Differences between the Office 365 Add-In and legacy VSTO
The Office 365 Add-In is available on Mac and Web
The New Outlook Client does not support legacy VSTO
The Office 365 add-in is more secure
The Office 365 add-in is faster
The Office 365 add-in is easier to manage within an organization
There is no need for local installation.
Why you need to upgrade
Upgrade to our new Office 365 Outlook Add-in for a seamless integration with the Office 365 ecosystem, offering a unified experience across all your applications both web and desktop. Enjoy faster load times, greater stability, and enhanced performance, minimizing delays and reducing crashes. Protect your data with state-of-the-art security features and ensure compliance with the latest industry standards. Benefit from a modern, intuitive user interface, making your workflow more efficient and tailored to your specific needs. Plus, with Microsoft discontinuing VSTO, now is the perfect time to transition to a more advanced and future-proof solution.
Prerequisites for migration
A Planner Exchange Integration needs to be configured and active.
Step 1: Test the Office 365 Add-In
Decide what test strategy you want to use. You can either let a small number of users test the Office 365 Add-In or you can let all users test right from the start.
After you have decided on a test strategy you need to download the manifest from Planner. You can find it in your administration panel under Settings > Other Settings.
Upload the Manifest and enable it for select testers and select the users who will see the Office 365 Add-In in their Outlook client.
To upload the manifest Go to the Microsoft 365 Administration module and find the Integrated Apps page under Settings. Then select “Upload custom app”.
Set the App Type to Office Add-in, and upload the manifest file you just downloaded. Select the users you want to test the Office 365 Add-In. Accept permission request, and deploy the app.
Afterwards you need to inform the test users that the two AddIns cannot both be active at the same time. When a user activates the Office 365 Add-In, it will disable the legacy VSTO Add-In. Should they need to go back to the legacy VSTO Add-In, they can go to "My Settings" in Planner Web where they can enable legacy VSTO again. They just need to know, that as soon as they use the Office 365 Add-In, the legacy VSTO Add-In will be disabled again.
Step 2: Communicate to the Organization
Below are two templated you can use to communicate this change to your organization.
Dear Team,
We are excited to announce a significant update to our Planner Outlook Add-In that will enhance your user experience. Starting soon, we will be rolling out a new Planner Outlook Add-In that is compatible with both Mac and Windows platforms and accessible on both web and desktop versions of Outlook.
Benefits of the new Add-in?
Seamless Integration with Office 365: The new Add-In offers a unified experience across all Office 365 applications, making your workflow smoother and more efficient.
Enhanced Performance: Enjoy faster load times and greater stability, minimizing delays and reducing crashes.
Advanced Security: Benefit from state-of-the-art security features, ensuring your data is protected and compliant with industry standards.
Modern User Interface: Experience a modern, intuitive interface with customizable dashboards, tailored to fit your specific needs.
Transition Plan:
Initial Phase: As you start using the new Planner Outlook Add-In, the old Add-In will be disabled. For a transitional period, you will have the option to switch back to the old Add-In if needed. Just log into Planner web and go to My Settings to enable it again.
Cut-off Date: After [Specific Date], switching back to the old Add-In will no longer be possible.
Final Phase: By [Final Date], the old Planner Outlook Add-In will be completely retired, and it will no longer be available for use.
This update is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the user experience and provide you with the best tools to manage your tasks and projects effectively.
We appreciate your cooperation during this transition. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team.
Thank you for your attention to this important update.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Position]
[Your Contact Information]
[Company Name]
Emne: Vigtig opdatering: Udrulning af ny Planner Outlook Add-In
Kære team
Vi er glade for at kunne annoncere en betydelig opdatering til vores Planner Outlook Add-In, som vil forbedre jeres brugeroplevelse. Snart vil vi rulle en ny Planner Outlook Add-In ud, der er kompatibel med både Mac og Windows platforme og tilgængelig på både web- og desktopversioner af Outlook.
Fordele ved den nye Add-In
Problemfri integration med Office 365: Den nye Add-In tilbyder en ensartet oplevelse på tværs af alle Office 365-applikationer, hvilket gør din arbejdsproces mere smidig og effektiv.
Forbedret ydeevne: Oplev hurtigere indlæsningstider og større stabilitet, hvilket minimerer forsinkelser og reducerer nedbrud.
Avanceret sikkerhed: Drag fordel af avancerede sikkerhedsfunktioner, der sikrer, at dine data er beskyttet og overholder branchestandarder.
Moderne brugergrænseflade: Oplev en moderne, intuitiv grænseflade med tilpassede dashboards, der er skræddersyet til dine specifikke behov.
Overgangsplan
Indledende fase: Når du begynder at bruge den nye Planner Outlook Add-In, vil det gamle Add-In blive deaktiveret. I en overgangsperiode vil du have mulighed for at skifte tilbage til den gamle Add-In, hvis det er nødvendigt. Log blot ind på Planner web og gå til Mine indstillinger for at aktivere det igen.
Slutdato: Efter [Specifik dato] vil det ikke længere være muligt at skifte tilbage til det gamle Add-In.
Afsluttende fase: Fra [Endelig dato] vil den gamle Planner Outlook Add-In være fuldstændig udfaset og ikke længere være tilgængelig.
Denne opdatering er en del af vores løbende indsats for at forbedre brugeroplevelsen og give dig de bedste værktøjer til at administrere dine opgaver og projekter effektivt.
Vi værdsætter jeres samarbejde under denne overgang. Skulle I have spørgsmål eller brug for hjælp, er I velkomne til at kontakte vores supportteam.
Tak for jeres opmærksomhed på denne vigtige opdatering.
Med venlig hilsen,
[Dit navn]
[Din stilling]
[Dine kontaktoplysninger]
[Virksomhedsnavn]
Step 3: Transition to the O365 Add-In for all users
Once you are ready to roll out the Office 365 Add-In to your entire organization, you need to first go back to the where you uploaded the manifest file and enable the Add-In for all users. Be aware that it can take up to 24 hours before it is active for all users.
Now you need to decide how you want to roll this out in your organization. We recommend that you first allow your users to switch back and forth between the new add-in and the legacy VSTO add-in if they need to. You can do this from the "My Settings" page. This allows users to try out the new Office 365 Add-In. After a trial week or two you can remove the option for users to switch back. As an administrator you will still be able to enable the legacy VSTO Add-In from the users tab.
_During the transition period, you will be able to monitor how many users are using each Add-In. Note that not all users use an Add-In, so the total number of users will most likely be higher than the number you get if you sum up O365 add-in users and legacy VSTO Add-In users. _
After another week or two, you should disable the legacy VSTO Add-In altogether, so nobody can use it. After this step only the Office 365 Add-In will be available.
If you need to reach out to users who still use the legacy VSTO Add-In before disabling the add-in entirely, you can download a CSV file with the names, e-mail address and type of Add-In used.
Step 4: Uninstall the VSTO Add-In on Desktop Clients
Once you have disabled the legacy VSTO Add-In for all users, you should uninstall the AddIn from all Outlook Desktop Clients. You can do this by either using your SCCM management software, or by going to Add/Remove programs on your computers, and look for “Outlook add-in for Pronestor".
