Microsoft Search for US government environments
Introduction
Microsoft Search is a powerful and intuitive service that helps users find relevant information across Microsoft 365 apps and the web. It offers consistent and personalized search experience that respects data security and compliance. However, depending on the cloud environment, some features and functionality of Microsoft Search may vary. This article provides an overview of the main differences between the US government clouds and the commercial cloud for Microsoft Search, and how to enable and customize Microsoft Search for your organization.
Microsoft Search Availability for US Government Clouds
Microsoft Search is available for US government cloud customers in the following environments: Government Community Cloud (GCC), Government Community Cloud High (GCC-High), and Department of Defense (DoD). However, not all features and functionality of Microsoft Search are currently supported in these environments. The table below summarizes the current feature availability for each cloud environment. For the latest updates, see the Microsoft Search Roadmap.
It is our general intent to deliver Microsoft Search commercial features and functionality to the government cloud environment. For a release time frame, see the Microsoft Search Roadmap.Microsoft Search Roadmap.
To get personalized, organization-wide results, users enter a search query in a search box on SharePoint, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, Office.com or any Office 365 app. When enabled, users who go to Bing, and sign in with a valid work account, can easily and securely find work results with Microsoft Search in Bing. To learn more about Microsoft Search features, see Microsoft Search Overview.
For GCC and GCC-High customers, Microsoft Search in Bing is off by default. Search admins can turn on Microsoft Search in Bing:
- In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Configurations
- Under Microsoft Search in Bing settings, choose Change settings and turn on Allow your organization to use Microsoft Search in Bing. It takes up to 24 hours for this change to take effect. Search admins can also customize bookmarks, Q&A answers and Acronyms answers (admin-curated) in the Microsoft 365 admin center. For more information, see Plan your content.
Microsoft Search features
The following table outlines whether specified Microsoft Search features are available within the GCC, GCC-High, and DoD environments.
- Next = The next wave of features currently being worked on and will be shipping soon.
- Next+ = The wave of features that are planned to release after Next.
| Feature | WW | GCC | GCC-High | DoD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization-wide search across files, sites, groups, and people | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search box in suite navigation header in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Office.com | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search suggestions (new types added periodically) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search Engine Result Page: User actions directly on items | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search Engine Result Page: People results cluster | Yes | Next | Next | Next |
| People Centric Search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search & intelligence admin center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search admin controls for Microsoft Search in Bing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Enterprise homepage on Bing | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Answers | ||||
| Calendar Answer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Files Answer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| People Answer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Bookmarks Answer (admin-curated) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Bookmarks Answer (system-curated) | Yes | Yes | N/A | N/A |
| Search Engine Result Page: Deprecate promoted results for Bookmarks | Yes | Next | Next | Next+ |
| Q&As (admin-curated) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Acronyms (admin-curated) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Acronyms (system-curated) | Yes | Yes | Next | Next |
| Topics | Yes | Yes | Next+ | Next+ |
| Dynamics 365 | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Verticals | ||||
| Messages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Next |
| Converged People Vertical | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Power BI | Yes | Next | Next | Next |
| Images Vertical | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video Vertical | Yes | Yes | Next | Next |
| Data sources | ||||
| Graph Connectors | Yes | Yes | Next | Next+ |
| Federation Connectors | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Insights | ||||
| Usage analytics (Organization level) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search and Intelligence Insight Feedback | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Customizations | ||||
| Result type - Connectors | Yes | Yes | Next | Next+ |
| Result type - SharePoint | Next | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Filters and Verticals - Connectors | Yes | Yes | Next | Next+ |
| Filters and Verticals - SharePoint | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Insights | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Site Search settings | ||||
| Result types | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
| Verticals | Yes | Next+ | Next+ | Next+ |
"Next" = the next wave of features we are currently working on and will be shipping soon
"Next+" = the wave after that
In response to the unique, evolving requirements of the United States public sector, Microsoft has created Office 365 US Government plans (or Office 365 Government). For service descriptions and features overview specific to these environments, see Office 365 Government.