Microsoft Loop Is a New App Designed for Hybrid Workspaces

Microsoft Loop Is a New App Designed for Hybrid Workspaces

At this year’s Ignite conference, Microsoft announced the introduction of a new application that has been designed to help employees collaborate and stay aware of the progress of the projects they are on. This application, Microsoft Loop, has support for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Microsoft Teams. Users can edit any file in one convenient location without having to open any other app.

The Microsoft Loop app is in essence a rebranding of Microsoft’s Fluid Framework, which is a way to create content that can be copied, pasted, and shared with others. Like Fluid Framework, the essential parts of Microsoft Loop are referred to as Loop Components, which Microsoft calls “atomic units of productivity that help you collaborate and get your work done in the flow of your work”.

With the number of work-from-home opportunities at a rapid pace as most businesses and organizations have been operating since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have depended heavily on platforms that can be synced and accessed remotely. Microsoft Loop is just one of the latest additions to Microsoft’s suite of office applications.

What is Microsoft Loop?

According to Microsoft, Loop is a new app that “combines a strong and versatile canvas with transportable elements that transfer freely and keep in sync throughout apps”.

One of the objectives of Microsoft Loop is to make accessing and sharing files easier, as workers have the ability to share loop files on Microsoft Teams. Workers will also be able to start a video meeting in Microsoft Teams to share the file over the call.

From what we have gathered, Microsoft is giving Microsoft 365 users an updated method to work collectively, without actually being in the same place. Microsoft Loop users will essentially have the ability to organize all the things you need for a project right into a comprehensive workspace and use adaptable components to finish work, whether in chat or conferences. With Microsoft Loop, you will be able to utilize Microsoft Loop to co-create a project and monitor the project’s progress with notifications, labels, job lists, and more.

Microsoft stated that the application will have various components which will always be up-to-date and synchronized through all applications on different devices. When someone opens a file from any application on a device, he or she will be able to access the file’s latest version. Microsoft has also included project status tracking options and voting options. Microsoft will also enable third-party developers to create applications.

What Are the Key Elements of Microsoft Loop?

While Microsoft plans to reveal more details about Loop before the launch, there are a few main components of the application.

• Loop Workspaces: Loop workspaces are areas that enable team members to group important details in a project. Team members can also see what other team members are doing and monitor everyone’s progress.
• Loop Pages: These pages are flexible “canvases” that allow you to organize elements and pull in other elements like files, hyperlinks, or data records to help team members think, create, and collaborate. The pages are versatile, growing as you add to them.
• Loop Components: These elements are “atomic models of productivity that enable you to collaborate” on a Loop page or in a chat, email, document, or meeting. Loop components can be as simple as lists, notes, or tables, or it can be as particular as a sales opportunity from Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Loop components can include simple things like tables and notes, but can also be much more sophisticated. And in addition to the usual graphs, tables, notes, etc., in Office apps, Loop components will also include newer blocks of content like a voting table and a status tracker. When you create a loop component in Microsoft Teams chat, its physical representation will be a fluid file stored in your OneDrive for Business account. The chat message you create that contains a loop component cannot contain anything else. Loop components can be compared to the popular Lego blocks

When a chat message containing a loop component is sent, its fluid file will be shared with participants of the chat. This move will allow the chat participants to make changes to the content and receive notifications when updates are made. The loop components’ sharing feature in Teams chat is the default sharing link. This sharing link is defined in an organization’s SharePoint Online sharing policy. The sharing link can be edited to use your selected permissions, subject to the settings that have been established in the sharing policy.

For organizations that utilize OneDrive for Business, users who are signed in as a guest and are participants in a chat are unable to create messages that contain loop components. However, guests who are participants in the chat are able to update loop components that were created and sent by others who are not guests.

How Can Microsoft Loop Be Used in Businesses Throughout Calgary and Southern Alberta?

The components of Microsoft Loop enable a new and improved way to communicate and work together. Instead of users sharing files, devices, or relying on chat to share information, Microsoft Loop enables a synchronized way to create and edit content. Employees do not have to work collectively when using Microsoft Loop, but work can take place at the same time and be synced simultaneously.

Microsoft Loop enables a single workspace that ensures every change that is made by members of a team will be visible to everyone participating in the project. When working non-simultaneously, this is a very critical piece because this will allow everyone to see changes in real-time. Loop has been made for today’s modern workplace, including remote and hybrid workplaces.

There are plenty of useful ways Calgary and Southern Alberta businesses and organizations can use Microsoft Loop for workplaces, including synchronous and asynchronous projects.

• Group members can write their status and plans simultaneously. Group members can see what others are doing. Anyone who is not actively participating can add their details later and the other workers will receive a notification that changes have been made.

• When notes need to be taken during a meeting, it is important to remember that not everyone will have OneNote enabled during the meeting. It may be easier for everyone to add notes to the meeting using Loop.

• Ideas no longer have to only have to be put into a chat. Loop allows workers to collect data and tasks in the Loop when an event or meeting has been created collectively.

CTECH Consulting Group Will Prepare You for the Microsoft Loop Release

Preparing for any new release requires that your business or organization has the proper technology and understanding of what to be prepared for behind the scenes. Benefit from the knowledge and experience of the experts at CTECH Consulting Group and allow us to help your Calgary or Southern Alberta business with your IT service needs, especially Microsoft technologies.

As a top Microsoft Partner, we can help you plan for your business’s future use of Microsoft Loop. Our experts will ensure your business has the playbook and working practices to prepare for the adoption of this new technology before any chaos begins. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation with one of our experts.

Written by Carl Fransen

posted on November 21, 2021

Carl Fransen

My passion is to make my mark on the world in a positive and lasting way. I want to set an example for my son that his father can compete with integrity in today’s world, be very successful, and leave the world a better place for him.

Combining my technical/business-based education with a long career steadily progressing up the corporate ladder, I decided to build a company that held true to my values. So, I founded and designed the next generation of IT support firm: CTECH Consulting Group Inc. We are a completely automated, cloud-based IT company designed to compete against any other IT firm without the overhead. We promote a lifestyle to all our staff where they can work anywhere, at any time, access any information on any device that is relevant to their job, and collaborate with anyone they want to.