Posts by Joaoferreira

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 17)

This past week I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Microsoft 365 Community Conference as a speaker, and it was truly special to finally meet so many of you face to face, exchange ideas, experiences, and stories about how we all use Microsoft 365 in our day-to-day work.

I’m saving the full conference recap for the Hands-On monthly update coming out next week, but there is one thing I simply can’t wait to share: SharePoint Skills are now available in public preview, and to me, this is the highlight of the week, despite the many other valuable updates across Microsoft 365.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 29, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 16)

I’m writing this pulse update directly from Orlando, Florida, while I’m waiting for the Microsoft 365 Conference keynote to kick off, I’m speaking at the event this this week. Last week there were two highlights that really caught my eye, and I think they’re going to make a real difference for how people work with SharePoint.

First up is the ability to create charts on pages with AI. SharePoint now has a new web part that uses AI to generate interactive charts from plain language prompts. Honestly, this is a game changer because creating charts on pages has always been a bit of a hassle. People usually grab screenshots from Excel or Power BI, or they try to embed whole apps just to show some data.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 21, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 15)

I’ve mentioned this here more than once, but it never gets old. I genuinely enjoy seeing Microsoft ship small, practical tweaks that remove daily friction. This week’s highlights fall squarely into that category and they’re all about Microsoft Teams.

Testing your microphone before joining a meeting is finally moving to where it belongs: the join screen. Stop joining a meeting in silence because the wrong mic was selected. This matters even more if, like me, you constantly switch between headsets, webcams, or room devices.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 14, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 14)

The first Pulse issue of every month is my reset. It is the one edition where I look back at everything Microsoft announced and pull the signal out of it. That is what you get here: the monthly roundup, plus my Hands-On update, and you really should not skip it this time.

In the March Hands-On edition I also cover the new SharePoint experience rolling out now, the Viva Connections UX update, Microsoft Lists as a knowledge source for agents, and the Community Spotlight where can discover the best content creators from the Microsoft communty.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 7, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

What’s new for Copilot – March 2026

March 2026 continued to push the boundaries of what AI can do across the Microsoft ecosystem. From productivity enhancements to deeper integrations, there was genuinely a lot to take in.

A few updates stood out to me as particularly impactful. First, the arrival of Anthropic Claude Sonnet as a selectable model within Microsoft 365 Copilot. On a similar note, the General Availability of Federated Copilot Connectors opens up some exciting possibilities, allowing Copilot to securely pull real-time data from third-party sources like Canva, HubSpot, and Google Calendar using MCP, without storing any of that data in Microsoft services. Finally, the new agentic email drafting experience in Outlook, where Copilot now works conversationally alongside you to draft, refine, and format emails.

Continue reading to know about everything that landed in March.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 6, 2026 Copilot 2 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 13)

I’ve just come back from a week on the Microsoft campus, where a lot of upcoming Microsoft 365 updates were shared in the context of the MVP program. Most of it is still under NDA, so I can’t go into details yet, but as features begin to roll out publicly, I’ll cover them here.

Last week was also a special one for us as a family. Both my wife and I are Microsoft MVPs, and we work with SharePoint every day. When the second SharePoint Hackathon came around, we decided to participate together. We won the category for Best SharePoint Mobile Experience and were finalists for Best SharePoint Design, if you want to see what we’ve built watch the video below.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Apr 1, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 12)

I’m writing this week’s Pulse from Redmond, on the Microsoft campus, where I’m attending the MVP Summit. Today is also my birthday, and it’s one of those moments that lands as both a privilege and a tradeoff. I’m excited to be here with this community, but I’d be lying if I said it isn’t a bit bittersweet not being at home with my family.

The Summit is hard to explain without it sounding like hype, so I will keep it simple. It is a week where Microsoft and the community are in the same loop. Product groups share where things are going, and MVPs push back with the reality of implementation. That combination is what makes this worth the travel.

I will not be able to share everything I’m learning right away. Sessions are confidential and are simply not meant to be repeated outside the room. But it still matters, because it makes me better at what I do when I’m back at work, and it shapes the way I filter and explain the constant stream of updates that you see in this Pulse.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Mar 24, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 11)

This week’s Pulse looks a little different. Microsoft wrapped up the second SharePoint Hackathon, and instead of just watching from the sidelines, I decided to participate. This time with my wife. She is a former Microsoft employee and now a Copilot Microsoft MVP, so yes, we genuinely live and breathe Microsoft at home.

We joined forces to push the boundaries of what SharePoint can do using mostly out of the box capabilities. If you remember the days when the goal was to make SharePoint not look like SharePoint, this one is for you. If you want to catch up on the latest SharePoint updates and see where the platform is heading, take a look and let us know what you think.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Mar 17, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 10)

Microsoft 365 had a slow start to the year. January and February felt unusually quiet. March changed that completely. With the Copilot Wave 3 announcements made yesterday, it is clear Microsoft has shifted gears. The pace picked up fast, and the scope of what was announced signals another major change in how we work.

Agents are at the center of that shift. This is no longer about experimentation or shiny demos. They are reaching a level of maturity where they become genuinely useful, dependable, and close to everyday work. More support than feature. More right arm than assistant. That is why my highlights this week focus on two updates that really matter: Anthropic Claude Sonnet now available in Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Agent 365 now generally available, finally giving admins a place to set boundaries and control in this new agent-driven world.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Mar 10, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments

Hands-On Microsoft 365 Pulse – Weekly Updates (Week 9)

Today, SharePoint turns 25. I couldn’t let this moment pass without sharing what the platform has meant to my own career, and how deeply it shaped the way I work, write, and share what I learn with all of you.

February is already in the rear‑view mirror, which means one thing: another February blog post marathon is done. This year, that resulted in 28 new posts, published one per day, covering everything from SharePoint and Microsoft Teams to Lists, Copilot, and Microsoft Places. Places deserves a special mention, it’s an area I hadn’t really explored on the blog before, and February gave me the excuse to finally change that.

(more…)

By João Ferreira Mar 2, 2026 Pulse 0 Comments