January 2025
Overview
A broad range of new offerings was introduced, including Viva Connections on the SharePoint app bar, a pay-as-you-go billing model for SharePoint agents, and a redesigned Hero web part, among other enhancements.
Viva Connections in the SharePoint app bar
Roadmap ID: 468290
A new entry point for Viva Connections has been integrated into the SharePoint app bar, enhancing navigation by positioning it alongside key elements such as Global Navigation, My Sites, My News, My Files, My Lists, and the Create experience. This update ensures that all users can seamlessly access Viva Connections from any SharePoint site.
Note: The feature is enabled by default and is available only to organizations with a configured and published dashboard and an active Viva Connections experience on their tenant.
New Pay-as-you-go billing model for SharePoint agents
Roadmap ID: NIL
A new pay-as-you-go (PayG) billing model for SharePoint agents is now available. Organizations can use an Azure subscription to pay based on the number of queries processed. This update enables administrators to allow users without Copilot licenses to access and create agents on any authorized SharePoint site or document library, while users with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses continue under their established terms. To implement this model, administrators must configure billing and activate the service in the Microsoft 365 admin center, requiring an Azure subscription and a resource group.
Note: The use of PayG to allow unlicensed users to utilize SharePoint agents will respect any controls in place to manage Copilot within the organization.
Re-imagined Hero web part, bringing a new carousel layout to SharePoint pages and news
Roadmap ID: 395214
This new layout enhances page engagement by integrating a dynamic slideshow with three distinct styling options that combine compelling imagery, bold text, and clear calls to action. Authors can create up to five visually striking carousel slides within any section, allowing them to highlight key content effectively. Additionally, support for Clipchamp/Stream videos enriches the page's media content, making every element more appealing and interactive.
Viva Engage: Leadership feed is now available when using the Viva Engage conversations web part
Roadmap ID: NIL
The new "Leaders" feed has been added to the existing feed options—Community, User, Topic, and Home feeds—offering full interactivity that enables users to ask questions, get answers, and share best practices. It is configured via the Viva Engage "Conversations" web part edit pane on the selected SharePoint page, and the display adjusts based on the user's license: individuals with a Viva suite or Viva Employee Communications and Communities license see the leadership corner content, while others see the home feed.
New "Editorial card" web part, for use on SharePoint pages and news posts
Roadmap ID: 414524
This web part offers a powerful yet simple way to display content in an engaging card format with advanced background and content settings. Unlike automated tools like News and Events, the Editorial Card allows you to manually customize every aspect of the presentation—including selecting a background image, entering a category, crafting a headline, adding descriptive text, and activating an actionable, hyperlinked button.
Moreover, you can choose from three layout options: image overlay, color block, or a split view. Additionally, note that video playback requires the acceptance of cookies or can be viewed on the provider’s site.
New Accessibility assistant tool for authoring SharePoint pages
Roadmap ID: 470603
The team has introduced a new Accessibility Assistant tool designed to help content creators meet accessibility standards when authoring SharePoint pages and news posts. The tool provides real-time checks and concise guidance to ensure that pages are inclusive and accessible to a wide audience. During the editing process, authors can launch an accessibility test by selecting the Accessibility Assistant icon from the right vertical toolbar. The assistant offers targeted support for key web parts, including Banner, Text, Image, Hero, and Quick Links, reinforcing the commitment to remove barriers and enhance internal communications for everyone.
SharePoint pages: Flexible sections
Roadmap ID: 395213
Flexible sections is a new SharePoint section type that empowers authors to control page layouts without a fixed column structure. Users can drag and drop web parts freely on a grid, with automatic alignment to the nearest grid line, and adjust their size according to specific constraints—card-based web parts (like Quick Links, People, or Hero) offer preset width options, while non-card web parts (such as Text, Image, or File & Media) allow any width.
Additionally, this innovation supports overlapping, multi-selecting, and grouping of web parts, along with the ability to drag new section templates from the content pane toolbox. This functionality is available in both SharePoint and Viva Amplify, enhancing layout flexibility and creative control.
A new admin control for Microsoft Lists: Hide real-time list collaborators at the site collection level
Roadmap ID: NIL
Admins can now disable the display of co-authors on lists based on customer privacy feedback. By executing the PowerShell command:
Set-SPOSite -Identity -HidePeopleWhoHaveListsOpen $true
this feature can be turned off for individual site collections. Although the visibility of active users is enabled by default, the command conceals who is working on a list in real time while maintaining co-authoring capabilities.
Microsoft Teams: New DVR capabilities for town halls (desktop and web)
Roadmap ID: 422804
This new feature in Microsoft Teams empowers town hall attendees on Windows desktops or the web to control live streams as if they were recorded sessions. Users can pause, rewind, or jump to any part of the meeting timeline using DVR controls that appear when hovering over the content. Once they've caught up or navigated the stream, a "Watch Live" button allows them to seamlessly return to the live event. This functionality is available for all Teams town halls, regardless of the organizer's license, providing enhanced control over the viewing experience.
Reduced file sizes for Microsoft Teams meeting recordings exported from Clipchamp
Roadmap ID: NIL
Clipchamp's encoding previously resulted in exported file sizes exceeding the originals. To address this, an optimization algorithm was implemented that compresses Teams meeting recordings without compromising quality. As a result, these recordings are now smaller and easier to store and share, while their native storage on the SharePoint platform reduces overall storage consumption in your Microsoft 365 tenant.
