That Was M365Conf 2023 Spring

We were excited to be a part of the Spring 2023 edition of M365Conf, held April 30th - May 5th in Las Vegas. The M365Conf event was a major success, featuring a wide range of sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities that provided attendees with valuable insights and knowledge about the latest developments in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. And of course, Microsoft Copilot was a big part of the announcements alongside the many helpful updates in the M365 services.

This year's event promised to be bigger and better than ever - and it was - with a wide range of topics covering everything from Microsoft Copilot announcements and enhancements to M365 services such as Teams, Viva, SharePoint, Microsoft Lists, OneDrive, to Power Platform and Security & Compliance. With 150 sessions and 18 workshops to choose from, attendees were able to tailor their experience to their individual interests and needs. Another exciting aspect of M365Con was the vendor expo, where attendees could explore the latest Microsoft 365 solutions and services from leading vendors in the industry. The event details, questions and feedback were well organized with the Whova app.

In addition to many Microsoft product group people, the event also had three featured keynotes from Microsoft executives and thought leaders, including Jeff Teper, Kirk Koenigsbauer, Rajesh Jha, Charles Lamanna, Heather Cook, Sesha Mani, Dan Holme, Karuana Gatimu, Naomi Moneypenny, Vesa Juvonen, Adam Harmetz, April Dunham, and many more. The keynotes gave the participants insights into the future direction of Microsoft 365 and the key trends and developments shaping the industry.

Besides that, many expert sessions were delivered by the community members, MVPs and Regional Directors. Those community sessions gave the event additional technical expertise and many real-life examples.

See some event impressions and thoughts on Twitter at @M365Conf and #M365Conf.

We from atwork had a workshop on IT-governance and two sessions:

• How to Govern Microsoft 365 and Power Platform Like the Pro You Are, May 1st, Martina Grom and Toni Pohl 
  Get ready to level up your Microsoft 365 and Power Platform governance skills! In this workshop, you'll learn from the experts on how to effectively manage and govern your organization's Microsoft 365 and Power Platform environments. You'll learn best practices for setting up and maintaining a governance plan, as well as strategies for implementing it across your workforce in Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform.
• Discover Microsoft Search Technologies in Real World Examples, May 2nd, Toni Pohl 
  Discovering relevant data in today's information overload is relevant for users and companies. Microsoft offers four different search technologies within the M365 and Azure platforms. Learn about available Microsoft search services and when to use what, from Microsoft Search to Microsoft Syntex and from Viva Topics to Azure Cognitive Search with real-world examples so your users can easily find and consume data.
• Secure Your Microsoft Teams Environment in Regulated Industries, May 3rd, Martina Grom 
  Secure your Microsoft Teams environment with Microsoft Purview and the new AI capabilities to create a secure workspace where people can communicate and work together in a secure way.

Our colleague Susan Hanley created a great summary of the #M365 roadmaps. See her tweet and a PowerPoint file you can download: "Thanks to @mkashman for sharing the "official" screenshots, here is a single PPT file with all of the roadmap slides from @M365CONF May 2023. Also includes a detailed list of the planned release dates for #SharePoint features". Thx, Susan and Mark!

For more news and announcements, see the following articles on the Microsoft blogs:

• Welcome to the new era of SharePoint and OneDrive in Microsoft 365
• SharePoint in the AI Era: Introducing Copilot in SharePoint & 10 more innovations for creators
• Experience the New OneDrive: Fast, Organized, and Personalized
• Microsoft Lists: Easier, Better, Faster, Stronger
• Enhanced Video in Microsoft 365
• New era in content management and security in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams
• From Copilot in Microsoft Viva to the new Intune Suite - here’s what’s new in Microsoft 365

In addition to the important announcements, there were also a number of other exciting news and updates during the event that improve productivity in SharePoint, Lists, OneDrive and other services. I also really liked the "Ask me anything" session with the M365 product group. Thanks to the product groups and Jeff Teper for working overtime to answer all questions!

In the following weeks you will also find some tech talks at TekkiGurus.com, which were interviewed and recorded by Christian Buckley.

Overall, the recent M365Con event was a great event to (re)connect and to get the latest news on the Microsoft 365 platform. Whether you're a business leader, IT professional, or developer, there was something for everyone at this event. 

We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Microsoft 365 and the exciting innovations that are yet to come! It seems, this year will be the year of AI in M365 products.