Microsoft teases ‘reimagined SharePoint experience’ with added AI

Microsoft has teased a significant upgrade to its SharePoint collaborationware package.

“We are introducing a reimagined SharePoint experience,” the software behemoth revealed last week in a new entry to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap.

The update is “designed to be simple and intuitivecentered on the core jobs of discovering knowledgepublishing contentand building solutions.”

Microsoft launched SharePoint in 2001 with the promise it would allow users “to easily findshare and publish information.” The job description hasn’t changed muchbut 25 years later AI has come along.

Microsoft therefore promises this release “establishes the foundation for AI-assisted creation across the product. This includes an updated information architecture and cohesive design languagedelivering a clean and consistent experience across surfaces.”

The new release will be available as a preview in Marchbefore Microsoft starts a targeted release the following month.

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Another new item on Microsoft’s roadmap will bring a small change to users of its OneDrive cloud storage lockerwho must currently use the format “OneDrive - {organization name}," to name the folder they choose as the source of data synced into the service.

In April Microsoft will allow users to customize that namebecause the current arrangement “can consume valuable path length for deeply nested files and folders.”

“With this new policyadmins can set a shorterorganization-specific folder name – reducing path length issues and giving users a cleaner file system experience,” Microsoft promises.

Microsoft users may also do well to have a chat to their resellersbecause the company on Monday admitted the tools it provides to partners included an error that meant the 365 Business Premium + Copilot bundle “wasn't being consistently recognized as meeting the prerequisite for the Advanced Security add-on SKUs.”

Microsoft has fixed things up and says customers should now “be able to transact Advanced Security add-on SKUs for eligible Business Premium + Copilot as expected.” ®