This post is about Microsoft Rewards in Microsoft 365 in conjunection with Microsoft Search. In a recent Microsoft digest mail I read that Microsoft Rewards come to Microsoft 365 in Microsoft search for users. MC249775. This is some kind of reward program which enables users to collect points or rewards when using a work or school account to get something back later.
It will rolled out tenant-wide and gets available from May 10th, 2021. The message center notification also says that a toggle is available since April 10th, 2021 which you can use to turn it on or off.
What’s the impact of the feature?
The message center states the following:
Users who have personal Microsoft accounts can earn Microsoft Rewards points in connection with their work searches when the Link Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) with Rewards feature is enabled.
Microsoft 365 Message Center – Message MC248775
If this feature is enabled for your tenant, unless a user opts out of this feature, their personal Microsoft account will be associated with their workplace Azure AD account, if they sign-in with both on Bing and are opted into Rewards.
How to disable Microsoft Rewards in Microsoft 365?
To disable Microsoft Rewards you need to open your Microsoft 365 admin center (https://admin.microsoft.com).
- Microsoft 365 admin center
- Settings
- Org settings
- Services
- Microsoft Rewards
- Finally, you can check or un-check the box to enable or disable Microsoft Rewards.
Conclusion, opinion and summary
Reward programs are ok for personal users which are not coupled anyhow to a business/work or school account. The message center message implies that users connect and link a work and school account with a personal account to collect rewards to receive benefits later on.
As an IT admin in a company I probably would not want that users can link ther personal account anyhow to their business acount. Even if it is loosely coupled. There are reasons why there is no “bring your own account” policy in companies. Business, work and school accounts need more sophisitcated features for a secure workplace. To soften up the relationship between personal and business accounts is therefore probably nothing what can und should be used without knowning as an admin what’s happening there. Fortunately, there is a toggle where your company can decide how to configure it.
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