ICT Solutions News Desk

We would like to ask schools to refrain from turning off the power to the core networking equipment over the forthcoming Easter holiday period. Core networking equipment includes routers, switches, and servers, often in a wall or floor cabinet. These devices are monitored by ourselves, Rydal and Schools Broadband and turning off the power results in false alarms. This could potentially result in you incurring a charge for an engineer visit.

Please can we also kindly ask those schools who house LoRaWAN gateways to leave these powered on over the holidays, as they serve the community. 

If there is no alternative to powering off the equipment, because of planned work, for example, please advise us in advance.

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or ict@norfolk.gov.uk

In Outlook, users can hide a suggested recipient while addressing an email. For example, selecting the X next to a name in the To/Cc/Bcc suggestions list. This behaviour is commonly referred to as “Contact Masking”.

Microsoft are retiring this feature for users.

When this will happen

Contact masking will reach end of support on March 31, 2026.

Who is affected

All Outlook users (Desktop, Web, Mobile) who previously hid suggested recipients

Why Microsoft are making this change

This feature has been a recurring source of customer confusion and escalations, because contacts can be accidentally hidden for one user but not others.

While the impact is felt across Microsoft 365 experiences (not just Outlook). It also isn’t managed as a contact entity setting, which creates transparency and compliance challenges.

What will change in user experience

Previously hidden (masked) suggested recipients may reappear in: 

• Addressing (To/Cc/Bcc suggestions)
• People suggestions
• Search

No new feature will replace contact masking for users.

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or ict@norfolk.gov.uk

Microsoft will retire the Microsoft Teams app from the Amazon Appstore to streamline our distribution channels and ensure that customers use the most secure, fully supported Teams experiences. After retirement, they will continue to invest in the Teams Web app and the Teams Android app available through the Google Play Store on supported devices.

When this will happen

The Microsoft Teams app will be retired from the Amazon Appstore in mid-March 2026.

Who is affected

Users who install or update Microsoft Teams through the Amazon Appstore.

What will happen

• Users will no longer be able to download the Microsoft Teams app from the Amazon Appstore.
• Existing installations will stop receiving updates, security fixes, and technical support.
• Installed clients will eventually stop connecting to the Teams service once they fall below the minimum supported version.
• No changes will occur for users accessing Teams through the Teams Web app or through the Teams Android app in the Google Play Store (on supported devices).

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or ict@norfolk.gov.uk

To maintain a high-quality and reliable experience for live Captions & Subtitles in the Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app, Microsoft is upgrading the backend service that supports this capability. As part of this improvement, older Office client versions will no longer be supported. Updating to the minimum required PowerPoint version ensures continued accessibility, performance, and reliability.

When this will happen

Upgrade by the end of September 2026

Who is affected

Organizations using Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app (Win32 or Mac)

Users running PowerPoint versions earlier than:

• Windows (Win32): 16.0.19426.20218
• macOS: 16.103.1207.4

What will happen

Users on unsupported versions will lose access to Captions & Subtitles after the listed dates.

There is no change for users on supported versions.

What you can do to prepare

Review PowerPoint client versions across your organization (Windows and Mac).

Update Office clients to:

• Windows (Win32): 16.0.19426.20218 or later
• macOS: 16.103.1207.4 or later

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or email ict@norfolk.gov.uk

The following only applies to users who use Microsoft Teams via a web browser. It does not affect Desktop and mobile Teams clients.

To maintain security, performance, and long-term compatibility, Microsoft Teams on the web will require modern browser standards. Beginning May 15th, 2026, Teams on the web will only be supported on browsers that are compliant with ECMAScript 2022 (ES2022).

When this will happen

• Now through May 14th, 2026: Users on unsupported browsers will see reminder banners.
• Beginning May 15th, 2026: Teams on the web will be blocked on non-compliant browsers.

All currently supported versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are ECMAScript 2022 (ES2022) compliant. Browsers that are out of vendor support should be assumed non-compliant. A browser is considered “out of vendor support” when its publisher no longer provides updates or security fixes; these browsers should be assumed unsupported for Teams on the web.

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or email ict@norfolk.gov.uk

We would like to share an important update regarding the current global component supply environment and how it may impact quotations for certain IT equipment, like desktops and laptops, for example.

The technology sector is experiencing broad global constraints across several critical components, most notably memory and certain processor categories. These conditions are being driven by unprecedented demand from large-scale AI infrastructure deployments, combined with supply-side limitations, geopolitical factors, and ongoing shifts in semiconductor manufacturing capacity. This situation is affecting all major OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and customers worldwide across both client and infrastructure portfolios.

At the same time, supplier pricing for these components continues to increase rapidly as industry demand exceeds available capacity. Industry analysts indicate that pricing pressures are expected to continue in the coming quarters as these conditions persist. For example, analysts forecast that global memory chip prices could rise by 40–50% in the first quarter of 2026, with further increases likely in the second quarter. Price increases are also expected from CPU (Central Processing Unit) suppliers.

As a result, the availability of certain components and system configurations is less predictable than in the past, and pricing for systems containing these components continues to adjust in line with ongoing supplier cost increases.

What this means is:

• Some configurations may experience extended lead times or limited availability due to component allocation constraints
• Previously accepted configurations or orders may need to be revisited where component allocation cannot be secured
• Pricing for systems containing constrained components may require adjustment to reflect the current supplier cost environment
• Where possible, we may propose alternative configurations where supply confidence is significantly higher
• Quote, bid, and contract validity periods may need to be shortened to reflect the pace at which component pricing and availability are changing across the industry

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but the situation is outside of our control.

For more information, please contact the Service Desk on 01603 475603 or ict@norfolk.gov.uk