This chapter covers Microsoft Places, a Microsoft 365 solution for managing hybrid work, including workspace booking, occupancy analytics, and policy configuration. For the MS-102 exam, this topic appears in Domain 1.3 (Tenant Management) and accounts for approximately 5-8% of questions. You need to understand Places’ architecture, default settings, licensing requirements, and how it integrates with Exchange Online, Teams, and Microsoft 365 Groups to support hybrid workplace management.
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Microsoft Places is like a modern office building that manages hybrid work through a central concierge system. Employees (users) can reserve desks (workspaces) via a mobile app (Places app) before arriving. The building has sensors (occupancy sensors) that detect which desks are actually used and which remain empty after a 30-minute grace period. The concierge system (Places service) integrates with the building’s calendar system (Exchange Online) to show when meeting rooms are booked and automatically releases no-show reservations. It also uses a heat map (Places map) to show real-time occupancy on each floor, helping employees choose less crowded areas. The building manager (IT admin) configures policies in a central dashboard (Places admin center) to set booking limits, maximum advance booking days (default 14), and auto-release timeouts (default 15 minutes). Just as the concierge can’t force employees to come to the office but can make their experience better, Places provides data and tools but doesn’t mandate attendance—it only surfaces insights to help organizations optimize their hybrid work policies.
Overview of Microsoft Places
Microsoft Places is a Microsoft 365 service that provides workspace booking, occupancy analytics, and hybrid work coordination. It was announced in 2023 and is currently in public preview. Places aims to bridge the gap between physical office spaces and digital collaboration tools. It is licensed as part of Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 E5 suite, or as an add-on for E3/E1 customers.
Key Components
Places App: A mobile and web app for employees to book desks, find colleagues, and view building occupancy.
Places Service: The backend service that processes bookings, occupancy data, and policies.
Places Admin Center: A dedicated admin portal within the Microsoft 365 admin center for configuring policies, viewing analytics, and managing spaces.
Places API: Used for integration with third-party building management systems.
Occupancy Sensors: Hardware sensors (e.g., from Crestron, Cisco) that detect desk usage and send data to Places via the API.
How Places Works Internally
Booking Flow: A user opens the Places app, selects a building and floor, views available desks (green = free, red = booked, yellow = pending release), and books a desk. The booking is stored in Exchange Online as a room resource calendar event. The Places service creates a meeting with the subject "Places Booking" and duration matching the booking time.
Check-in: When the user arrives, they check in via the app (or automatically via Bluetooth beacon). The sensor detects occupancy and sends a check-in event to Places. If the user does not check in within a configurable grace period (default 15 minutes), the booking is automatically released.
Occupancy Data: Sensors report occupancy status every 5 minutes. Places aggregates this data to show real-time occupancy heat maps and historical trends. Data is retained for 30 days.
Policy Enforcement: Admin-configured policies (e.g., max booking duration of 4 hours, no advance booking beyond 14 days) are enforced by the Places service during booking creation.
Default Values and Timers
Booking release timeout: 15 minutes (no-show grace period)
Maximum advance booking days: 14 days
Maximum booking duration: 4 hours (can be extended by admin up to 24 hours)
Occupancy data retention: 30 days
Sensor polling interval: 5 minutes
Places app sync interval: Every 15 minutes
Configuration Steps
To configure Places, an admin must: 1. Enable Places in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings > Org settings > Microsoft Places. 2. Assign licenses to users (Microsoft 365 E5 or Places add-on). 3. Configure building and floor information in the Places admin center (requires Exchange Online room mailboxes). 4. Set booking policies (e.g., auto-release timeout, max booking days). 5. (Optional) Integrate occupancy sensors via the Places API.
Verification Commands
Since Places is primarily GUI-based, there are limited PowerShell commands. However, you can use Exchange Online PowerShell to manage room mailboxes that Places uses:
# List all room mailboxes
Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails RoomMailbox | Format-Table Name, DisplayName
# Set a room mailbox for Places (requires Places license)
Set-Place -Identity "Room1@contoso.com" -Floor 1 -Building "Building A"
# Check Places policy (if available via Graph API)
Get-MgPlace -PlaceId "Room1@contoso.com"Integration with Related Technologies
Exchange Online: Places uses room mailboxes for booking. Each desk or space must have a corresponding room mailbox.
Microsoft Teams: Teams can be used to launch the Places app. Occupancy data can be surfaced in Teams via a tab.
Microsoft 365 Groups: Places can create groups for floor or building teams to facilitate communication.
Power BI: Occupancy analytics can be exported to Power BI for custom reporting.
Important Exam Details
Places is NOT available in GCC, GCC High, or DoD environments as of the exam update.
Places does NOT replace Exchange Online room mailboxes; it enhances them.
The default auto-release timeout is 15 minutes, not 30 or 60.
Occupancy data is retained for 30 days, not 90.
Places requires a Microsoft 365 E5 license or a separate Places add-on license (approximately $7/user/month).
The Places app is available for iOS, Android, and web.
Enable Places in Tenant
Navigate to Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Org settings > Microsoft Places. Toggle the switch to enable. This activates the Places service for the tenant. If you don't see the option, ensure you have a valid E5 license or Places add-on. The service may take up to 24 hours to provision.
Assign Licenses to Users
Assign Microsoft 365 E5 or Places add-on licenses to users who will use the Places app. Without a license, users cannot book spaces or view occupancy. Use the Microsoft 365 admin center or Azure AD to assign licenses. The Places add-on license is a separate SKU (e.g., PLACES_STANDARD).
Configure Room Mailboxes
Places uses Exchange Online room mailboxes to represent desks and spaces. Create room mailboxes via Exchange admin center or PowerShell. Set properties like capacity, floor, and building. Use Set-Place cmdlet to associate the mailbox with a physical location. Each mailbox must have a unique email address.
Set Booking Policies
In the Places admin center, configure policies: maximum booking duration (default 4 hours), advance booking limit (default 14 days), auto-release timeout (default 15 minutes), and allow recurring bookings. These policies apply to all users. You can create different policies for different buildings.
Integrate Occupancy Sensors
If using hardware sensors, integrate them via the Places API. Sensors send occupancy data every 5 minutes. Configure the sensor provider (e.g., Crestron) to send data to the Places endpoint. Without sensors, Places relies on user check-ins for occupancy data, which is less accurate.
Scenario 1: Large Enterprise with Hot-Desking
A multinational company with 10,000 employees implements Places to manage a hot-desking policy in its headquarters. They create 5,000 room mailboxes for desks across 20 floors. The IT team configures a policy of max 4-hour booking, 14-day advance booking, and 15-minute auto-release. They install occupancy sensors from Crestron on each desk. After deployment, they notice that some desks are booked but never used, leading to wasted space. They adjust the auto-release timeout to 10 minutes and enable check-in reminders via the Places app. The analytics show that peak occupancy is Tuesday-Thursday, so they encourage remote work on Mondays and Fridays. Performance: Places handles up to 100,000 bookings per hour per tenant. Common misconfiguration: forgetting to assign licenses to all users, causing errors when they try to book.
Scenario 2: Small Business with Shared Workspaces
A 200-person law firm uses Places to manage a small office with 50 desks. They don't use sensors due to cost; instead, they rely on manual check-ins. They configure a 2-hour max booking to ensure turnover. They use the Places app to find colleagues and see who is in the office. The firm integrates Places with Teams, so employees can book a desk from within a Teams meeting. They encounter an issue where bookings are not syncing to Exchange calendars; this is usually due to a misconfigured room mailbox property (e.g., missing floor). They fix it by running Get-Place and Set-Place to update the location. The 30-day data retention is sufficient for their monthly capacity planning.
Common Pitfalls
Licensing: Forgetting that Places requires E5 or add-on license. E3 users see the app but cannot book.
Room Mailbox Properties: Not setting the correct floor/building, causing the Places map to show incorrect locations.
Sensor Integration: Using unsupported sensors or incorrect API endpoint, leading to no occupancy data.
Policy Overlap: Conflicting policies between Places and Exchange Online room mailbox settings (e.g., booking duration limits).
MS-102 Objective Coverage
Domain 1.3: Tenant Management – Manage hybrid work management solutions. Specifically, the exam tests your ability to configure and manage Microsoft Places. Look for questions on:
Licensing requirements (E5 or Places add-on)
Default values (15 min auto-release, 14 days advance, 4 hours max booking, 30 days data retention)
Integration with Exchange Online room mailboxes
Policy configuration in Places admin center
Occupancy sensor data flow
Most Common Wrong Answers
"Places replaces Exchange Online room mailboxes" – Wrong. Places enhances them; room mailboxes are still required.
"Auto-release timeout default is 30 minutes" – Wrong. It's 15 minutes. The exam loves to test this exact number.
"Places is available in GCC" – Wrong. As of the exam, Places is not available in government clouds.
"Occupancy data is retained for 90 days" – Wrong. It's 30 days.
Numbers and Terms to Memorize
Default auto-release timeout: 15 minutes
Maximum advance booking: 14 days
Maximum booking duration (default): 4 hours
Data retention: 30 days
Sensor polling: 5 minutes
Required license: Microsoft 365 E5 or Places add-on
Admin center location: Settings > Org settings > Microsoft Places
Edge Cases
If a user has an E3 license but also has the Places add-on, they can use Places. The exam may present a scenario where a user cannot book despite having E3 – the answer is they need the add-on.
If a room mailbox is not configured with Set-Place, it won't appear in Places. The exam might ask why a certain desk is not visible.
Recurring bookings are allowed but limited by the max booking duration per occurrence.
How to Eliminate Wrong Answers
If the question mentions "government cloud" or "GCC", the answer cannot be Places (as of current exam).
If the question asks for default values, remember 15, 14, 4, 30.
If the question involves troubleshooting a missing desk, check room mailbox configuration first.
Microsoft Places requires Microsoft 365 E5 or Places add-on license; not included in E3.
Default auto-release timeout for no-show bookings is 15 minutes.
Maximum advance booking period defaults to 14 days.
Maximum booking duration defaults to 4 hours.
Occupancy data is retained for 30 days.
Places uses Exchange Online room mailboxes for booking; each desk must have a room mailbox.
Places is not available in GCC, GCC High, or DoD environments as of the exam.
Occupancy sensors poll every 5 minutes and send data to Places via API.
These come up on the exam all the time. Here's how to tell them apart.
Microsoft Places
Provides a user-friendly mobile and web app for booking desks and spaces.
Includes real-time occupancy heat maps and analytics.
Supports automatic release of no-show bookings after 15 minutes.
Integrates with occupancy sensors for automatic check-in.
Requires E5 or add-on license.
Exchange Online Room Mailboxes
Basic booking via Outlook calendar only.
No occupancy analytics or heat maps.
No auto-release of no-shows (manual cancellation required).
No sensor integration.
Included in all Exchange Online licenses.
Mistake
Microsoft Places replaces Exchange Online room mailboxes.
Correct
Places uses Exchange Online room mailboxes as the underlying booking system. You must still create and manage room mailboxes; Places adds a user-friendly interface and analytics on top.
Mistake
Places is included in all Microsoft 365 E3 licenses.
Correct
Places requires a Microsoft 365 E5 license or a separate Places add-on license. E3 users cannot book spaces unless they have the add-on.
Mistake
The default auto-release timeout for no-shows is 30 minutes.
Correct
The default is 15 minutes. Administrators can change it, but the exam tests the default.
Mistake
Occupancy data is retained for 90 days.
Correct
Occupancy data is retained for 30 days. This is a common trick on the exam.
Mistake
Places works in GCC High and DoD environments.
Correct
As of the current exam, Places is not available in government clouds (GCC, GCC High, DoD). It is only available in commercial tenants.
Reveal each answer, then mark whether you got it right. Score 60%+ to unlock the next chapter.
Microsoft Places requires a Microsoft 365 E5 license or a standalone Places add-on license (approximately $7/user/month). E3 users cannot use Places unless they purchase the add-on. The exam may present a scenario where a user with E3 cannot book a desk; the answer is they need the add-on or an E5 license.
The default auto-release timeout is 15 minutes. If a user does not check in within 15 minutes of the booking start time, the booking is automatically cancelled and the desk becomes available. Administrators can adjust this setting in the Places admin center. The exam often tests this exact number.
Places uses Exchange Online room mailboxes to represent desks and spaces. When a user books a desk via Places, a meeting is created in the room mailbox's calendar. The Places service reads room mailbox properties (like floor and building) to display on the map. You must configure room mailboxes with Set-Place cmdlet for them to appear in Places.
Yes, Places can function without sensors by relying on manual check-ins via the app. However, occupancy data will be less accurate. Sensors provide automatic check-in and real-time occupancy detection. Without sensors, the system assumes a booked desk is occupied if the user checks in manually.
As of the current MS-102 exam, Microsoft Places is not available in GCC, GCC High, or DoD environments. It is only available in commercial tenants. This is a common exam trap – if a question mentions a government tenant, Places is not the answer.
Occupancy data is retained for 30 days. After 30 days, historical data is deleted. This is important for analytics and capacity planning. The exam may test this value against 90 days or 60 days.
The Set-Place cmdlet is used to configure room mailbox properties for Places, such as floor, building, and capacity. Example: Set-Place -Identity 'Room1@contoso.com' -Floor 1 -Building 'Building A'. This cmdlet is part of the Exchange Online PowerShell module.
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