General Information (All Operating Systems)

Startup Performance

We’ve reworked how empower® starts up – because we know that every second counts, especially when you're just opening a document or presentation to quickly review or make a few edits. In many everyday use cases, the full feature set of empower® isn’t needed right away. So, we’ve redesigned how our software loads to stay out of your way when speed matters most.

Behind the scenes, we introduced a modular architecture and asynchronous loading, so only the essential components are initialized up front. This dramatically reduces the time it takes for Microsoft Office applications to become usable after launch. We’ve also optimized our binaries to minimize the delays sometimes caused by security software like Windows Defender.

The result: the duration until Office apps become usable after startup is approximately 60% shorter on average across a wide range of configurations – meaning you can get to work noticeably quicker.

This release reflects our commitment to continuously improving performance where it makes the biggest difference to you.

Bulk Import for Presentations, Documents and Images

A new Backend CLI tool (CLI = command-line interface) is available for efficient bulk import of images, Word documents and PowerPoint presentations into the empower® Library:

• Import files from a specified folder and replicating the existing folder structure within the empower® Library
• Define target folders and include additional metadata for each file through a .csv file
• Skip unsupported files, archive the source folder post-import and perform incremental uploads to ensure only modified files are re-imported
• Periodically update large amounts of assets in the empower® Library from other file-based sources (e.g. to keep systems in sync)
• Simplifies the customizing or migration process

Asset Usage Tracking

Asset Usage Tracking now records the following actions via the empower® Library:

• Inserting, downloading and opening an element via the empower® Library
• Using library content as part of specific functionalities
  • Inserting an agenda
  • Changing master during conversion
  • Changing master during Corporate Design Check
  • Inserting translations using the translation feature
• Count increases for each of the above-mentioned actions
• Admins can export usage data as a report via the Backend CLI Tool

Admin Roles – Customizing Admin and Content Admin

The new admin roles replace the previous Corporate Design Admin.

• Customizing Admin: Responsible for system customization and configuration.
• Content Admin: Responsible for managing and maintaining content. This includes the creation, editing, and deletion of content without access to critical system settings.

Other Changes:

• Overlay Change Format in PowerPoint retired:
  Due to low usage and significant measurable performance impact, the overlay Change Format has been removed.
  Users can continue to replace a text element by applying a different one from the sidepane or library to the selected text element.
  The corresponding setting in the User Settings has been removed.
• Sidepane behavior streamlined:
  The sidepane can no longer be displayed in a collapsed state. 
  Users can now access its sections through their respective ribbon icons, which open the full pane on demand. 
  The sidepane can no longer be displayed permanently.
• Consistency across all Office applications improved:
  The option to customize the ribbon tab name has been removed to support greater consistency in navigation and to reduce edge-case complexity during updates and support scenarios.The ability to change the UI accent color – which previously affected highlights across the interface – has been removed. This aligns with our goal of delivering a cohesive and predictable user experience, while simplifying branding and theming across deployments.

We recognize that some of these changes may impact specific configurations or workflows. If you have questions or require assistance adjusting your deployment, please contact your Customer Success Manager.

For further information regarding empower® Charts, see empower® Charts 9.7.0.

Web

UI Modifications

• Significant User Interface Enhancements
  • Added empower® Ribbon to the Office tabs in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel Online for easy access to the library and other shortcuts
  • Updated icons, buttons and item cards including distinct thumbnails for documents and automated documents
  • Introduced enhanced preview functionality for items within the library

New Features & Improvements

PowerPoint Online

• Changed workflow to create a new presentation by adding the button New
• Replaced pop-up library view with sidepane library view
• Removed feature Cart and the Online indicator in the status bar
  
  • These features are no longer required because slides can now be inserted directly into the presentation instead of opening them in a new tab, and the status bar now shows metadata for single selected items.

Word Online

• Dark mode is now supported

Customizing Center

The Customizing Center is a module in the existing empower® Admin Center but can still be accessed via the button Help and Settings in the Windows applications.

• Replaced previous desktop-only Customizing Tools by the new functionally equivalent web-based (cross-platform) Customizing Center
• Workflow change: When creating a new design during a master upload to the empower® Library, design-specific corporate design elements (subfolders per design in the respective corporate design elements folders) need to be enabled separately in the Customizing Center. 
  For further information regarding the options in the Customizing Center, please refer to our empower® Admin Center manual.