What you need to know
- Microsoft Search will receive several improvements and new features by the end of the year.
- Microsoft Teams will gain a new search experience that works within the context of chats or channels.
- Microsoft Graph connectors will enable Microsoft Search to search through external services such as Adobe, Box, and IBM.
Microsoft Search will receive several improvements and features later this year, including a new search experience for Microsoft Teams and an AI-enriched image search feature. Microsoft Search will also gain new options for admins to receive feedback. Azure Cognitive Search will also integrate with Microsoft Search, allowing people to see search results from Azure Cognitive Search indices.
The new search experience within Microsoft Teams will allow users to find people, files, meetings, and messages within the context of a chat or channel. This should make it much easier to find content with Teams, especially if you work several colleagues on the same project.
Finding images will also be easier, thanks to an AI-enriched image search. This feature will allow people to find photos, logos, and images from throughout an organization.
The Windows desktop search box also sees improvements later this year. It will soon show personalized search results, bringing it more in line with Office.com, SharePoint, Bing, and Edge.
One of the biggest boosts to searching will come in the form of Microsoft Graph connectors. These connectors allow organizations to index third-party data, which will then appear within Microsoft Search results.
Microsoft has several of its own connectors, such as Azure SQL and Enterprise websites. There are also connectors from Adobe, Amazon, Box, IBM, and many other companies. There will be over 100 unique connectors from Microsoft's partners when Microsoft Graph connectors become generally available, which should occur in the near future.
Employees will be able to submit feedback to admins to improve the search experience. The feedback feature enables people to share feedback to admins on the quality of search results and to suggest answers to queries.
Microsoft Search will also integrate with Azure Cognitive Search, which allows people to "create a 'boundary-less' cohesive and coherent search experience," according to Microsoft. The integration will allow Microsoft Search to include results from existing Azure Cognitive Search indices.
