft 365 LTI and Teach Module for Learning Management Systems 4) AMA - Ask Microsoft EDU Anything (Q&A) We look forward to having you attend the event! How to sign up 📅 OPTION 1: March 25th, Wednesday @ 8:00am Pacific Time Register here 📅 OPTION 2: March 25th, Wednesday @ 4:00pm Pacific Time Register here This is what the webinar portal will look like when you register: We look forward to seeing you there! Mike Tholfsen Group Product Manager Microsoft EducationPartner Blog | Introducing Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite
Frontier Firms—those who adopt an AI-first approach as a core part of their business strategy—are shaping the future of work, which is increasingly fueled by agentic AI. As customers move toward Frontier Transformation, you can help them seize the agentic moment with the premium Microsoft 365 E7 plan, generally available on May 1, 2026. Microsoft 365 E7 is the Frontier Suite, designed for a human-led, agent-operated enterprise, turning human intent into AI action that functions securely and at scale. To accomplish this, Microsoft 365 E7 includes access to Microsoft Agent 365—the control plane to govern and scale agents. Microsoft 365 E7 bundles Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Entra Suite, and Agent 365 to serve customers who are ready to scale AI with governance and security. This means your customers will have AI-powered productivity apps with advanced security and AI capabilities, grounded in intelligence and trust. You can help your customers make the most of the agentic AI opportunity and unlock new monetization streams with the premium Microsoft 365 E7 plan. Starting on April 1, 2026, to accelerate Microsoft 365 E5 to Microsoft 365 E7 upsell and Agent 365 adoption, Copilot + Power Accelerate will include Agent 365 across Immersion Briefings, Envisioning and proof of concept (PoC) engagements, and Deployment Accelerators. Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 will also be included as eligible workloads for core tier one strategic product accelerators and growth levers in Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) incentives. The AI future is here. Encourage your customers to upgrade to Microsoft 365 E7 so they can move faster and deploy AI with confidence. Read more in our blog postCopilot Pages & Notebooks, Microsoft Loop: IT Admin Update – December 2025
For background, check out last year's Nov 2024 IT Admin update. Here's this year's progress and summary: Many key governance, lifecycle, and compliance features for Loop workspaces and Copilot Pages & Notebooks are now available. Learn more here Key deliverables remaining: M365 Group enforcement for shared Loop workspaces Departed User workflows for Copilot Pages, Notebooks, and the My workspace in Loop Multi-Geo Create in user's PDL for shared Loop workspaces Read the rest for details What’s Delivered (since Nov 2024) Sensitivity Labels for Loop workspaces Learn more here Guest Sharing for Loop (Entra B2B: Jul 2024 | for orgs with Sensitivity Labels: Mar 2025) Learn more here Retention Labels for Loop pages and components Learn more here Admin Management: Membership, ownership, deletion, restoration, search, filter, in SharePoint Embedded Admin Center and PowerShell for containers Learn more here Promote Members to Owners for Loop workspaces Learn more here M365 Group owned workspaces: managed by M365 Groups for workspaces created within Teams channels Learn more here Also, check out the latest from Ignite 2025 on Unlocking Productivity with Copilot Pages. What’s In Progress / Coming Soon Feature / Scenario Status Target Date Notes Enforce Microsoft 365 group-owned Loop workspaces In development Q1 CY'26 - 422725 IT policy to require Microsoft 365 groups for lifecycle management of shared Loop workspaces Multi-Geo Create In development Q4 CY'25 - 421616 All new Loop workspaces saved in creator’s PDL geo Departed User Workflow In development Q1 CY’26 - 421612 Temporary or permanent reassignment of existing user-owned containers, copy capability for data URL to Open Containers in app In development Q1 CY'26 - 421612 Application Redirect URL that opens in app when clicked if user has permissions User-Accessible Recycle Bin In development H1 CY’26 - 421615 Restore deleted Copilot Pages, Notebooks from Microsoft 365 Copilot app, restore deleted workspaces from Loop app Groups as Members (tenant-owned) In development H1 CY’26 Invite Microsoft 365 groups as members to Notebooks and workspaces Graph APIs for management In development H1 CY'26 For organizations with dev teams and in house management tools Read-only members Paused Due to lower overall feedback volumes, this work is paused Target date disclaimer: dates and features are estimates and may change. For the latest status, see the Microsoft 365 Public Roadmap links. Instead of creating and repeating content directly in the post this year, our IT Admin documentation on learn.microsoft.com and the Microsoft 365 Public Roadmap has been updated based on the above. We recognize that lack of some of these capabilities may still block your rollout. Please drop questions in the comments or reach out to us through your account team. We're excited to be enabling the rollouts of Copilot Pages, Notebooks, and Loop workspaces in your organization.Learn to maximize your productivity at the proMX Project Operations + AI Summit 2026
As organizations accelerate AI adoption across business applications, mastering how Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions, Copilot, and agents work together is becoming a strategic priority. Fortunately, businesses no longer need to rely on speculation — they can gain practical insights with fellow industry professionals during a unique two-day event: On April 21-22, 2026, Microsoft and proMX will jointly host the fourth edition of proMX Project Operations Summit at the Microsoft office in Munich, but this time with an AI edge. The summit brings together Dynamics 365 customers and Microsoft and proMX experts to explore how AI is reshaping project delivery, resource management, and operational decision‑making across industries. On day one, participants will discover how Dynamics 365 Project Operations, Copilot, Project Online, proMX 365 PPM, and Contact Center can strategically transform business processes and drive organizational growth. On day two, they can explore the technical side of these solutions. Secure your spot! What to expect from the summit Expert-led, actionable insights Join interactive sessions led by Microsoft and proMX experts to learn practical AI and Dynamics 365 skills you can use right away. Inspiring keynotes Gain future-focused perspectives on Dynamics 365, Copilot, and AI to prepare your organization for what’s next. In between our special guests we have Microsoft's Rupa Mantravadi, Chief Product Officer, Dynamics 365 Project Operations, Rob Nehrbas, Head of AI Business Solutions, Archana Prasad, Worldwide FastTrack Leader for Project Operations, and Mathias Klaas, Partner Development Manager. Hands-on AI workshops Take part in workshops where Sebastian Sieber, Global Technology Director (proMX) and Microsoft MVP will show the newest AI features in Dynamics 365, giving you real-world experience with innovative tools. Connect with industry leaders Engage with experts through Q&A sessions, round tables, and personalized Connect Meetings for tailored guidance on your business needs. Real customer success stories Hear case studies from proMX customers who are already using Dynamics 365 solutions and learn proven strategies for successful digital transformation. Who should attend? This summit is tailored for business and IT decision-makers that are using Dynamics 365 solutions and want to drive more business impact with AI, but also for those who might be planning to move away from other project management solutions such as Project Online and need practical guidance grounded in real-life implementations. Date: Apr 21 & 22, 2026 | 2 -Days event Location: Microsoft Munich, Walter-Gropius Straße 5, Munich, Bavaria, DE, 80807 Ready to maximize your productivity? Register here.
