Microsoft throttles down some “non-essential” Office 365 capabilities to accommodate new growth and demand

As more and more companies are making employees work from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, online collaboration services like Microsoft’s Office 365 are facing extra stress. In light of the situation, Microsoft recently sent out an email to Office 365 subscribers notifying that it will be making temporary adjustments to select “non-essential capabilities” of the service.

We received an email about these changes on our end, and it has surfaced on Reddit too. According to the email, any changes are not expected to have a significant impact on the end-user experience. The company explains that some changes include how often it checks for presence, the interval in which it is shown that the other party is typing, and video resolution. A full copy of the email message from Microsoft can be seen below.

This move isn’t really too surprising, as demand for Microsoft’s Office 365 services is on the surge. As per a Reuters report, Microsoft experienced 100% growth in usage of in Teams in Italy, alone. Microsoft is also offering a free six month free trial of paid Teams plans.  Such moves will not only ensure that business goes on and that workers can do their jobs from home, but also ensure that service interruptions are minimized.