Places Is Behind Closed Doors, for Now

• Update: Places is available in public preview as of May 13, 2024, with general availability expected in the second half of 2024.
• Places, a connected workplace platform from Microsoft for managing hybrid work scheduling and resources, was announced in Oct. 2022.
• It promises to help optimize employee time spent in the office, plan work and meeting spaces, and provide analytics on facility utilization.
• Although originally announced for availability in 2023, Places remains in private preview and no additional information has been released. 

Places was announced by Microsoft as a “connected workplace platform.” It is intended to help employees optimize their in-office time for collaboration with coworkers and find work and meeting spaces, while providing employers with analytics to optimize facility usage. When Places was announced in late 2022, hybrid work solutions were a strategic focus for Microsoft as organizations began return-to-office efforts as the pandemic waned. The delay and lack of new information for Places is likely due to Microsoft’s change in focus to Copilot and generative AI, and customers are unlikely to see a public preview of Places until mid-2024.