Microsoft Evergreen Approach

In the dynamic world of IT, staying up to date is crucial. Microsoft 365's (M365) evergreen approach offers companies the opportunity to receive small updates on a continuous basis instead of performing large, infrequent upgrades. But what does this mean in concrete terms for companies, and what advantages and challenges does this approach entail?

1. Always up-to-date software: Companies benefit from the fact that their Microsoft 365 applications - such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams - are always up to date. This reduces security risks and ensures that the latest improvements and features are immediately available - such as AI-powered assistants, intelligent summaries or enhanced collaboration capabilities.

2. Predictable budgets>: The subscription model of the Microsoft 365 Platform allows companies to better plan and predict their IT costs. This makes budgeting easier and reduces unexpected expenses

3. Reduced maintenance costs>: Gartner estimates that maintenance costs in an evergreen environment are up to 79% lower than with infrequent major updates (source: https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3872379). This is because continuous updates require less effort and resources.

4. Improved security>: Regular updates close security gaps more quickly and introduce new security functions. This significantly reduces the risk of cyber attacks

5. Higher user satisfaction: As new features are delivered faster and large, disruptive updates are avoided, users are happier and more productive.

1. Cultural change: The success of the evergreen approach depends heavily on the company's willingness to continuously adapt and accept change. This requires an agile corporate culture and short decision-making paths.

2. Continuous training: As the software constantly evolves, both IT staff and end users need regular training. This ensures that all employees are familiar with the latest features and changes to the services. This does not necessarily have to take the form of training courses but can be supported by communities, news posts, or blog articles.

3. Loss of control: Some organizations may have concerns about losing control of their IT environment as updates are deployed automatically and continuously. To address these concerns, it is important to establish clear processes and policies. Some changes, therefore, need to be examined more closely, and follow-up tasks and measures will follow.

Microsoft releases between 800 and 1,400 updates per year for Microsoft 365. To successfully implement the evergreen approach, companies should consider the following steps:

1. Provide dedicated resources: Make sure that there are dedicated teams or responsibilities for managing and monitoring updates. Different teams often exist for the various services. These need to be integrated. The M365 News Advisor Portal provides support with assignment and tracking options.

2. Optimize approval settings: Set up targeted approvals for selected users to test new functions in the target tenant in advance before they are rolled out company-wide.

3. Service orientation: Focus on relevant services and manage dependencies carefully, especially for the services you actively use.