Copilot – A Cloud Guy

Buckle up, admins! June’s heating up with a fresh wave of Microsoft 365 changes. Whether you manage identity, information protection, collaboration, or compliance, there’s something here that will nudge your daily workflow—or bulldoze it if you’re not paying attention.

Let’s cut through the clutter. Below is your clear, actionable roundup of what’s coming, what’s going, and what needs your immediate attention across the Microsoft 365 landscape.

In the Spotlight

Smoother OneDrive File Transfers

Say goodbye to clunky cleanup processes when employees leave. Microsoft’s new “Move and keep sharing” feature lets you transfer ownership while preserving existing sharing permissions. Combine that with new filters to zero in on important files and clearer notification emails, and you’ve got an admin’s dream come true.

Shared Mailboxes in New Outlook (Finally!)

The New Outlook for Windows now lets you add shared mailboxes like real accounts—no more backflips to get the same experience your users are used to. Easier management, better UX, happier end users.

Non-Profit Grant Offers Retiring

Heads up for non-profit orgs: Microsoft is retiring Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1 grant offers. If your licensing strategy includes these grants, now’s the time to rethink and re-budget.

June at a Glance

Category	Count
Retirements	4
New Features	10
Enhancements	9
Changes in Functionality	5
Action Needed	2

Retirements: What’s Going Away

Meeting Details in OneNote for Windows 10 – Poof, gone starting June 2025.
Private Content Mode in Viva Engage – Say farewell by June 30, 2025.
Teams Recording Initiator Policy – Both the MeetingInitiator value and MeetingRecordingOwnership setting will be retired by June 30, 2025.
Sports Calendars in Outlook – “Interesting Calendars” will vanish starting early June 2025.

New Features: What You’ll Want to Try First

Copilot Troubleshooter in Power Automate – Diagnose and resolve flow errors with a few clicks inside the designer.
Copilot for Security in Purview Insider Risk Management – Contextual alerts and smarter investigations—yes, please.
Data-at-Rest Scanning in SharePoint/OneDrive – Finally scan previously untouched files for sensitive info and apply sensitivity labels.
Microsoft Backup Enhancements – Define backup policies that automatically cover all Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint users—even new ones.
Automated Retention Actions in Gov Cloud – US government tenants can now use Power Automate to act on expired items.
50+ Modern SharePoint Page Templates – No more pixel-pushing—get sleek, branded designs in a click.
New Insider Risk Email Indicators – Spot emails with attachments sent to free public domains or to oneself—cue the red flags.
Risky AI Activity Detection – Admins can now monitor for sensitive prompt usage and sketchy AI behavior.
Microsoft Defender XDR Integration – Insider Risk data will now flow into XDR for unified investigations.
Fabric Network Enhancements (Preview) – Private links and outbound access controls to lock down Fabric workspaces like Fort Knox.

Enhancements: Refinements You’ll Appreciate

HR Connector in Insider Risk Management – Apply the updated PowerShell script or risk issues.
Exclude Folders from OneDrive Sync – Control bloat and protect endpoints.
Reduce Noise in Communication Compliance – Filter out newsletters and spam to surface real threats.
On-Demand Classification – Retroactively classify sensitive content in SharePoint/OneDrive.
New Teams Role: Teams Reader – View-only access in the admin center. Great for auditors or curious execs.
View and Upload Anyone Links – Strike a balance between accessibility and control.
Global Exclusions in Insider Risk – Now supports more logical rules to cut alert fatigue.
DLP + Administrative Units – SharePoint DLP policies can now be scoped by administrative units. Finally.
Targeted IRM Policies – Use combinations of users, groups, and adaptive scopes for laser-focused risk management.

Functional Changes: What’s Evolving

SharePoint Online CDN Migration – Allow public-cdn.sharepointonline.com and stop relying on hardcoded links.
Teams DLP Reports – Incident notifications now come from both old and new sender addresses.
Exchange Federation Cmdlet Changes – Get-FederationInformation is being scoped down.
Audit Log Cmdlets Go Read-Only – No changes/downloads after June for Search-MailboxAuditLog and New-MailboxAuditLogSearch.
Separate Policy Tip Settings – Customize email notifications separately for SharePoint and OneDrive DLP.

Action Needed: Do This Now

Viva Engage External Networks – Legacy networks will be retired June 1, 2025. Transition to modern external networks now to avoid disruption.
Microsoft Defender SIEM Agents – After June 19, 2025, no new agents can be configured. Move to supported APIs to future-proof your integration.

Final Thoughts

If you’re managing Microsoft 365 in an enterprise setting, June is a no-joke month for updates. With new features that improve automation, security, and governance—and retirements that could leave gaps if ignored—it’s vital to stay proactive.

Bookmark this post, forward it to your team, and prep your change calendar. Because in IT, those who fail to plan… usually end up on a 2 a.m. call with their CISO.

Stay sharp, stay current—and keep your tenant tight.

Thank you for stopping by. ✌️

Introduction

Microsoft Copilot is revolutionizing the way organizations interact with data, leveraging AI to deliver intelligent insights and automation. However, for Copilot to function effectively, it requires a well-structured and secure data environment. SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) provides essential tools to optimize, secure, and manage SharePoint content, ensuring your organization is Copilot-ready. This blog explores how SAM enhances permissions management, content governance, data accuracy, privacy, and security to maximize the benefits of Microsoft Copilot.

Accidental Oversharing – Taming the Wild West of Permissions

One of the biggest risks in any SharePoint environment is accidental oversharing of sensitive information. SAM helps organizations identify and remediate these risks through features such as:

Access Reviews: Automated reports highlight excessive or outdated permissions, enabling administrators to take corrective action.
Sharing Controls: Policies can be enforced to restrict sharing of certain file types or limit external sharing.
Auditing and Reporting: Advanced logging provides visibility into sharing activities, ensuring compliance with security policies.

By leveraging these tools, organizations can mitigate security risks, ensuring that only the right users have access to the right content—an essential step before enabling Copilot.

Minimize Your Content Governance Footprint – Streamlining for Efficiency

Microsoft Copilot’s efficiency is directly tied to the quality and relevance of the data it processes. Organizations with cluttered SharePoint environments may experience degraded performance and unnecessary costs. SAM offers capabilities to reduce redundant, obsolete, and trivial (ROT) content through:

Data Lifecycle Management: Policies that automate archiving or deletion of outdated content.
Content Insights: Identifies and flags low-value content, enabling administrators to focus on high-priority data.
Retention Labels: Ensures only necessary content is retained, reducing Copilot’s processing burden.

A leaner, well-structured SharePoint environment not only improves Copilot’s efficiency but also enhances its ability to provide accurate and relevant responses.

Improve Copilot Response Quality – Feeding Copilot the Right Data

Copilot’s output quality depends on the integrity of the data it analyzes. SAM helps improve content relevance and accuracy through:

Metadata Enrichment: Standardizes data classification, making it easier for Copilot to extract meaningful insights.
Duplicate Content Detection: Reduces information overload by identifying and consolidating redundant documents.
Content Curation Tools: Helps teams maintain well-organized libraries, ensuring Copilot pulls from authoritative and up-to-date sources.

By cleaning up SharePoint content, organizations can ensure Copilot provides more precise, actionable responses to users.

Control Content Access by Copilot – Ensuring Data Privacy and Compliance

As organizations integrate Copilot into their workflows, maintaining control over which content Copilot can access is crucial for privacy and regulatory compliance. SAM provides several features to manage Copilot’s data access:

Sensitivity Labels: Prevents Copilot from analyzing or referencing classified documents.
Conditional Access Policies: Restricts Copilot’s access based on location, device, or role.
Permissions Management: Ensures that Copilot can only interact with approved datasets, reducing the risk of data leakage.

These tools help organizations align Copilot usage with internal and external compliance requirements, protecting sensitive business information.

Ensure Data Safety for Business-Critical Sites – Protecting Your Crown Jewels

Certain SharePoint sites contain mission-critical data that require enhanced security and governance. SAM enables organizations to fortify these high-value sites by:

Access Reviews for Critical Sites: Periodically verifies that only authorized users retain access.
Advanced Threat Protection: Detects and prevents unauthorized access attempts.
Lifecycle Management: Ensures outdated or irrelevant data is systematically archived or deleted.

By implementing these controls, organizations can protect their most valuable digital assets while maintaining Copilot readiness.

Conclusion

Preparing for Microsoft Copilot requires more than just enabling AI-powered tools—it demands a well-governed, secure, and optimized SharePoint environment. SharePoint Advanced Management provides the essential capabilities to streamline content, secure sensitive data, and enhance permissions management, ensuring Copilot delivers accurate and efficient insights. By leveraging SAM, organizations can maximize the value of Copilot while maintaining security and compliance.

Start preparing your SharePoint environment today to unlock the full potential of Microsoft Copilot!

Thanks for stopping by. ✌

Microsoft 365 Admins: June 2025 Brings Major Updates, Retirements & Action Items — Here’s Your Definitive Guide