Microsoft is rolling out a new feature in Teams called Trust Indicators, designed to help users quickly identify external participants and reduce the risk of oversharing sensitive information. These visual badges (icons or labels) will appear next to names in chats, meetings, and other Teams surfaces, indicating whether someone is:
External to your organisation
A guest user
An anonymous meeting participant
What This Means for You
Most organisations today operate with open federation, allowing communication with any external Microsoft Teams user. With Trust Indicators now providing clearer visibility of external participants, we recommend considering a shift to a more secure model: federation by exception.
Federation by exception allows you to explicitly define which external organisations your users can communicate with—reducing exposure to unknown or untrusted entities while still enabling collaboration with trusted partners.
Our Recommendation
We’re offering support to help you transition to federation by exception, including:
Reviewing your current external communication patterns
Identifying trusted external organisations
Updating your Teams policies accordingly
This change can enhance your security posture while maintaining the flexibility your teams need to collaborate externally.
If you’d like to explore this option or have questions about Trust Indicators, please reach out to your account manager or use the email form below.
