The news was revealed at its three-day Microsoft Ignite event, alongside more security improvements for the collaboration platform. With the pandemic seeing the work space become more fragmented as many continue to work from home, the extra security settings for Teams are sure to be welcomed. The feature, which is to be added in the first half of 2021, will give users the option to enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for one-to-one ad hoc VoIP calls, initially. However, the option can only be applied if both parties have had it enabled by their IT department and opted in. The move doesn’t mean that all Team calls and chats are instantly covered by E2EE . While VoIP calls are the first to be granted E2EE protection, Microsoft states that it is working on bringing the tech to online meetings at a later date. Microsoft Teams versus Zoom – read our verdict on the clash of the video titans

Invite-only lobby setting

One of the most unwelcome aspects of team video calls is uninvited guests dropping in. Sometimes this is accidentally, though even if it isn’t maliciously, it can be risky for sensitive business calls. For this reason, Microsoft is adding a new lobby settings for Microsoft Teams. This will only allow those that have received an invite directly to join. Anyone that attempts to access the meeting without an invite will be held in the lobby, where the host can choose to accept them or not. The feature will be added later in the month.

Disable attendee video

In addition, another new function is the ability to disable an attendee’s video feed. This could be used in cases where an attendee is being disruptive, or if they don’t themselves realize their flatmate has just walked out of the shower behind them, or simply if the host wants to foster a meeting with few distractions and a single focal point. The ability to disable attendee video will be rolled out in the spring.

Chat moderation controls

Microsoft also mentioned additional chat moderation controls, although we reported on these last month. With this feature, the host of the meeting can choose whether or not to enable the chat feature, and even disable it at key moments of the meeting. This means the host can remove distractions for key parts of the meeting, and then reinstate chat again, later on. This feature was originally requested via the Microsoft Teams forum, and garnered thousands of votes of support, so it’s sure to be a favorite for some users.

Co-authority enabled in encrypted documents

Co-authoring for Office Apps will allow multiple users to simultaneously edit an encrypted document that has been encrypted using Microsoft Information Protection. Through the use of sensitivity labels, which can be used to enable and restrict access for users, owners can ensure that only the right people have the permissions to edit a document. The document can be shared with others as an attachment, and the encryption setting will remain. In order to utilize this setting, employees must ensure that their IT department has enabled sensitivity labels for Office files.

Safe Links are a Microsoft Defender feature that scan links to ensure that they are safe, especially useful for identifying potential phishing attempts. This week, Microsoft announced that this feature can now be used by Microsoft Teams to protect users from malicious links shared through Teams conversations and channels. Safe Links for Teams is rolling out later in the month, and as with sensitivity labels above, needs to be approved by the company IT department. Stay safe from phishing emails with our guide to the Latest Email Scams for 2021