For many businesses, Microsoft 365 is their go-to productivity suite because it offers powerful features, cost-saving benefits, and world-class security. And while Microsoft continuously looks for ways to address security concerns, the changing threat landscape can put Microsoft 365’s security measures to the test. Here are some of the most common security risks Microsoft 365 users face and how you can protect your business from these.

Infected file synchronization

Like most cloud services, Microsoft 365 allows users to automatically sync files stored on their devices to the cloud, such as in OneDrive. However, this useful feature is not without security risks. If a locally stored file is infected with malware, OneDrive will view the file as changed/updated and trigger a sync to the OneDrive cloud, with the infection going undetected.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a great tool against malware infection. Part of Microsoft 365 Defender, this app is designed to enhance protections for Office 365 apps. It also provides great visibility into user activity to improve incident response efforts. Make sure your organization’s security administrators set this up on your systems so you can detect and mitigate cyber risks as soon as they arise.

Security risks in dormant applications

Some organizations using Microsoft 365 often don’t use all the tools and services included in the productivity suite. For instance, your organization might use programs like Word, Excel, and SharePoint every day, but rarely use OneDrive. Unfortunately, dormant applications may be prone to attack. To counter this, it’s crucial to identify unused apps and have an administrator tweak user settings to restrict availability on these apps.

Unprotected communication channels

Phishing attacks and malware are two of the most common ways cybercriminals infiltrate a system, but there are other paths of attack that you may not be aware of. Microsoft 365 applications like Microsoft Teams, which can connect to external networks, may serve as a medium for ransomware and other types of cyberattacks.

To fight against such threats, train your staff in identifying potentially malicious files and links. You can also offer guidelines on how to handle and route sensitive files and communications to safe locations.

Vulnerabilities in SharePoint

Businesses typically use SharePoint to store sensitive information like personally identifiable data, so failing to secure SharePoint content against unauthorized users is one way to expose data and your business to cyberthreats. This can be disastrous for companies that are required to comply with stringent data privacy and protection regulations. Failure to comply may result in serious consequences not only for businesses but their customers as well.

To prevent this, limit administrator-level privileges and enable encryption. Additionally, set the necessary security restrictions per user for every application. This ensures that users and hackers who get a hold of user credentials cannot exploit or misuse privileges.

Microsoft 365 provides a powerful and convenient tool for businesses. However, as long as cybercriminals exist, there are always security risks to be aware of. If you have any questions about Microsoft 365 security or would like help in implementing these tips, our team of experts would be happy to assist you. Contact us today!

Microsoft 365 is one of the most popular suites of cloud-based tools and services used by businesses of all sizes. But while it offers robust security measures, the evolving cyberthreat landscape relentlessly puts Microsoft 365 users at risk. This is why Microsoft is constantly looking for ways to address security issues so that your IT environment and data are protected. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common Microsoft 365 security risks and how you can keep your business protected.

Infected file synchronization

Like most cloud services, Microsoft 365 allows users to automatically sync files stored on their devices to the cloud, such as in OneDrive. However, this useful feature is not without security risks. If a locally stored file is infected with malware, OneDrive will view the file as changed/updated and trigger a sync to the OneDrive cloud, with the infection going undetected.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a great tool against malware infection. Part of Microsoft 365 Defender, this app is designed to enhance protections for Office 365 apps. It also provides great visibility into user activity to improve incident response efforts. Make sure your organization’s security administrators set this up on your systems so you can detect and mitigate cyber risks as soon as they arise.

Security risks in dormant applications

Some organizations using Microsoft 365 often don’t use all the tools and services included in the productivity suite. For instance, your organization might use programs like Word, Excel, and SharePoint every day, but rarely use OneDrive. Unfortunately, dormant applications may be prone to attack. To counter this, it’s crucial to identify unused apps and have an administrator tweak user settings to restrict availability on these apps.

Unprotected communication channels

Phishing attacks and malware are two of the most common ways cybercriminals infiltrate a system, but there are other paths of attack that you may not be aware of. Microsoft 365 applications like Microsoft Teams, which can connect to external networks, may serve as a medium for ransomware and other types of cyberattacks.

To fight against such threats, train your staff in identifying potentially malicious files and links. You can also offer guidelines on how to handle and route sensitive files and communications to safe locations.

Vulnerabilities in SharePoint

Businesses typically use SharePoint to store sensitive information like personally identifiable data, so failing to secure SharePoint content against unauthorized users is one way to expose data and your business to cyberthreats. This can be disastrous for companies that are required to comply with stringent data privacy and protection regulations. Failure to comply may result in serious consequences not only for businesses but their customers as well.

To prevent this, limit administrator-level privileges and enable encryption. Additionally, set the necessary security restrictions per user for every application. This ensures that users and hackers who get a hold of user credentials cannot exploit or misuse privileges.

Microsoft 365 provides a powerful and convenient tool for businesses. However, as long as cybercriminals exist, there are always security risks to be aware of. If you have any questions about Microsoft 365 security or would like help in implementing these tips, our team of experts would be happy to assist you. Contact us today!

Choosing the right software and services is critical to your business’s success. And when it comes to cloud-based tools and services, Microsoft 365 is one of the best, as it offers powerful features and cost-saving benefits. But as with any technology, Microsoft 365 comes with security challenges. In this article, we will discuss some of the most common security risks associated with the productivity suite and how you can mitigate them.

Infected file synchronization

Like most cloud services, Microsoft 365 allows users to automatically sync files stored on their devices to the cloud, such as in OneDrive. However, this useful feature is not without security risks. If a locally stored file is infected with malware, OneDrive will view the file as changed/updated and trigger a sync to the OneDrive cloud, with the infection going undetected.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a great tool against malware infection. Part of Microsoft 365 Defender, this app is designed to enhance protections for Office 365 apps. It also provides great visibility into user activity to improve incident response efforts. Make sure your organization’s security administrators set this up on your systems so you can detect and mitigate cyber risks as soon as they arise.

Security risks in dormant applications

Some organizations using Microsoft 365 often don’t use all the tools and services included in the productivity suite. For instance, your organization might use programs like Word, Excel, and SharePoint every day, but rarely use OneDrive. Unfortunately, dormant applications may be prone to attack. To counter this, it’s crucial to identify unused apps and have an administrator tweak user settings to restrict availability on these apps.

Unprotected communication channels

Phishing attacks and malware are two of the most common ways cybercriminals infiltrate a system, but there are other paths of attack that you may not be aware of. Microsoft 365 applications like Microsoft Teams, which can connect to external networks, may serve as a medium for ransomware and other types of cyberattacks.

To fight against such threats, train your staff in identifying potentially malicious files and links. You can also offer guidelines on how to handle and route sensitive files and communications to safe locations.

Vulnerabilities in SharePoint

Businesses typically use SharePoint to store sensitive information like personally identifiable data, so failing to secure SharePoint content against unauthorized users is one way to expose data and your business to cyberthreats. This can be disastrous for companies that are required to comply with stringent data privacy and protection regulations. Failure to comply may result in serious consequences not only for businesses but their customers as well.

To prevent this, limit administrator-level privileges and enable encryption. Additionally, set the necessary security restrictions per user for every application. This ensures that users and hackers who get a hold of user credentials cannot exploit or misuse privileges.

Microsoft 365 provides a powerful and convenient tool for businesses. However, as long as cybercriminals exist, there are always security risks to be aware of. If you have any questions about Microsoft 365 security or would like help in implementing these tips, our team of experts would be happy to assist you. Contact us today!

When Microsoft launched Viva last year, it framed the platform as an employee portal where you might go to find out parental leave policy or other internal communications directed more generally at company policies and culture. It further reinforced this idea last month when it released Viva Goals, a Viva module designed to give employees access to their KPIs.

But it seems that Microsoft has broader ambitions for Viva than simply providing important information for employees found in the typical employee intranet. Today, it announced the first of what could be multiple jobs supported inside Viva, starting with sales.

Emily He, corporate vice president in charge of business applications at Microsoft, says that this announcement is something that brings information together in a way for specific jobs that she’s been hearing about as a kind of employee holy grail for years across companies and jobs, and it was one of the reasons she was drawn to Microsoft.

“Viva Sales in my mind really represents a new way of working by breaking down silos of data and breaking down silos of experience,” she told TechCrunch.

She said one thing she has learned in working with salespeople is that they have too many tools and they need a way to pull meaningful information out of the tools they are using to present it in a more centralized way. “They really want a more simplified experience. So Viva Sales enables a seller to use the tools they already love and use every day including your email system like Outlook, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, as well as Teams,” she said.

The tool is built on Office 365 and tuned for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. By tagging a customer name or contact, Viva Sales can pull the documents, spreadsheets, presentations, emails and other materials into the CRM tool automatically, all organized under the tag, greatly reducing the amount of manual data entry required.

“Sellers do spend a lot of time manually entering account information or forecasting data. So this eliminates [much of the] manual data entry. But more importantly, now it generates a more holistic view of the customer,” He told me.

With all that data stored in a single place, it means that customers can use it to fuel machine learning models around how to improve sales. “You can use AI and machine learning to come up with recommendations for the sellers and deliver those recommendations to the sellers wherever they are, whether they’re writing their emails or in virtual meetings,” she said.

While it appears to be Microsoft-centric, out of the box it will also support Salesforce CRM, and He says that they may add support for additional tools over time as customer demand dictates. Further, the company plans to add more job types to Viva over time.

The end game here appears to be extending the employee communications portal to include not only the company materials that are useful to employees, but also tools for doing their specific jobs. She says they are doing this because they have been hearing employees asking for this kind of help from inside the same portal.

It’s worth mentioning that Viva Sales will be offered for free to Microsoft Dynamic 365 customers, but as you access third-party data like using Salesforce, you will be charged for using the tool.

Viva Sales will be available in public preview in July and is scheduled to GA in the fall. For now, the only other CRM integration available besides Dynamics 365 will be Salesforce.

The shift from traditional office setups prior to the pandemic to flexible working arrangements in the post-COVID-19 era has been tough on IT administrators. They have had to juggle multiple tasks, including supervising and securing workflows, devices, and software, and deploying IT solutions within budget while keeping cyberthreats at bay. To help IT personnel fulfill these considerable responsibilities efficiently, Microsoft equipped Microsoft 365’s Apps Admin Center with a number of powerful features.

Office cloud policy service

This feature enables administrators to enforce policy settings for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on users’ devices. Even on devices that are not domain-joined, these settings are automatically implemented via roaming the moment their users sign in to Microsoft 365 Apps admin for enterprise. This feature gives administrators better control over how data is handled in users’ devices, providing major benefits to data security.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

Microsoft 365 Apps health enables IT admins to examine how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments. The feature also calculates an organization’s overall app health using three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions.

Furthermore, Microsoft 365 Apps health shows performance and reliability trends, such as Office app session crash rates, which allows admins to quickly identify issues and take appropriate actions.

Inventory

This feature gives administrators valuable insights into the status of all the Office apps and services installed in devices throughout the organization. Admins can also see more detailed information on specific installations. These include information on the hardware and the device’s operating system, as well as the particular apps that are currently installed.

The inventory feature can also show admins the last user to sign in and which devices are running old versions of Office apps. In these ways, the inventory feature helps them ensure that devices are running optimally at all times.

Security update status

This feature shows administrators which devices in their network have already installed the latest security updates, providing them with information that can help them keep the organization’s environment secure. This reduces the risk of data breaches and other cyberthreats made possible by unpatched security vulnerabilities.

Servicing profile

This feature further reduces the possible danger caused by unpatched systems. This allows administrators to assign servicing profiles to a set of devices. All machines with an assigned profile automatically receive monthly updates starting on the second Tuesday of each month. To prevent the updates from bogging down the devices’ performance, these are delivered in successive batches. Admins have the ability to set deadlines and select which updates will be installed throughout the process.

With these features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer instances of downtime. If you want to learn how technology can make your business more efficient, don’t hesitate to call us. Our IT experts are always ready and glad to help.

As companies gradually adjust to and recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, IT teams must ensure sufficient support for flexible working arrangements through cloud-based solutions. Microsoft stepped up to the challenge by equipping the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center with powerful features that enable IT administrators to handle these tasks more efficiently.

Office cloud policy service

This feature enables administrators to enforce policy settings for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on users’ devices. Even on devices that are not domain-joined, these settings are automatically implemented via roaming the moment their users sign in to Microsoft 365 Apps admin for enterprise. This feature gives administrators better control over how data is handled in users’ devices, providing major benefits to data security.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

Microsoft 365 Apps health enables IT admins to examine how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments. The feature also calculates an organization’s overall app health using three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions.

Furthermore, Microsoft 365 Apps health shows performance and reliability trends, such as Office app session crash rates, which allows admins to quickly identify issues and take appropriate actions.

Inventory

This feature gives administrators valuable insights into the status of all the Office apps and services installed in devices throughout the organization. Admins can also see more detailed information on specific installations. These include information on the hardware and the device’s operating system, as well as the particular apps that are currently installed.

The inventory feature can also show admins the last user to sign in and which devices are running old versions of Office apps. In these ways, the inventory feature helps them ensure that devices are running optimally at all times.

Security update status

This feature shows administrators which devices in their network have already installed the latest security updates, providing them with information that can help them keep the organization’s environment secure. This reduces the risk of data breaches and other cyberthreats made possible by unpatched security vulnerabilities.

Servicing profile

This feature further reduces the possible danger caused by unpatched systems. This allows administrators to assign servicing profiles to a set of devices. All machines with an assigned profile automatically receive monthly updates starting on the second Tuesday of each month. To prevent the updates from bogging down the devices’ performance, these are delivered in successive batches. Admins have the ability to set deadlines and select which updates will be installed throughout the process.

With these features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer instances of downtime. If you want to learn how technology can make your business more efficient, don’t hesitate to call us. Our IT experts are always ready and glad to help.

Migrating workflows to the cloud, securing all company devices and software, and ensuring 24/7 data access are gargantuan IT admin tasks, especially as companies adopt flexible working arrangements post-COVID-19. Fortunately for Microsoft 365 Apps users, the admin center offers features that empower IT personnel to be more efficient and effective in handling these crucial responsibilities.

Office cloud policy service

This feature enables administrators to enforce policy settings for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on users’ devices. Even on devices that are not domain-joined, these settings are automatically implemented via roaming the moment their users sign in to Microsoft 365 Apps admin for enterprise. This feature gives administrators better control over how data is handled in users’ devices, providing major benefits to data security.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

Microsoft 365 Apps health enables IT admins to examine how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments. The feature also calculates an organization’s overall app health using three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions.

Furthermore, Microsoft 365 Apps health shows performance and reliability trends, such as Office app session crash rates, which allows admins to quickly identify issues and take appropriate actions.

Inventory

This feature gives administrators valuable insights into the status of all the Office apps and services installed in devices throughout the organization. Admins can also see more detailed information on specific installations. These include information on the hardware and the device’s operating system, as well as the particular apps that are currently installed.

The inventory feature can also show admins the last user to sign in and which devices are running old versions of Office apps. In these ways, the inventory feature helps them ensure that devices are running optimally at all times.

Security update status

This feature shows administrators which devices in their network have already installed the latest security updates, providing them with information that can help them keep the organization’s environment secure. This reduces the risk of data breaches and other cyberthreats made possible by unpatched security vulnerabilities.

Servicing profile

This feature further reduces the possible danger caused by unpatched systems. This allows administrators to assign servicing profiles to a set of devices. All machines with an assigned profile automatically receive monthly updates starting on the second Tuesday of each month. To prevent the updates from bogging down the devices’ performance, these are delivered in successive batches. Admins have the ability to set deadlines and select which updates will be installed throughout the process.

With these features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer instances of downtime. If you want to learn how technology can make your business more efficient, don’t hesitate to call us. Our IT experts are always ready and glad to help.

Yammer, Microsoft 365 Groups, and Microsoft Teams are all Microsoft 365 tools that are designed for sharing files and communicating with colleagues. So what differentiates them from one another, and when should you use which? Let’s find out.

Microsoft 365 Groups

With Microsoft 365 Groups, every member gets a shared inbox, calendar, project planner, notebook, and document library. You can also integrate third-party apps like Twitter, Trello, and Mailchimp to Groups so notifications are sent directly to your shared inbox.

This means all relevant messages and information are sent to one place, so if your organization normally communicates via email, Microsoft 365 Groups is ideal. What’s more, HR and sales departments that communicate with external parties will also find plenty of uses for its email features.

A big downside of Microsoft 365 Groups, however, is email overload. Since all messages and notifications are sent to one inbox, users may become overwhelmed by the number of emails they have to sort through every day.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams, a chat-based collaboration platform, works with Skype for Business, so you can text, call, video chat, and share files with colleagues. Thanks to its seamless integrations with other Microsoft 365 apps, you can even work on shared files without leaving the app.

Unlike Groups, Microsoft Teams is designed for more advanced collaboration, making it great for completing projects with tight deadlines or other tasks requiring immediate feedback.

Yammer

Much like Groups and Teams, Yammer works well with other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and OneDrive. However, Yammer is a professional social media app designed to foster open communication and break down barriers between teams.

Yammer serves like a virtual office bulletin board: important files and announcements can be shared with the entire company through this platform. Users can also see the most popular post on their feeds, follow it, and even comment.

Yammer also takes design elements and features from social media apps like Facebook, making it a popular choice for companies with millennials in their workforce.

Although we’ve discussed the fundamental differences between Groups, Teams, and Yammer, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what each app can do. To figure out which apps you need, you must understand how your employees work, how they like to collaborate with one another, and what you want to achieve from such collaborations.

Fortunately, there’s another way to find the right app for your business: ask the experts. Contact us today for an IT assessment!

There are three Microsoft 365 tools that are typically used for office communication and collaboration: Microsoft 365 Groups, Yammer, and Microsoft Teams. While these three are similar, did you know that there are subtle differences that set them apart from each other? Let’s take a look at some of these.

Microsoft 365 Groups

With Microsoft 365 Groups, every member gets a shared inbox, calendar, project planner, notebook, and document library. You can also integrate third-party apps like Twitter, Trello, and Mailchimp to Groups so notifications are sent directly to your shared inbox.

This means all relevant messages and information are sent to one place, so if your organization normally communicates via email, Microsoft 365 Groups is ideal. What’s more, HR and sales departments that communicate with external parties will also find plenty of uses for its email features.

A big downside of Microsoft 365 Groups, however, is email overload. Since all messages and notifications are sent to one inbox, users may become overwhelmed by the number of emails they have to sort through every day.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams, a chat-based collaboration platform, works with Skype for Business, so you can text, call, video chat, and share files with colleagues. Thanks to its seamless integrations with other Microsoft 365 apps, you can even work on shared files without leaving the app.

Unlike Groups, Microsoft Teams is designed for more advanced collaboration, making it great for completing projects with tight deadlines or other tasks requiring immediate feedback.

Yammer

Much like Groups and Teams, Yammer works well with other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and OneDrive. However, Yammer is a professional social media app designed to foster open communication and break down barriers between teams.

Yammer serves like a virtual office bulletin board: important files and announcements can be shared with the entire company through this platform. Users can also see the most popular post on their feeds, follow it, and even comment.

Yammer also takes design elements and features from social media apps like Facebook, making it a popular choice for companies with millennials in their workforce.

Although we’ve discussed the fundamental differences between Groups, Teams, and Yammer, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what each app can do. To figure out which apps you need, you must understand how your employees work, how they like to collaborate with one another, and what you want to achieve from such collaborations.

Fortunately, there’s another way to find the right app for your business: ask the experts. Contact us today for an IT assessment!

While most Microsoft 365 apps serve a particular purpose, tools like Microsoft 365 Groups, Yammer, and Microsoft Teams can all be used for office communication and collaboration. However, there are a few small differences among these three tools. Read on to learn more.

Microsoft 365 Groups

With Microsoft 365 Groups, every member gets a shared inbox, calendar, project planner, notebook, and document library. You can also integrate third-party apps like Twitter, Trello, and Mailchimp to Groups so notifications are sent directly to your shared inbox.

This means all relevant messages and information are sent to one place, so if your organization normally communicates via email, Microsoft 365 Groups is ideal. What’s more, HR and sales departments that communicate with external parties will also find plenty of uses for its email features.

A big downside of Microsoft 365 Groups, however, is email overload. Since all messages and notifications are sent to one inbox, users may become overwhelmed by the number of emails they have to sort through every day.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams, a chat-based collaboration platform, works with Skype for Business, so you can text, call, video chat, and share files with colleagues. Thanks to its seamless integrations with other Microsoft 365 apps, you can even work on shared files without leaving the app.

Unlike Groups, Microsoft Teams is designed for more advanced collaboration, making it great for completing projects with tight deadlines or other tasks requiring immediate feedback.

Yammer

Much like Groups and Teams, Yammer works well with other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and OneDrive. However, Yammer is a professional social media app designed to foster open communication and break down barriers between teams.

Yammer serves like a virtual office bulletin board: important files and announcements can be shared with the entire company through this platform. Users can also see the most popular post on their feeds, follow it, and even comment.

Yammer also takes design elements and features from social media apps like Facebook, making it a popular choice for companies with millennials in their workforce.

Although we’ve discussed the fundamental differences between Groups, Teams, and Yammer, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what each app can do. To figure out which apps you need, you must understand how your employees work, how they like to collaborate with one another, and what you want to achieve from such collaborations.

Fortunately, there’s another way to find the right app for your business: ask the experts. Contact us today for an IT assessment!

We tend to take the cloud for granted today as a way of delivering and building software, but it wasn’t always the case. Less than a decade ago, in fact, companies like Microsoft sold most of their software in boxes or in large on-prem installations inside customer data centers.

Around 2012, as the company began thinking about what the future of computing might look like, it became clear that software would eventually move to the cloud. Microsoft would have to go through a long journey of changing internal processes and convincing customers the cloud was a more efficient way to deliver software.

It’s important to remember that in those days, whether we were talking Office or SharePoint, the company’s content management system, the software was developed over long multiyear cycles and delivered as one massive change. Not every customer upgraded because they had built systems to work with a previous version, and there was a large cost associated with upgrading.

That meant that existing customers often used older versions and didn’t take advantage of the latest innovations that Microsoft spent significant resources creating.

Today, Microsoft’s cloud software business is booming — the productivity and business category, where Office 365 and other cloud productivity software live, alone raked in $15 billion in business in the company’s most recent earnings report (this category also includes LinkedIn revenue). That’s up 22% from a year earlier. That number included boxed software, by the way, which is still sold in parts of the world. In case you’re wondering, boxed sales declined 13% for the same period, as companies and individuals increasingly chose cloud.

Last month, I interviewed Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365, at TechCrunch Sessions: SaaS. He was at Microsoft during the company’s transition to the cloud, and we talked about what was involved in making such a huge shift and how the company convinced often reluctant customers that the cloud was the way to go.

Leading through change

Nobody likes a massive change, and it seemed like a big unknown for most customers looking at the cloud in 2012. Sure, there were successful SaaS companies at that point, Salesforce being a prime example, but it was a much smaller company than it is today.

There was still a prevailing feeling that the cloud represented a gamble. “When we first started thinking about making a transition from our previous model to the cloud, we of course, had those conversations with customers, and I’ll never forget customers saying, “No way, don’t go chase that. We’re not interested. Don’t spend your money there, spend your money in places where we want you to improve the product,” Spataro told me.

Jared Spataro has been with Microsoft for more than 15 years now, and he has been part of the transition from an on-prem software company to a SaaS business. Today his official title is corporate vp in charge of the company’s biggest SaaS product, Office 365. Spataro is going to join us on October 27th at TC Sessions: SaaS to talk about how his company made that grand transition successfully.

Today Microsoft Office 365 encompasses a variety of tooling including Teams, the company’s collaboration platform, Outlook email and OneDrive storage along with the Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools — Word, PowerPoint and Excel. There’s so much more too including PowerBI, Yammer and SharePoint to name but a few.

The division, which encompasses Office 365 and other online products, Productivity and Business,  accounted for more than $14 billion in revenue in Q4 2021. While not all of that came from Office 365, and Microsoft doesn’t really break it down much further, it did account for a good chunk of income for the software giant.

When Spataro joined the company back in 2006, he worked on the company’s content management product, SharePoint. He was Senior Director of that product in 2011 when the company bought Yammer for $1.2 billion, a move that really helped the company begin that transition and Spataro was at the center of that.

In those days, Microsoft would release new versions of SharePoint every three years, an immense new version with all the new bells and whistles, but most customers wouldn’t upgrade because they had a previous version that they had customized and weren’t about to do anything to put that at risk.

Microsoft was spending years on product development and many existing customers weren’t getting the benefits of the latest and greatest version. When the company bought Yammer, they acquired a company with a continuous delivery methodology and the Yammer team brought an entirely new modern development approach to Microsoft.

When Satya Nadella took over as CEO in 2014, the company went all-in on the cloud just as Spartaro was moving to the Office side of the house as General Manager. There he oversaw the company’s transition from boxed software to Office 365 SaaS.

We’re going to talk to him about that transition and what it meant to the way software was produced and sold and his role in helping Microsoft make that massive transformation.

In addition to our discussion with Spataro, the conference will also include Google’s Javier Soltero, Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses, as well as investors Sarah Guo and Kobie Fuller, among others. We hope you’ll join us. It’s going to be a thought-provoking lineup.

Buy your pass now to save up to $100 when you book by now. We can’t wait to see you in October!