Organizational Messages – A Better Way to Push Important Messages to Your Users via Microsoft Intune

There were a lot of new updates for Microsoft Intune at the Ignite 2022. Organizational Messages are one of them. This feature is still in preview and believe more options will be available in the coming months.

Imagine you need to send that one quick important message to the users on a Friday afternoon reminder not to shut down the machine or complete the HR training before the due date.

This certainly has the guts to be a better way to notify users of any important messaging rather than them ignoring a message from IT that came as an email 🙂

What I Will Be Covering? 👇🏽

1. Organizational Messages at a Glance
   1. Taskbar Messages
   2. Notification Area
   3. Get Started App
2. How to Configure the Settings?
   1. What Needs to be Done Before Creating a Message?
   2. Create a Message
   3. Set the Schedules
   4. If You are Creating a “Get Started App” Message
3. Wrapping Up

Organizational Messages at a Glance

At the time of writing, this feature is in the Preview state and it covers,

Taskbar Messages

These messages appear attached to the user’s taskbar, on top of everything else on the desktop. The message repeats with a frequency you set until the user acts on it by selecting the included button to go to the website you’ll provide.

• Mandatory Updates

Notification Area

This message will appear in the Notifications area of your users’ devices. The message repeats with a frequency you set until the user acts on it by selecting the included button to go to the website you’ll provide.

• Organizational HR training
• Organizational skills training
• Organizational training
• Organizational update
• Update browser
• Update device

Get Started App

These messages appear in the Get Started app the first time the user runs it after their device is enrolled in Intune. They’re great for welcoming new users to your organization, since you can direct them to info about org benefits and structure, device tips, training, org policies, and how to get tech support. There are also links to info about personalizing their device and setting up their PC profile.

How to Configure the Settings?

Go to Endpoint.microsoft.com > Tenant Administration > Organizational Messages

The feature overview will be as below. This says about the messaging types and what needs to be done before creating a message.

What Needs to be Done Before Creating a Message?

• License
  • M365 E3 or M365 E5
  • EMS E3 + Windows Security E3
  • EMS E5 + Windows Security E5
• RBAC
  • Global Administrator
  • Intune Administrator
  • Organizational messages manager (Microsoft Intune role)
  • Organizational messages writer (Azure AD role)
• Decide whether to block messages directly from Microsoft so users won’t get confused
• Logo formats
  • Preparing the org Logo in PNG with 48 x 48 pixels for the Notifications Area
  • 64 x 64 pixels image for messages attached to the Taskbar
  • 50 pixels high x 50-100 pixels wide used for Get Started app messages

Create a Message

Go to the Message section and select Create

Select the Message type you need to create and add the logo and the domain etc.

Taskbar message setup is shown below.

Set the Schedules

Once the message type and the configuring of the message are done, set the schedule.

If you are going through the Get Started App message setup, check below so it will be Always ON.

Once done, you can assign it to the desired user or device group.

If You are Creating a “Get Started App” Message

Make sure you have created the Windows Spotlight Policy

This can be created using a Device restriction Policy template or using the Settings Catalog. Below steps are from the Settings Catalog as this can be taken as a separate setting itself.

This policy will make sure the policies are delivered accurately and display the created messages.

Go to the Settings catalog > Experience > Allow Windows Spotlight (User) to edit these settings.

• To allow taskbar messages:
  • Allow Windows Spotlight (User): Select Allow.
  • Windows Spotlight Tips: Select Allow.
• To allow notification area messages:
  • Windows Spotlight (User): Select Allow.
  • Windows Spotlight on Action Center: Select Allow.
• To allow Get Started app messages:
  • Allow Windows Spotlight (User): Select Allow.
  • Disable Cloud Optimized Content: Select Disabled.

Wrapping Up

This is a very easy and a creative way to get the messages to the user rather than depending on another email that can go unread. At this stage this is only for pre-created messages but hope the messages can be customised in the future. If you still havented tested this, use a pilot set of users and devices to test this out and to understand the behaviour and you can add it to the messaging ecosystem when its generally available.