Hidden Features of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

Most teams are using less than 40% of the capabilities available in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Not because they don't want to, but because many features are simply hidden in plain sight.

If you're an IT admin, power user, or tech-savvy manager, this guide goes beyond the basics, highlighting underrated but highly impactful tools that can boost collaboration, automate workflows, and tighten data security.

Let’s dive into the advanced side of the tools you're already paying for.

 Hidden Substrate Mailboxes

What: Store backend data from Teams, Planner, and Viva, invisible in Exchange. Use: For eDiscovery, insider threat, and compliance cases. How:

1.     Go to compliance.microsoft.com > eDiscovery (Premium)

2.    Create/Search a case → Substrate data is auto included

 Intune: Wi-Fi via SCEP/PKCS Cert Auth

What: Auto-connect devices to Wi-Fi using certificates—no password needed. How:

1.     Push Trusted Cert + SCEP/PKCS profile

2.     Push Wi-Fi profile with EAP-TLS auth

 Audit Logging (Unified Audit Logs)

Track nearly everything across M365 — from file deletions to email forwarding to mailbox access by admins.

🛠️ Security & Compliance > Audit > Enable Unified Audit Log. Then search or use PowerShell cmdlets to pull historical data.

 Microsoft Lists + JSON Column Formatting

Transform simple lists into powerful UI experiences you can:

• Add buttons, visual statuses, and toggles
• Trigger Power Automate flows via JSON

🛠️ List > Column Settings > Format this column > Paste custom JSON Learn syntax: https://aka.ms/columnformatting

 Defender: Email Timeline + Network Flow Merge

What: View full attack chain—email > user > device > network. How:

1.     Go to security.microsoft.com > Incidents

2.     Open Incident → View Timeline → Toggle “Merge View”

 eDiscovery: Relevancy Scoring & Near-Duplicates

What: AI ranks the importance of finding 99% similar documents. How:

1.     Use eDiscovery (Premium)

2.     Go to Review Set → Enable Analytics > Near Duplicates & Relevance

 Purview: Information Barriers v2

What: Block cross-communication (chat, SharePoint, meetings) at a granular level. How:

1.     Create Segments & Policies via PowerShell

PowerShell: - New-InformationBarrierPolicy -Name "BlockSalesToFinance"

2.     Apply & enforce

Google Workspace: Powerful but Underused Features

Context-Aware Access & Beyond Corp Zero Trust Controls

Google Admins can enforce security based on:

• Device security status (e.g., company-owned vs BYOD)
• IP address or geolocation
• User group or role

 Use case: Block Gmail and Drive access from personal laptops for Finance team users.

Admin Console > Security > Context-Aware Access

 Google Apps Script + Triggers for Automation

This is Google's equivalent of VBA + backend automation.

• Automate calendar events, Gmail parsing, Drive cleanups, etc.
• Run on time triggers, form submits, or even Gmail label changes.

Use case: Auto-label emails from vendors and extract invoice PDFs into Drive folders.

https://script.google.com

Google Vault (eDiscovery + Retention Management)

Not just for legal teams, Vault helps enforce retention, search, and export of data across Gmail, Drive, Meet, and Chat.

• You can preserve data indefinitely or purge based on rules
• Essential for regulated industries or HR/legal audits

 Use case: Automatically retain chat logs for terminated users for 12 months after account deletion.

Bonus Tip: Integrate M365 & Workspace for a Hybrid Workflow

Some companies use Google Workspace for collaboration and M365 for Office apps or compliance. You can integrate the two:

• Sync calendars (with some third-party tools)
• Use Gmail with Outlook via IMAP or Microsoft 365 connector
• Sync files between OneDrive and Google Drive for shared teams

It’s not always about choosing one; it’s about configuring what’s best for your workflows.

Final Thought

Whether you're an MSP, IT admin, or just the go-to tech person on your team, the power of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace lies not in the features but in how deeply you use them.

Most businesses don’t need new tools. They need to unlock the full value of the ones they already have.

 What’s the most underrated feature you’ve unlocked in M365 or Google Workspace? Share your favourite in the comments, someone else might need exactly that tip.