M365 Roundup, February 2023: Teams Premium Goes On Sale and the Intune Suite Takes Shape
TL;DR
- Teams Premium became available in February 2023 with AI meeting capabilities powered by OpenAI's GPT-3.5, at introductory pricing of $7 per user per month through July 1, 2023, versus $10 after.
- The Microsoft Intune Suite and Microsoft Intune Plan 2 are generally available from March 1, 2023, bundling Remote Help, Endpoint Privilege Management, MAM Tunnel, and specialty device management.
- Starting early June 2023, Exchange administrators can no longer perform quarantine operations in the security portal without the Quarantine Administrator, Security Administrator, or Global Administrator role.
- Microsoft begins transitioning active and inactive DAP relationships to GDAP on May 22, 2023, with role details promised by March 15, 2023.
- Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 on Azure run only until January 2024, so migration plans need to be in motion.
February 2023 is a licensing month dressed up as a feature month. Teams Premium went on sale with GPT-3.5-powered meeting AI and a $7 introductory price. The Microsoft Intune Suite and the new Intune Plan 2 got a firm GA date of March 1, 2023, redrawing the endpoint management upsell map. And quietly, Exchange admins are about to lose quarantine rights they have assumed for years. Here is the full month, grouped by product, with the action items called out.
Teams: Premium goes on sale, plus four quality-of-life features
Teams Premium is now available
Teams Premium launched with new AI-powered meeting capabilities, including large language model features built on OpenAI's GPT-3.5. Introductory pricing is $7 per user per month versus the eventual $10, and the intro rate lasts until July 1, 2023.
Full Partner Center announcement: February 2023 announcements (opens in new tab). Product overview: Microsoft Teams Premium (opens in new tab).
Ultrasound howling detection
When a user joins a meeting that already has participants physically in the same room, Teams notifies them before joining and turns off their speaker and microphone to prevent echo. The user can switch them back on at any time.
Rollout: early March 2023, expected complete by late March 2023.
Suggested files in 1:1 chats
Extending Suggested Replies, Teams now offers a Share file suggestion in 1:1 chats whenever it detects intent to send a file, saving the hunt through folders.
Rollout: early March 2023.
Join meetings from Apple CarPlay
Users can view upcoming meetings and join them from a new meetings view on Apple CarPlay after connecting an iPhone to a supported vehicle.
Rollout: mid-March 2023, expected complete by late March 2023.
Busy-on-busy call routing as an end-user setting
Users can manage how incoming calls route while they are already in a call or meeting, directly from Calls settings in Teams: let calls come through, play a busy signal, or redirect based on their unanswered call routing preference.
Rollout: early March 2023 (previously late February), complete by mid-March 2023.
Intune: a rename, a new update channel, and a whole new SKU family
Endpoint Manager admin center is now the Intune admin center
The Endpoint Manager admin center has been renamed the Intune admin center.
Commercial driver and firmware servicing
Organizations holding an eligible subscription (E3, E5, A3, A5, or Microsoft 365 Business Premium) can manage driver and firmware updates with the same Windows Update for Business deployment service tooling already used for feature and quality updates. It is available via API as of February 2023, with Intune integration coming later and no ETA provided yet.
Full post: Commercial driver and firmware servicing is publicly available (opens in new tab).
The Microsoft Intune Suite arrives March 1, 2023
The Microsoft Intune Suite reaches general availability on March 1, 2023, bundling advanced endpoint management capabilities built on Intune:
- Remote Help
- Endpoint Privilege Management
- Tunnel for Mobile App Management
- Management of specialty devices
- An initial set of advanced endpoint analytics capabilities
More is planned for the suite over time:
- Third-party app catalog and automated app patching
- Cloud certificate management
- Multiple managed accounts on a single device
- Future advanced capabilities
Microsoft Intune Plan 2 also goes GA on March 1, 2023 with a subset of the suite: Tunnel for Mobile App Management (MAM Tunnel), specialty device management, and future advanced capabilities. Plan 1 remains the management capability set already included in EMS E3, Microsoft 365 E3/E5/F1/F3, and Business Pro.
Full announcement: February 2023 Partner Center announcements (opens in new tab).
Viva Insights: two features for the licensed
Schedule send suggestions in Teams chat
Requires a Viva Insights subscription. When composing a 1:1 Teams message after hours, users see schedule send suggestions that postpone delivery until the start of the recipient's working hours. The suggestions are on by default.
Rollout: late February 2023, expected complete by late March 2023.
Acting on meeting category insights
Requires a Viva Insights subscription. Categories in Outlook and Teams let users tag calendar events, and the Viva Insights app already shows time spent per meeting category: percentage breakdown, trends, and per-meeting details. An upcoming update adds actions on those meetings, including viewing or editing invites, cancelling, declining, and recategorizing, so users can align meeting time with their goals.
Rollout: early March 2023, expected complete by late March 2023.
Exchange: a permissions tightening and a self-service group upgrade
Quarantine operations require the Quarantine Administrator role
Exchange administrators visiting the quarantine page in the security portal (https://security.microsoft.com/quarantine (opens in new tab)) will need the Quarantine Administrator role to act there. Starting early June 2023 (previously early February 2023), Microsoft stops honoring quarantine operations by Exchange administrators who are not Quarantine Administrators, Security Administrators, or Global Administrators.
If your runbooks assume Exchange Admin is enough to release quarantined mail, update them and the role assignments before June.
End users can upgrade distribution lists to Microsoft 365 Groups
Admins can now let owners convert an eligible distribution list to a Microsoft 365 Group with one click:
- In the Exchange admin center, go to Recipients, then Groups, then Distribution List, and select the specific distribution list.
- Use the new "Preview Send upgrade request" option. No email is sent at this stage.
- If the list is eligible for upgrade, choose which owners receive the request, either all owners or specific ones.
- The owner receives the email and clicks Upgrade, converting the distribution list to a Microsoft 365 Group.
The upgrade takes 5 to 10 minutes at most, and the converted group appears in the Microsoft 365 Groups section for both owners and admins.
Rollout: mid-February 2023, expected complete by mid-March 2023.
SharePoint: the Syntex free ride ends
Microsoft Syntex, announced at Ignite and in MC477853 (December 2022), is a family of products that uses AI to change how content is created, processed, and discovered. The free preview of Syntex pay-as-you-go ends in March 2023, so any tenant experimenting with it starts paying.
Full overview: Overview of Microsoft Syntex (opens in new tab).
OneDrive: favorites arrive
Users can favorite files from OneDrive web and document libraries and reach them from the Favorites pivot in the left navigation. Favoriting works from the context menu, the command bar, or the star icon that appears on hover.
Rollout: mid-March 2023, expected complete by early April 2023.
Admin: GDAP dates firm up, and a server EOL countdown
GDAP timeline updates
Microsoft set new GDAP milestones in February 2023. Transitions of active and inactive DAP relationships begin May 22, 2023:
- Microsoft transitions DAP relationships to GDAP with limited Azure Active Directory roles, with clarity on which roles promised by March 15, 2023.
- For relationships transitioned from DAP to GDAP, the corresponding DAP relationship is removed 30 days later.
- The transition pauses for the month of June 2023 to support the fiscal year closure.
Dates for three further milestones were promised for March 15, 2023:
- Stop new DAPs: DAP is currently granted when a new customer tenant is created; Microsoft will stop granting it.
- Grant GDAP default roles for new customers: GDAP with certain default roles will be granted at customer tenant creation.
- Retire the bulk migration tool.
Announcement: February 2023 Partner Center announcements (opens in new tab).
Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 on Azure
Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 reached end of service in 2020. Environments still running them should be updated to the latest version of Windows Server; ESU exists to keep organizations protected for a limited time while upgrades complete, and it extends only to January 2024.
Supporting article: KB4522133: Procedure to continue receiving security updates after extended support ended on January 10, 2023 (opens in new tab).
Frequently asked questions
What does the Microsoft Intune Suite include at GA?
Remote Help, Endpoint Privilege Management, Tunnel for Mobile Application Management, management of specialty devices, and an initial set of advanced endpoint analytics. A third-party app catalog with automated patching, cloud certificate management, and multiple managed accounts per device are slated to follow.
How does Intune Plan 2 differ from the full Intune Suite?
Plan 2 is a subset: Tunnel for Mobile App Management, specialty device management, and future advanced capabilities. Plan 1 remains the management capability set already included in EMS E3, Microsoft 365 E3/E5/F1/F3, and Business Premium.
How do end users convert a distribution list to a Microsoft 365 Group?
An admin selects the distribution list in the Exchange admin center under Recipients, Groups, then uses Send upgrade request to email selected owners. The owner clicks Upgrade in the email, and the conversion completes in roughly 5 to 10 minutes.
New SKUs ship, old settings drift
Every month adds a license tier or moves a permission boundary, and the tenants you set up last year do not update themselves. CloudCapsule rechecks 250+ controls per tenant in about 60 seconds, across every client you manage.
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Written by
Nick Ross
CEO · Microsoft MVP · Founder, T-Minus 365
Nick is not just a CEO, he's a respected thought leader and influencer in the MSP space. Tens of thousands of MSPs learn through his YouTube channel, T-Minus365. Nick has been honored as a three-time Microsoft MVP for his educational content; his expertise and influence are the backbone of our mission, ensuring that you are in the best hands when it comes to security.
Nick joined Pax8 in 2017, where he would ultimately oversee product management for PSA and Microsoft integrations. Following his tenure at Pax8, Nick has continued to demonstrate his leadership prowess as an executive at various MSPs, culminating in his most recent role at Sourcepass.
Nick holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Florida State University, as well as a Minor Degree in Entrepreneurship. In his free time, Nick is an avid hiker, reader, and fitness-junkie.
