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Running Out of Storage? Check Out the New Microsoft 365 Archive Feature

Microsoft News |

Microsoft 365 SharePoint file storage provides 1TB per organization and 10GB per user. If you start to run low on space, you can expand your storage in 1GB increments at an additional cost of $ 0.20 per GB per month or $200 per TB per month. While this cost may not be significant for larger organizations, smaller to mid-sized construction organizations might be impacted, especially when storing CADD, GIS, and video files in SharePoint. SharePoint Archive, released in 2024, could be a beneficial option; check out this article for more information.

What Are Your Options If You are Running out of SharePoint Storage?

You really have three options if you need more SharePoint storage:

  1. Delete files (ensuring to remove them from the SharePoint site collection recycle bin)
  2. Move them to another external storage location
  3. Use Microsoft 365 Archive to archive the site.

Advantages of Microsoft 365 Archive

  • Rapid archiving. You can archive a site within minutes.
  • Archive sites in place. You do not need to move files to another location. You can select and archive a site from the SharePoint admin center.
  • Search indexes remain intact.
  • Reactivate sites. If you need to bring a site back online, you can reactivate it from the SharePoint admin center.
  • Cost Savings. Archive storage list price is $.05/GB/month or $50/TB/month, which is 75% cheaper than active storage. Note: these costs are as of 02/27/2025. Check this link for the Microsoft 365 Archive Cost Calculator.
  • No impact on metadata. Archiving and reactivating SharePoint sites will not impact metadata and security versioning. We tested managed metadata as well as lookup fields, and they worked as expected

Considerations When Using Microsoft Archive

  • You cannot archive a hub site or a site with a hub site assigned to it.
  • There is a reactivation cost per GB of $.60/GB/month. The fee applies regardless of whether your tenant is over or below its SharePoint capacity limit, but only if you reactivate more than seven days after the site was most recently archived. This seven-day grace period allows you to reverse an accidental archival without reactivation costs.
  • Make sure to wait 24 hours after any files have been uploaded or any changes have been made to a site you want to archive to ensure no data loss.
  • Only site-level archiving is available at the time of this article. File-level archiving will be available in July of 2026. To keep an eye out for updates to the timeline, you can view the roadmap feature here: Microsoft 365 Roadmap | Microsoft 365

In summary, Microsoft 365 Archive is an excellent option for placing your files into cold storage. So, if you are exceeding your 1TB allowance and you know of a SharePoint site that is no longer in use but has a lot of files, you might want to give Microsoft 365 Archive a shot.

Setting up your Microsoft 365 SharePoint infrastructure efficiently and with proper monitoring is instrumental to minimizing data sprawl and reducing your monthly bill. Lydon Solutions has been providing solutions for the construction industry on Microsoft 365 since its inception. You can reach out below for a free one-hour consultation. If you need a turnkey construction management platform for Microsoft 365 SharePoint, you can request a demo of Construction Viz here.

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How to Manage Construction Project Photos in SharePoint

Microsoft Tips |

Microsoft SharePoint 365 is the leading content management system in the world, full stop. Many features make it an excellent construction management tool; the most widely used feature is the ability to manage files. One of the challenges in construction is finding an easy way to store project photos and retrieve the images throughout the lifecycle of a project. Check out this article to discover your options for managing construction project photos in SharePoint.

Construction Project Photos in SharePoint

Back in the day, SharePoint included a Picture Library app that allowed images to be displayed as thumbnails and captured location information. Microsoft has since deprecated that app in favor of standard document libraries to store pictures.

So, what does that mean for uploading and finding your photos?

  • Location information stored as metadata is not available in an out-of-the-box document library. You could add a location column to the library, manually enter an address or lat/long, or use a Power Automate workflow to generate a location.
  • Image thumbnails are not part of the default documents view. You will need to switch to or create a new view to use tiles. Note: Tiles are not available to select from if you create a view from within the library settings. Creating a tiles view is only possible from the view settings directly on the document list.
  • Uploading images to SharePoint directly might be cumbersome. If you need to bookmark multiple SharePoint sites to upload your project photos, adding a shortcut to OneDrive from the SharePoint document library might make sense. This option will create a new connection that is accessible online and offline to the same SharePoint document library but from OneDrive or Windows File Explorer. Check out the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app for another approach to taking photos and uploading them to SharePoint.
  • You will most likely need folders or metadata to organize and search images. You can create folders in SharePoint or OneDrive or create columns with unique metadata in SharePoint. Read this article to better understand Folders vs. Columns in SharePoint. Also, Copilot AI has some interesting capabilities for extracting data from images, which we will discuss in future articles.

So, if you are looking to use SharePoint to store your project photos, you will want to leverage the tile view, decide where and how you want to access them, and whether metadata is appropriate for you.

To get a better experience capturing photos in the field you might want to evaluate Microsoft’s mobile apps. There is a Microsoft 365 SharePoint mobile app that is available for your mobile device that you can download here. If you are looking to leverage related Microsoft 365 apps while in the field to capture photos, you might want to install the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app which consolidates all of Microsoft’s mobile apps under one application and includes some image manipulation features as well as Copilot AI. You can download the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app here.  You can find out more about the app in our latest blog here.

If you are looking for a holistic approach to managing your construction projects, you can sign up for a free one-hour consultation here. Lydon Solutions works with construction companies, organizations, and projects of all sizes to help them maximize their investment in Microsoft 365.

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Take Project Photos in the Field Using the Microsoft 365 Copilot App!

Microsoft Tips |

Contractors on construction projects often use Microsoft OneDrive to upload project photos on their mobile devices while in the field. While the experience of uploading pictures to folders is straightforward, there is a little-known mobile app called Microsoft 365 Copilot that can provide some cool features to the experience. Check out this article to find out more.

The New Microsoft 365 App Name

Microsoft has recently renamed Microsoft 365 to Microsoft 365 Copilot across the web (office.com) and mobile app. Yes, it is getting a little confusing because Copilot is their AI tool, but it’s still the same Microsoft 365 with a different name and more focus on AI.

What is the Microsoft 365 Copilot App for Mobile?

Now that we have the name change out of the way, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for mobile is actually the one app that rules them all from Microsoft.

While you can individually install each app like SharePoint, OneDrive, Power Apps, etc., the Microsoft 365 Copilot app provides a modern UI to access all of these apps and provide new features all under one hood. I wrote about it in detail in our Microsoft 365 for Construction newsletter.

For project photos specifically, there are a couple of nice features in the mobile app:

Photo Features in Microsoft OneDrive Tab

The OneDrive tab is a clean and easy-to-use UI that allows you to access your OneDrive files. View your files and navigate to specific OneDrive libraries. Other features include sharing files, making a file a favorite, keeping files offline on the device, renaming a file, deleting a file, and removing it from the list.

Also, there is a summary view of your files and the ability to search Microsoft Teams document libraries that you can access, which is pretty slick.

You can upload files into the libraries as well. You can even let the app manage files on your phone outside of Microsoft 365.

So, if you want to save your photos easily to OneDrive, you can upload them from this tab.

Photo Features in Microsoft Capture

You can take a photo and edit it before uploading it to OneDrive. Capture is a lightweight tool to scan and extract data from images, videos, and dictation.

  • Scan. You can use your camera to scan and mark up an image using a lightweight editing menu. It’s an easy-to-use way to take a photo in the field with some markup capabilities such as crop, ink, text, rotate, delete, and the ability to add filters. Once the image is ready to go, you can save it to OneDrive and include it in a daily report at a later date.
  • Extract. Extract is like scanning but it will read and extract text from an image. This feature could save some steps when typing data into Note or Word.

So, if you need to do photo editing before uploading, Capture could be your go-to app.

In summary, if you use OneDrive to store files, try the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app to see if it can enhance your project workflows.

Use Microsoft 365 to Manage Your Construction Projects

If you need help setting up your Microsoft 365 for success, you can request a free one-hour consultation using the form below.

Want an enterprise-level construction project management solution for Microsoft? Check out ConstructionViz.com to schedule a product demo.

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Portfolio Management in Project for the Web (Planner Premium)

Microsoft Tips |

Project for the Web (PFTW), now called Planner Premium, is Microsoft’s refresh of Project Online. Now, two features in PFTW are available to manage multiple projects at a portfolio level.

Check out this article to learn how these features work and if they can help you manage multiple project schedules.

Two features in PFTW that can help you manage your projects at a portfolio level:

Roadmap

Roadmap allows for selecting tasks (activities) from one or more plans (projects) and displaying them in a summary Gantt chart view. You can also include activities from Project Online.

The value of this view is having the ability to pick similar key tasks and compare them across plans as well as add key milestone dates, change the task status (not set, on track, at risk, high risk, and done) from a consolidated view, and launch the project from the task directly.

Portfolio

Portfolios can be created from within Planner under the My Portfolio menu.

Portfolios allow adding one or more plans to a consolidated status view. The view displays the progress percentage that is complete, which is derived directly from the plan. Start and finish dates are also displayed for the plan, and you can change the plan's overall status (on track, closed, off track, not started, and at risk).

In Summary

Both Roadmap and Portfolio provide a much-needed roll-up of project schedule data for summary reporting. Both features offer a simplistic view of the data for organizations with many projects that only need a quick status snapshot. Unfortunately, both features allow minimal customization. Power BI would still be your best bet for a more detailed portfolio view.

If you are looking to move from Project Online to PFTW, need a scheduling tool, or guidance with Microsoft Project, we’re here to help. Also, if you are looking to do more with Microsoft 365, including Power BI, you can reach out for a free one-hour consultation here.

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Use AI on Your SharePoint Sites with Copilot Agents

Microsoft Tips |

Copilot AI is all the rage across Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft continues to release new features, making it easier for the citizen developer to create AI models. With Copilot Studio, you can create Copilot agents that utilize your SharePoint sites as knowledge sources. So, how can this help your construction projects? Check out this article to find out more.

There are many opportunities where AI could come in handy on construction projects that use SharePoint to manage their project documents. For example, AI could list all the deliverables required for an RFP, determine if liquidated damages were part of a construction contract, scan resumes for employees with a particular skill set, and so on.

With Copilot agents, you can create custom AI agents to scan your SharePoint documents and provide conversational responses to your queries.

Copilot Agent Overview

Let’s say you want to create a training FAQ Copilot agent from all the training documents in a SharePoint site.

You use Microsoft Copilot Studio to create a Copilot agent and then include the SharePoint site as the knowledge source. You can then share that agent with other team members who have permissions to the SharePoint site.

In Action: Create a Copilot Agent

Go into Copilot Studio, click Create, and name your agent. As you can see in the image below, I’ve already created an agent using a SharePoint site where we deployed Construction Viz as the knowledge source.

Once you create your agent and assign a SharePoint site as the knowledge source, you must determine which channel to use for the agent. A channel is a location where the agent can be shared. By default, it’s Microsoft Teams, but other options, such as a custom website or even Slack, are possible but will require additional authentication setup. If you use Teams, the authentication is built in. Next, you will want to identify who in your organization can access the agent from the settings.

When you are ready for the rest of the team to take it for a spin, publish the agent and share the link to the agent with your team members.

Share Your Agent

If you use Microsoft Teams for your channel, you can add your agent as an app and send the link to your team members to interact with the SharePoint site you used as a knowledge source.

Copilot_3

How Does a Copilot Agent Function?

I created a simple agent called Construction Viz Demo that scans training information from a PDF document stored in the underlying SharePoint site of a Construction Viz deployment. As you can see below, I can ask the agent questions, and it will return results based on the PDF file. Pretty slick!

Considerations

  • Copilot supports a wide range of file types such as Word (doc and docx), Excel (xlsx), PowerPoint (ppt and pptx), Loop, and Adobe (PDFs). Copilot agents will not scan SharePoint lists out of the box. To include SharePoint lists, you must build custom actions, which we will discuss in a future article.
  • Ensure permissions and sensitivity labels are in place to restrict access to confidential and sensitive information.
  • Test your agent before deploying it to get the desired results.

AI technology is progressing at a breakneck speed. If you want to stay on top of all the features in Microsoft 365 and leverage Copilot AI for your construction projects, you can contact Lydon Solutions for a free one-hour consultation.

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Get in Shape in 2025 with the Murph Challenge

Company News |

Want to Get in Shape in 2025?

Every year, people make the same New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. While some start the journey on January 1, most will quit by the end of January. If you are looking to get into shape and are willing to commit, I’ve found a workout that will deliver results. Check out what the Murph Challenge can offer.

Most exercise regimens fail because people don’t have a goal, don’t have the time, don’t have the equipment, don’t want to pay for a gym membership, or don’t have a support structure to keep them motivated.

It is hard, but I do think the Murph Challenge can address all of those challenges.

Murph-24_img

What is the Murph Challenge?

If you are not familiar with the Murph Challenge, it’s a CrossFit workout named after a fallen soldier named Lt. Michael Murphy. While it is a challenging set of exercises, you can modify it to fit your health and skill level.

The timed Murph Challenge exercise circuit is as follows:

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pull ups
  • 200 push ups
  • 300 air squats
  • 1 mile run
  • And you do all of this with a 20lb weight vest on.

Before you curse out loud and stop reading this article, hear me out. You can work up to this. You don’t need to come out of the gate swinging. The regimen is well balanced with cardio and calisthenics, so do what feels right and slowly add on.

I personally don’t do the Murph year-round to avoid injury and burnout. In fact, I take parts of the Murph and include them in my regular workout over the course of a year. Starting in February of each year, I ramp up my training to prepare for the challenge on Memorial Day.

Murph-2025_img2

So Why Do I Think the Murph Is So Great?

“If you are looking for a workout that will build muscle, increase cardio endurance, and lose body fat, check out the Murph Challenge.”

I’ve been lifting weights off and on and playing sports since I was a teenager. Once I passed 50, my body didn’t respond as well as it used to, and I felt I needed to mix it up a bit, so I gave the Murph Challenge a try. I found that I really enjoyed the balance of both calisthenics and cardio, which I wasn’t getting by lifting alone.

Here is a list of the reasons I think the Murph is an excellent set of exercises for the beginner as well as the experienced fitness gurus:

  • Exercise progression. You can modify the workout to be more challenging as you get into better shape. Start by doing a partial Murph with no weight or substitute exercises that work better for you. Try to beat your time, do more reps, run longer, add more weight, etc.
  • Gain muscle from calisthenics. You will get ripped if you do this for any period of time, and it works the entire body.
  • Increases cardiovascular. Your energy levels will increase, and you will burn more calories!
  • No membership due. It’s free to run on a track or do the calisthenics at your house or a park.
  • No equipment is needed.* You don’t need any exercise equipment to start.
  • Don’t need a trainer. There’s no fancy exercise that requires you to move heavy weights or perform gymnastics. These exercises are the ones you learned in grade school.
  • Sleep better. You will have more energy during the day and sleep like a baby at night.
  • Community support. Most CrossFit gyms incorporate the Murph into their programs, and have yearly events that bring people together to post their scores and share their Murph journeys. Also, your company might want to get involved. Lydon Solutions has been participating in the challenge since 2022.
  • Less than 1 hour workout. You can knock out the workout in less than 1 hour, and as you get better, less than 40 minutes.
  • Yearly Murph Challenge Competition. Every year, you can sign up to challenge yourself and compete with others.
  • Honor Lt. Michael Murphy. It’s called a hero workout for a reason. I encourage you to learn more about this fallen military hero who the challenge is named after.
  • Support Lt. Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation. If you participate in the actual Murph Challenge event, proceeds go to this foundation to help military families.

Disclaimer

  • Consult a physician before any strenuous exercise.
  • Your diet will affect your weight loss and muscle gain, so try to eat healthily.
  • Don’t over-exercise, and make sure to rest when your body needs it
  • Work out first thing in the early morning to start off your day and get it out of the way. I’ve found this is the best approach to consistency.
  • Make it a habit
  • *If you progress, you will need a weight vest.

So, did I convince you enough to give it at least a try? What do you have to lose? If you are curious and want to try the official Murph Challenge this Memorial Day, I would recommend starting to train now. The most challenging areas are the pullups and running, so focus on those areas well before you take on the challenge.

If you have any questions or want to share your experience, you can reach out through LinkedIn.

We’ll see you on Memorial Day! Good luck!