Bowing to pressure, Microsoft extends lifeline for Office 365 Connectors in Teams

In a surprise move that will likely be welcomed by many Microsoft Teams users, the tech giant has announced an extension to the retirement timeline for its Office 365 connectors feature. Originally slated for a complete shutdown in October 2024, the connectors will now continue to function until December 2025.

The decision comes after a wave of feedback from users who expressed concerns about the potential disruptions caused by a rapid transition to Power Automate workflows, the recommended replacement for Office 365 connectors.

“We have extended the retirement timeline through December 2025 to provide ample time to migrate to another solution such as Power Automate, an app within Microsoft Teams, or Microsoft Graph,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post. “We understand and appreciate the feedback that customers have shared with us regarding the timeline provided for the migration from Office 365 connectors.”

Office 365 connectors in Microsoft Teams allow users to bring updates from other services, like Trello, GitHub, or Twitter, directly into their team’s chat. It’s like having a live feed of information from those services within one’s Teams channel, making it easier to stay updated.

All existing Office 365 connectors within all clouds will remain functional until December 2025. However, to continue using these connectors beyond December 31, 2024, users “must update the respective URL by the end of this year.” Microsoft will provide further guidance on this process at least 90 days before the deadline, the blog added.

If the URL is not updated by December 31, 2024, the connector will stop working, the company said in the blog.

“This is due to further service hardening updates being implemented for Office 365 connectors in alignment with Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative (SFI),” it added. The Microsoft SFI is a pledge taken by the company last November to “bringing together every part of the company to advance cybersecurity protection across both new products and legacy infrastructure.”

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that starting August 15, all new “connector creation will be blocked within all clouds” and effective October 1, “all connectors within all clouds will stop working.”

How do users react to this?

This extension of the deadline, it seems, still did not amuse the users.

“You simply took the part of the feedback that is the least change on your plans, the unrealistic timeline that some people mentioned,” wrote a user on the blog to Microsoft’s statement.

However, the user further added, “You just keep ignoring the not working suggested usage of Power Automate and the worsening of security, flexibility, and scalability. If Microsoft has a slight idea of customer focus you would simply stop this mess and apologize for the ignorance.”

“Even with the ‘update,’ very very bad move,” wrote another user in the feedback portal Microsoft created, adding, “Users will find an alternative to Teams.”

This will significantly impact my company’s alerting and observability, another user replied to the Microsoft blog. “A bit shocked by this frustrating move by M [Microsoft]. Timeline is completely unprofessional and unrealistic as well.”

This change breaks so many of our production alerting and notification systems, one more user wrote in the feedback portal. “Microsoft is setting us back significantly with this move.”

Why is Microsoft phasing out Office 365 connectors?

Microsoft is phasing out Office 365 connectors to enhance security and scalability for enterprises. According to the company, Power Automate provides a robust alternative, offering advanced security features and the flexibility needed to meet business needs, compared to Office connectors.

“Power Automate workflows not only offer a much deeper catalog of Office connectors but also ensure that your integrations are built on an architecture that can grow with your business needs and provide maximum security of your information,” the blog wrote.

This alternative, according to the company, offers a more extensive range of connectors and ensures integration is built on a scalable and secure architecture, “aligning with Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative.”

The company advised users to begin transitioning to Power Automate immediately to ensure a smooth migration. Microsoft plans to roll out additional features and support to assist users in this transition, reinforcing its commitment to enhancing productivity and security for its customers, the blog mentioned.