In this episode, Paul Robichaux and I tackle a range of topics that are top-of-mind for Microsoft 365 administrators. We start with a look at Microsoft’s latest financial results, then move on to discuss the evolving landscape of Viva Engage.
Later in the show, Bastiaan Verdonk and I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Banks, former Group Chief Technology and Information Officer of AP Moller-Maersk, and a keynote speaker at TEC 2025. When the company was hit by the largest malicious cyber-attack to date, he was at the heart of efforts to both keep the company going and repair the damage. He shared his valuable insights on navigating the challenges of cybersecurity, the need for accountability, and the mindset shifts needed in IT.
Microsoft’s Q3 FY25 Results: 430 Million and Counting
Microsoft’s Q3 FY25 results are in, and the numbers are impressive – although a large round of layoffs at Microsoft certainly cast a dark shadow over this success:
- 430 million paid Microsoft 365 users.
- 7% increase year-over-year
- $70 billion in cloud revenue
Paul noted that maintaining a 7% annual growth rate on a service as mature as Microsoft 365 is a very respectable achievement – but with so many organizations on Microsoft 365, Copilot – and agents in particular – are where we’d expect Microsoft to be focusing on, even more, over the next year.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 Spring Release
The Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 Spring release brings several key updates (Microsoft 365 Blog):
- Copilot Pages: A new dynamic canvas for multiplayer AI collaboration, allowing users to edit, add to, and share AI-generated content.
- Copilot in Excel: Now generally available, Copilot can work with data that hasn’t been formatted as a table and supports more formulas. Also supports working with text, in addition to numerical, data.
- Copilot in PowerPoint: Narrative Builder is now generally available, helping users create a first draft by building an outline from a simple prompt.
- Copilot in Teams: Can now reason over both the meeting transcript and the meeting chat to give you a complete picture of what was discussed.
- Copilot in Outlook: The new “Prioritize my inbox” feature analyses your inbox and flags the most important emails while providing a summary of it and the reason it was prioritized.
- Copilot in OneDrive: Can reason over all your files quickly to find the information you need, making it easy to gain insights, summarize, and compare up to five files with a clear, easy-to-read summary of the details and differences within your files.
More info on the Microsoft Blog
Yammer’s Back Baby (Well, a More Yammer-like Engage App Arrives in the Teams Mobile App)
Viva Engage is evolving, bringing a more Yammer-app-of-old like experience to the Teams mobile app, with a re-write that makes the app more mobile friendly (i.e. like the old, dedicated Yammer app) but with modernization, new features and better Teams integration:
- Refreshed User Interface: A modernized look and feel, bringing key functionality from Microsoft Yammer.
- Mobile-First Design: Designed with mobile users in mind, for on-the-go access.
- Integration with Teams Notifications: New reply and reaction notifications integrate with existing Teams notifications
- Leadership Corner: Providing direct access to leadership updates
Read more on the Microsoft Tech Community
Copilot Agents: Your AI Assistants are Here (Whether you like it or not!)
Agents are making a bigger play, both at Microsoft Build this week, and in Copilot, as agents are now generally available and are designed to bring AI-powered automation to various roles in the workplace.
As Paul and I discussed, these agents can take on roles, like a Project Manager agent in Microsoft Planner, automating task creation, tracking progress, and integrating with other tools. The key will be finding the balance between AI assistance and human oversight, especially if agents take on tasks previously managed by people.
Read more on the Microsoft Blog
Practical 365 Podcast Guest: Adam Banks Talks Cybersecurity Response
Bastiaan Verdonk and I were joined by Adam Banks, former Group Chief Technology and Information Officer of AP Moller-Maersk. When the company was hit by the largest malicious cyber attack to date, he was at the heart of efforts to both keep the company going and repair the damage.
Banks draws upon his experience at Maersk, where a major cyberattack forced a re-evaluation of security architecture and a shift in mindset. He emphasizes that technology leaders need to facilitate “adult-to-adult conversations” about risk ownership and be prepared to drive change from a position of clear accountability.
Highlights include:
- Cybersecurity Challenges: Organizations face significant challenges in cybersecurity, requiring a shift in mindset regarding risk ownership.
- Accountability: Accountability in decision-making is crucial for effective IT management.
- Crisis Management: A structured approach and clear communication are essential during crises.
- Trust: “Trust is a choice” that can be built over time.
- Technology Leadership: Technology leaders must align their strategies with business goals.
Adam will be joining us at TEC 2025 this September 30-October 1st, in his keynote session Cybersecurity Under Fire: Real-World Resilience Tactics.
That’s it for this week’s episode. Join us next time for more practical insights into the world of Microsoft 365, AI, Cybersecurity and more. As always – don’t forget to subscribe to the Practical 365 podcast on iTunes, Spotify or whereever you get your podcasts from.
