Reports and industry research

By Gartner, April 8, 2024

The report focuses on the potential pitfalls organizations will face when rolling out Copilot for Microsoft 365 and offers ideas and solutions to avoid them.

There are four main areas the report addresses:

1. Administration
2. Security
3. Information Governance
4. User Experience

It is an extensive report that offers multiple solutions to issues Copilot could cause and explains them with examples.

By Gartner, February 19, 2024

The report outlines the concerns related to implementing Copilot for Microsoft 365 and the related GenAI operations, mainly focusing on the informati governance challenges posed by this technology.

The research addresses:

• analysis of lowering the risks of sensitive data exposure internally and externally,
• impact and minimization of hallucinations (fictional GenAI responses),
• security, compliance, and privacy controls.

By Gartner, January 8, 2024

This research equips IT professionals to navigate the storage constraints recently implemented by Microsoft in the Education industry. Given the substantial impact these changes will have on higher education institutions, the research outlines a comprehensive plan addressing key components, including:

• Assessing the implications of storage changes
• Audit and cleanup processes
• Understanding and catering to different user personas
• Establishing storage quotas
• Developing retention and lifecycle policies

By Gartner, November 17, 2023

This research outlines the steps you need to take to improve your information governance to get the most out of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and to mitigate the associated risks.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 and other generative AI tools promise to improve and speed up how organizations do business. However, Copilot highly depends on the quality of information stored in an organization’s Microsoft 365 environment. Organizations must take the necessary steps to prepare for the Copilot rollout to avoid oversharing, data loss, and content sprawl.

This Gartner research covers topics such as:

• How Copilot for Microsoft 365 works with information
• Information risks posed by Copilot for Microsoft 365
• How to improve Microsoft 365 information governance

By Gartner, October 4, 2023

The guide focuses on technology trends that improve ROI and employee productivity, with highlights on emerging technologies like GenAI. Here are some of the topics that the guide covers:

• The potential of GenAI in digital workplaces.
• The importance of governance in Microsoft 365.
• The growth of cloud communication services.
• The promising future of large language models with GenAI.

The report also addresses refining device management strategies and the shift in VDI licensing towards DaaS.

By Gartner, September 26, 2023

This research by Gartner is designed for application technical professionals as a guide that will help them establish effective governance and manage risk across Microsoft 365.

This comprehensive research goes over topics such as:

• The governance challenges organizations face today.
• The impact of quick deployment during COVID-19.
• Finding the right balance between collaboration and security.
• User adoption and shadow IT.

It follows them up with recommendations on how to mitigate the risks while establishing effective Microsoft 365 governance.

By Gartner, June 30, 2023

This comprehensive Gartner document explores external sharing in Microsoft 365, delving into its benefits and challenges, and providing in-depth insight into how organizations can leverage this feature without risking their bottom line.

While OneDrive and SharePoint have made sharing more accessible, there is a risk that employees may overshare sensitive information with external parties. Application technical professionals can use this report to comprehend and manage these risks, understanding how to effectively control external sharing within Microsoft 365.

The use of sharing links to grant external parties access to content provides significant collaboration and security advantages. However, this method can still expose information to the dangers of oversharing and potential data loss.

This document outlines a detailed 5-step guidance framework designed to assist organizations in tailoring external sharing in Microsoft 365 to suit their specific needs and requirements.

By Gartner, June 30, 2023

This Gartner research shows how external sharing in Microsoft 365 is becoming increasingly complex and how organizations need help managing external sharing in M365 effectively.

It offers multiple recommendations to application technical professionals responsible for Microsoft 365 to get external sharing under control, including going over multiple add-on products or third-party solutions that can help them improve Microsoft 365 governance.

By Gartner, December 13, 2022

This research details how managing multi-SaaS environments has led to issues such as sprawl, lack of control, and overspending across different consoles. The Market Guide addresses this by providing insights and recommendations to IT and I&O leaders on evaluating the still-immature SaaS management platform (SMP) market.

With SaaS spending growing 15-20% annually and an average of over 125 different SaaS applications per organization, the guide emphasizes the risks associated with decentralized SaaS management’s financial, security, and operational aspects. It also advises on maximizing ROI through strategic partnerships and research into the SMP market to define attainable requirements and navigate the complexities of SaaS lifecycle management.

By Gartner, November 16, 2022

The report focuses on assessing workspace governance and lifecycle controls within Microsoft 365, addressing challenges stemming from workspace sprawl, like duplication and redundancy across Microsoft Teams and SharePoint sites. The situation impacts search functions and increases risks such as data leakage.

It provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of native controls and the functionalities available in Azure AD P1 and P2 subscriptions. It also gives details about native governance, custom development, and third-party solutions that help mitigate risks and ensure a scalable long-term approach for workspace management in Microsoft 365.

By Gartner, November 17, 2021

This document is designed to help application technical professionals determine how to integrate other applications with Microsoft Teams. It does so by detailing four distinctive patterns that they can use to do it effectively.

Integrating applications with Microsoft Teams offers a pathway to drive deeper business impact and enhance organizational collaboration. However, navigating Microsoft’s suite of integration technologies can present a challenging landscape, often confusing even experienced application technical professionals.

By Gartner, January 5, 2021

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a complex platform that can present lurking surprises during its implementation, creating a challenging landscape for application technical professionals. This Gartner research includes the top 50 Microsoft 365 “gotchas,” which can vary in difficulty and cost to resolve.

The research summarizes these common pitfalls and provides guidance on what is easy to fix and what could be more difficult or costly. It further offers insights into third-party tools that can help professionals avoid these challenges, contributing to a more streamlined and effective platform implementation.