SaaS Updates Summary: March 30 – April 3

Last week’s SaaS updates include a big announcement from Okta and new features to improve email security in Gmail. For all the updates that you missed, keep reading.

Less Secure App Turn-off Suspended Until Further Notice
G Suite Updates | Last December, Google announced that they’d be turning off less secure app (LSA) access to G Suite accounts, and that you should migrate to OAuth authentication instead. The first phase of the LSA turn-down was scheduled for June 15, 2020. As many organizations deal with the impact of COVID-19 and are now focused on supporting a remote workforce, Google wants to minimize potential disruptions for customers unable to complete migrations in this timeframe. As a result, they are suspending the LSA turn-off until further notice. All previously announced timeframes no longer apply.

Improve Virtual Meetings and Bring Consultations Online—Here’s What’s New to Microsoft 365 in March
Microsoft 365 Blog | Last month, Microsoft added new features and capabilities designed to help keep your business moving during COVID-19 and beyond. New capabilities in Microsoft Teams, for instance, help you host more effective, inclusive, and focused online meetings and offer virtual solutions for one-on-one consultations. A crisis management site in SharePoint helps your organization quickly share information during emergencies. And an improved search experience in Outlook allows you to quickly find what you need in your email and calendar.

Goodbye Passwords. Hello Okta FastPass.
The Okta Blog | Okta has been on a mission to embrace a passwordless future for quite some time, and last week, they introduced Okta FastPass: the first truly passwordless login experience across devices and platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.

Improve Email Security in Gmail With TLS by Default and Other New Features
G Suite Updates | Gmail already supports TLS, so that if the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mail connection can be secured through TLS, it will be. However, in order to encourage more organizations to increase their email security posture, and to further the above goal of enabling TLS by default, Google has made a few changes.

For last week’s SaaS updates (and beyond), click here for our archive.