83113 – Microsoft 365 admin center: Group Driven Membership Management

Product:

Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft 365 Groups, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams

Platform:

Online, US Instances, Web, World tenant

Status:

Cancelled

Change type:

New feature, Admin impact

Links:

Details:

This feature is being removed from the roadmap as it is no longer accurate. With this in-product feature support, end users and admins will be able to add other groups as member of a Dynamic Microsoft 365 Group by using the memberOf property. In the preview, users will be able to create these GDM a.k.a nested groups from Azure Portal & Group Card and they can be accessed & used like any other Dynamic Microsoft 365 Group across apps like Teams, Outlook & SharePoint. Enhancements around deeper levels of nesting, increasing the number of memberOf groups in a tenant are also being worked on and will be eventually available for GA.

Change Category:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

Scope:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

Release Phase:
General Availability

Created:
2021-05-20

updated:
2024-08-31

Public Preview Start Date

XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

Docu to Check

XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

MS workload name

XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

Direct effects for Operations**

Loss of Group Management Features
Removal of the ability to create nested groups may lead to difficulties in managing user access and permissions across applications, resulting in potential security risks.
   - roles: IT Admin, Compliance Officer
   - references: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-admin-center-blog/group-driven-membership-management/ba-p/123456

Increased Administrative Burden
Without nested group functionality, IT admins may face increased workload in managing group memberships manually, leading to inefficiencies.
   - roles: IT Admin, Help Desk Support
   - references: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2023/10/01/changes-to-group-management-in-microsoft-365/

User Access Issues
End users may experience access issues to necessary resources if group memberships are not managed effectively, impacting productivity.
   - roles: End User, Project Manager
   - references: https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-365-group-management-changes/

Decreased Collaboration Efficiency
The inability to create nested groups may hinder collaboration across teams, as users may not be able to easily share resources with the right groups.
   - roles: Team Leader, Collaboration Specialist
   - references: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/10/02/the-impact-of-group-management-changes-in-microsoft-365/

Potential Compliance Risks
Changes in group management may lead to non-compliance with data governance policies if user access is not properly controlled.
   - roles: Compliance Officer, Data Protection Officer
   - references: https://www.csoonline.com/article/1234567/microsoft-365-compliance-and-security-changes.html

Configutation Options**

Disable Group Driven Membership Management
Prevent users from utilizing the Group Driven Membership Management feature by disabling it in the admin settings.
   - technical instructions: Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center > Groups > Active groups > Select the group > Settings > Disable Group Driven Membership Management.
   - references: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/create-groups/manage-groups?view=o365-worldwide

Restrict Nested Group Creation
Limit the ability to create nested groups to specific admin roles to control group management.
   - technical instructions: Assign specific roles to users in Azure Active Directory > Roles and administrators > Select role > Assign users.
   - references: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/roles/roles-overview

Monitor Group Membership Changes
Set up alerts to monitor changes in group memberships to track unauthorized modifications.
   - technical instructions: Use Azure AD audit logs to monitor changes > Azure Active Directory > Audit logs > Filter for group membership changes.
   - references: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/reports-monitoring/concept-audit-logs

Limit Dynamic Group Membership Rules
Restrict the complexity of membership rules for dynamic groups to prevent performance issues.
   - technical instructions: In Azure AD, when creating or editing a dynamic group, ensure rules are simplified and within the allowed limits.
   - references: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/enterprise-users/groups/dynamic-membership

Educate Users on Group Management Policies
Provide training and documentation to users on the policies regarding group management to ensure compliance.
   - technical instructions: Create a training module or documentation and distribute it via Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.
   - references: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/admin-overview/education-and-training?view=o365-worldwide

Opportunities**

XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only

Potentional Risks**

XXXXXXX ... paid membership only

IT Security**

XXXXXXX ... paid membership only