Copilot and Microsoft 365 continues to evolve and add features. The latest feature introduces a seamless method to transform email threads into productive meeting agendas with a single click.
This new feature is designed to streamline the process, ensuring that your meetings are well-organized and productive.
Making Email Conversations more effective
With Microsoft 365 Copilot’s new functionality, Microsoft are making scheduling of meetings from an email (that needs a meeting) super easy.
Copilot can now reason over all related emails within the thread and creates a thorough meeting agenda with a summary of the conversation within the email chain. This captures the main topics and any early decisions, making sure everyone is up to speed and ready to jump in.
Here’s how to use it:
Open an email thread on a topic for which you would like to schedule a meeting from.
Click “Schedule with Copilot” button found in the top menu bar of the email.
Click the “Insert” button to populate the agenda in your invite. You can then edit and tweak the agenda as needed to ensure it suits your needs.
Once done, you’ve used Copilot to create a Meeting and agenda based on the threads and topics in the email chain without having to plough though it yourself. This can help you ensure relevant topics and themes are brought into the agenda.
Why would you want Copilot to do this for you?
We all had email chains that need to be a meeting at somepoint. Copilot takes most of the effort out of this and ensures that you get a meeting agenda that covers the key themes from a email chain. Copilot also attaches a copy of the original email to the meeting invite and helps ensure that the right people are invites. So all you need to do is choose the time for the meeting. This can be a real timesaver for everyone.
Conclusion
By transforming email threads into organised meeting agendas, Microsofft 365 Copilot in (new) Outlook can help ensures that everyone stays informed and meetings run smoothly.
I personally love this new feature which really helps to ensure all themes and concerns are raised as an agenda in the meeting.
Why not give it ago in your next meeting scheduling task.
This week, in a significant development amidst the backdrop of intensifying AI competitiveness, OpenAI has unveiled ChatGPT Gov
This customised version of the AI-powered chatbot platform is tailored specifically for U.S government agencies, providing them with an advanced tool to access and utilise Open AI technology.
Microsoft announced back in 2023 that its Azure OpenAI Service was available for Azure Government customers. The new service will allow government agencies to use generative AI capabilities in a way that meets security and privacy requirements. OpenAI can now also be deployed in Microsoft Gov Data Centres.
What is ChatGPT Gov?
So ChatGPT Gov mirrors many capabilities of OpenAI’s enterprise-focused tier, ChatGPT Enterprise. By leveraging this platform, Open AI say that government agencies can deploy specific OpenAI models on both Microsoft Azure commercial and government clouds as well as using Microsoft’s own Azure AI models for example. This integration brings enhanced management of security, privacy, and compliance concerns, which is crucial for handling non-public sensitive and classified data.
ChatGPT Gov also aims to streamline internal authorisation processes, making it easier for agencies to implement OpenAI’s tools effectively as easily with the relevant guard rails in place.
What about Azure Open AI for Gov
Microsoft Open AI, enables federal, state, and local government agencies to use GPT-3, GPT-4 and 4o along with embeddings via the Azure OpenAI Service REST APIs. This capability helps to improve natural language-to-code translation, semantic search, content generation, and summarisation and for Gov to build and use Microsoft Open AI services across Gov cloud.
Gen AI in Government
Since its introduction, ChatGPT has already seen extensive adoption across the U.S. government as well as here in the UK. I’m. Personally working with a dozen or so local governments and councils here in the UK on AI adoption.
Open AI says that more than 90,000 users from more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies have collectively sent over 18 million messages to support their daily operations. This widespread usage demonstrates Open AI and Microsoft’s potential to transform government workflows and decision-making processes.
What about Copilot
While ChatGPT Gov offers a robust AI solution for government agencies, it’s worth exploring how Microsoft 365 Copilot also serves these needs. Microsoft
For many organisations using or exploring Gen AI tools like ChatGPT, many are using a combination of tools and services from different vendors. Open AI and Microsoft are tightly partnered.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is built on Open AI (which in turns runs in Microsoft Azure) and integrates seamlessly with existing Microsoft 365 tools, providing personalised assistance across a range of applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook and also supports the building (both professional and low code) of autonomous AI agents, and scheduled prompts (coming soon).
This integration ensures that users can enhance productivity and streamline tasks within the familiar Microsoft ecosystem. So how does Microsoft 365 Copilot differ to ChatGPT?
ChatGPT
Targeted for AI-powered chat and conversation but also supports connectors and extebsibikity to other services via extensions and APIs.
Recently launched the ChatGPT Gov version for U.S. government agencies and are expected to do similar in other global regions.
Deployable on Microsoft Azure commercial and government clouds
Doesn’t provide native integration into line of business office apps and services like Office 365, Power Platform and Fabric.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Customised version of ChatGPT that runs in Microsoft 365 Tennant boundaries.
Provides chat based conversations and access to company agents and connectors on PAYG basis or via Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription.
Embedded within Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook as well as Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.
Designed to enhances productivity and efficiency within the existing Microsoft ecosystem and seen as add on to Microsoft 365 on a per user per month billing method.
Can provides contextual assistance and automation for daily tasks and workflows through agents and autonomous agents (public preview).
In conclusion, while both ChatGPT and Microsoft 365 Copilot are powerful AI tools, they cater to slightly different use cases
US Government agencies may find ChatGPT Gov particularly beneficial for secure, AI-driven interactions (in place of the general version of ChatGPT) , whereas Microsoft 365 Copilot excels in enhancing productivity and providing natively and seemlessly integration into their wider app services and data. Gov agencies using Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure AI or Open AI deployed in Azure also benefit from enhanced controls and security protection.
It’s great to see Open AI providing dedicated models and instances for central and federal governments.
Microsoft announced last week (15th Jan) that Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is coming to every Microsoft 365 Commercial Customer regardless of whether or not they have paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses and what’s more we now get access to use agents with company data grounding support. Along with it comes a new pay-as-you-go tier that allows employees to access everything from chatbots to agents without the need for a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
While Microsoft is still confident that the full Microsoft 365 Copilot remains “our best in class personal AI assistant for work“, the new pay-as-you-go tier means organisations can start using the technology at a much lower entry point and look to address key business cases rather than going full in on Microsoft 365 Copilot. .
“Copilot Chat enables your entire workforce — from customer service representatives to marketing leads to frontline technicians — to start using Copilot and agents today”. Jared Spataro | Chief Marketing Officer | AI at Work | Microsoft.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat?
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is Microsoft’s AI-powered chat feature designed to empower every person in every organisation to leverage Generative AI to make their “work lives easier and more efficient”.
For the employee, Microsoft Copilot Chat is a “personal assistant” they can chat with to get get answers, understand things better and get things done faster. Copilot Chat is It’s part of the broader Microsoft 365 Copilot suite but focuses specifically on enhancing communication and collaboration through chat.
How is Copilot Chat Different from Microsoft 365 Copilot?
The main differences between Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot is three-fold.
Chat within Microsoft 365 Copilot provides work-grounded chat which means that Copilot can reason over data within your Microsoft 365 organisation such as files, SharePoint sites, your OneDrive, people (within Entra ID), your meetings, chat and email etc. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat cannot access this data unless you “paste” into a chat window.
Copilot within the Office 365 Apps such as Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word etc is only available with Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid add-on, where as Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is included for free within your core Microsoft 365 licensing.
Microsoft Copilot Chat – Beyond Web Grounded Chat!
I’m personally not a fan of the name Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat because I do think it confuses people. The point I want to bring out here and why this was worthy of a post, is that previously, Copilot Chat (as it was called) only had access to data on the web and did note have the ability to leverage any of the new AI features such as Agents.
This has now changed. As the table above shows, with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, organisation will be able to create agents that do have access to data stored or connected to your Microsoft 365 tenant and also (and this is big) the ability for organisations to build and use autonomous agents (agents that can operate independently of a user).
The use of these new AI capabilities are paid for using a PAYG model. This means non Microsoft 365 Copilot users will have access to AI agents (for example in SharePoint) even if they themselves do not have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
What does Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Provide?
Key Features of Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot Chat
Free, secure AI chat powered by GPT-4 and GPT-4o.
Ability to use Copilot Agents for automating tasks directly in the chat.
Support for file uploads in chat for summarising documents, analysing data, and suggesting improvements.
Support for Copilot Pages
Collaborate in real-time with AI and team members.
Integrate content from Copilot, files, and the web.
Create AI-generated images for campaigns and social media.
Agents
Ability to create and use agents using natural language to automate repetitive tasks.
PAYG / metered pricing for agents with IT control over deployment and management rather than requiring all users to have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Copilot Control System
Enterprise data protection (EDP) for privacy and security.
Enables IT to better govern access, usage, and lifecycle of Copilot and agents.
Allows for measurement and reporting capabilities just like other Copilot Services.
Use Case Examples
A couple of use case scenarios are;
A customer service rep can ask a customer relationship management (CRM) agent for account details before a customer meeting.
A service or field service agent can access step-by-step instructions or real-time product information from information stored in SharePoint or Dynamics 365.
A sales person can get help with positioning a product based on information on solution propositions or marketing collateral.
How much does it cost?
Understanding the charges is not super straight forward to map. For comparison though, a Microsoft 365 Copilot license costs around $30 per user per month, so use this as a basis for comparison.
In another blog post, Richard Riley, General Manager of Power Platform at Microsoft said that “usage of agents is measured in ‘messages’ and the total cost is based on the sum of messages used by your organization.“
So what does that mean? Well, Microsoft now offers two ways for organisations to access the pay-as-you-go version of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat:
Track each “message” sent to the AI whereby each message costs $0.01, billed monthly.
Pre-buying a pack of messages. This works a bit like a mobile data plan. As an example, you can buy 25,000 messages for $200 a month
The actual cost vary based on the type of response you need with responses that need generative AI costing more than responses that don’t.
Web-based answer: Free / no-cost
Classic answer: 1 message
Generative answer: 2 messages
Answers pulling data from company’s own systems (e.g., SharePoint): 30 messages
This paid capability is of course optional and organisations can decide whether to turn it ‘on’ or ‘off’ in Copilot Studio.”
Riley introduced the concept of “autonomous actions,” describing them as “generatively orchestrated triggers, topics, data connectors, and workflows, visible in the activity map displayed in generative orchestration mode“.
These are also available as pay-as-you-go, with a cost of 25 messages each time they act.
Here’s some costed use examples…
An agent answering customer questions online could use 500 classic answers and 2,000 generative ones, costing $45 for those 4,500 messages.
Another agent answering HR questions internally using Microsoft Graph data might use 200 generative and 200 tenant Graph messages, costing 6,400 messages or $64 for the day.
This approach allows businesses to fine-tune their AI usage to meet their specific needs, addressing concerns about the high costs of deploying these tools across enterprises. It also helps cost modeling certain scenarios much easier and provides an alternative to just giving every person a $30 per month Copilot License.
Using Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Assuming IT have enabled this in your environment, you can try this by navigating to https://m365copilot.com or by downloading the Microsoft 365 Copilot App from your preferred app store.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into enterprise environments has introduced new security concerns. As adoption of AI continues at “cautious” pace, organisations must ensure the safety of the hundreds of AI apps that employees use (or try to use) sanctioned or unsanctioned as well as any AI applications built or customised by the organisation. This affects both data governance, exposure, and leakage as well as compliance.
I have aimed to not only compare their key features, similarities, and differences, but also to look at how both offerings can indeed help organisations based on specific business scenarios and needs.
Cisco AI Defense
Overview
Due to be released in March 2025, Cisco’s new AI Defense works slightly differently to Microsoft’s offering and is focused on securing AI applications throughout their entire lifecycle. AI Defense integrates with Cisco’s extensive network infrastructure portfolio providing specialised AI security measures.
Business and technology leaders can't afford to sacrifice safety for speed when embracing AI. In a dynamic landscape where competition is fierce, speed decides the winners. Fused into the fabric of the network, Cisco AI Defense combines the unique ability to detect and protect against threats when developing and accessing AI applications without tradeoffs". Jeetu Patel | Exec VP | Cisco.
Whilst not released yet, it will I have based this product release information I have read.
Cisco AI Defense focused on two primary areas of protection.
Accessing AI Applications: Recognising that whilst third-party AI applications can significantly boost productivity but may pose risks such as data leakage or malicious downloads. Cisco AI Defense is designed to give IT and SecOps full visibility into app usage and can enforce policies to ensure safe, secure access.
Building and Running AI Applications: Cisco acknowledge that developers require the freedom to innovate without worrying about vulnerabilities or safety issues in their AI models. AI Defense discovers your AI footprint, validates models to identify vulnerabilities, and applies guardrails to enforce security measures in real-time across both public and private clouds
Key Features
End-to-End Protection: Protects both the development and use of AI applications, ensuring safety and security throughout the AI lifecycle.
Network-Level Visibility: Leverages Cisco’s unmatched network visibility and control to detect and protect against threats.
AI Model and Application Validation: Identifies potential safety and security risks with automated vulnerability assessments.
Real-Time Protection: Offers robust real-time protection against adversarial attacks, including prompt injections, denial of service, and data leakage.
AI Cloud Visibility: Automatically inventories AI models and connected data sources across distributed environments.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI
Overview
Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI is designed to offer comprehensive security for AI applications and cloud services. Being a Microsoft product, it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and their wider cloud ecosystem, providing robust threat protection and security posture management. It also supports multi-cloud environments making it suitable for enterprise organisations.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI’s primary protection areas are based upon:
Threat Protection and Security Posture Management: Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI provides real-time threat protection for AI workloads and visibility into AI components, identifying vulnerabilities and offering built-in recommendations to strengthen security.
Integration and Continuous Monitoring: It integrates with Defender XDR for centralised alerts and continuous monitoring, ensuring security measures are enforced across hybrid and multicloud environments.
Key Features
AI Threat Protection: Provides real-time threat detection for generative AI applications, including data leakage, data poisoning, jailbreak, and credential theft.Real-time identification and mitigation of threats to generative AI applications.
AI Security Posture Management: Continuous monitoring and management of the security posture of AI applications, with automated vulnerability discovery and remediation recommendations.
Cloud App Security: Protection for SaaS applications, offering visibility into cloud app usage and protection against threats.
Prompt Evidence: Includes suspicious segments from user prompts and model responses in security alerts.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Integration with Defender XDR to centralise AI /workload alerts and correlate incidents for efficient incident management.
Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Seamlessly integrates with Azure, Microsoft 365, and other Microsoft security solutions and workloads.
Comparative Analysis
In short, both Microsoft and Cisco are providing products which complement their wider security portfolios to help customers better protect their organisations in the rapidly evolving world and adoption of AI technologies.
Similarities
AI Security: Both solutions focus on helping organisations secure AI applications and provide end-to-end visibility into their AI workloads.
Real-Time Threat Detection: Each offers real-time threat detection and protection, ensuring prompt identification and mitigation of security threats.
Integration with respective Ecosystems: Both solutions integrate with their respective broader security ecosystems (Cisco for Cisco products, Microsoft for Microsoft products).
Differences
Whilst both focus on security across the customers domain with a focus on understanding and protecting against (and keeping control of) AI based applications, there are clear, there are some subtle and unique differences.
Scopes of Use
Cisco AI Defense Specialises more in securing AI applications throughout their lifecycle including home grown developed services, where as Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI is more focused on providing comprehensive security for both AI applications and SaaS applications.
Platform Integration
Cisco AI Defense provides deep integration with Cisco’s network infrastructure and other Cisco security products. Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI has seamless integration with the wider Microsoft’s ecosystem, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics, Power Apps as well as being part of the wider Microsoft security solutions.
Capabilities
Cisco AI Defense places a key emphasis on AI-specific security measures that include automated vulnerability assessments and real-time protection against adversarial attacks.
Whilst similar in approach, Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI offers broader security features, including threat protection for both AI and cloud services, and integrates with Microsoft’s XDR for centralised incident management.
When to choose which?
When to choose Cisco AI Defense
Best For: Organisations with a significant focus on AI development and deployment, particularly those heavily invested in Cisco’s network infrastructure.
Primary Benefits: AI model validation, runtime protection, and extensive integration with Cisco’s network and security products.
When to Choose Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI
Best For: Organisations utilising a mix of AI and SaaS applications, especially those heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem (Azure, Microsoft 365, etc.).
Primary Benefits: Comprehensive threat protection, tight integration with Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365 and existing Microsoft security solutions.
Case Scenario: Ficticous Enterprise Organisation
Customer Profile: “A large enterprise organisation with a complex infrastructure, several hundred applications (mainly SaaS) as well as in-house and hosted custom applications running in Public Cloud (Azure), mix of productivity tools (Microsoft 365), AI-powered assistants (Microsoft Copilot and Chat GPT), multi-campus network environment (Cisco Meraki), Cloud Voice (Microsoft Teams), Space Management Tools (Cisco Spaces) and network performance monitoring (Cisco ThousandEyes).
Organisation has and uses Microsoft 365 E5. They have a contact centre based on Cisco Webex and use Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms with Cisco endpoints. User devices as mix of Lenovo and Surface. They also use Cisco Duo. They have a Cisco EA.
They are in the middle of a Microsoft 365 Copilot pilot with around 20% of their organisation but aware that some other departments may have other shadow AI tools. They are also looking at building their own apps that will use a magnitude of AI agents and connectors.”
Cisco AI Defense vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI
Given the complex infrastructure and diverse applications of this large enterprise organisation, the differences, strengths and similarities of each really stand out. Appreciating this a “made up” organisation, you can see where and why each product has its strength and merits.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI
Given the extensive use of Microsoft services and the presence of Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI is highly recommended. It offers comprehensive security coverage for both AI applications and SaaS applications, integrating seamlessly with the existing Microsoft ecosystem. The core services are also included within the Microsoft 365 E5 subscription.
Key Benefits:
Broad Threat Protection: Covers both AI applications and cloud services, ensuring robust security across the organization.
Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Seamless integration with Azure, Microsoft 365, and the organisations other Microsoft applications and security solutions.
Centralised Management: Facilitates centralised management and monitoring, improving operational efficiency.
Cisco AI Defense
Considering the organisation’s significant investment in Cisco networking solutions and the presence of Cisco Meraki, Cisco Spaces, and Cisco ThousandEyes, Cisco AI Defense is also recommended. It provides specialised AI security measures and integrates well with Cisco’s network infrastructure.
Key Benefits:
AI-Specific Security: Focuses on securing AI applications throughout their lifecycle, providing tailored protection.
Deep Integration with Cisco Infrastructure: Enhances overall network security by integrating with Cisco’s network and security products.
Real-Time Protection: Offers robust real-time protection against adversarial attacks, ensuring continuous integrity of AI operations.
Combined Approach
Given the organisation’s diverse IT infrastructure and the need for comprehensive security, a combined approach using both Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI and Cisco AI Defense is advisable. This dual solution ensures that all aspects of the IT infrastructure are covered, from AI applications to cloud services and networking.
By leveraging both solutions, the organization can achieve a robust, integrated security framework that covers all their IT needs, ensuring comprehensive protection and efficient management.
Budget and Management Considerations
Budget: While using both solutions might seem costly, the investment is likely justified by the enhanced security and centralised management capabilities.
Management: Both solutions offer centralised management, making it easier to oversee and control security measures. The tools are managed across the respective product suites which are already in use within the organisation minimising additonal admin / sec ops over head.
Conclusion
Cisco AI Defense and Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AI are both robust solutions tailored to different security needs and infrastructures. Understanding their strengths and integration capabilities allows organisations to make informed decisions, achieving comprehensive and integrated security frameworks.
Cisco AI Defense is new and will be available in March 2025, so please do let me know if I’ve missed anything obvious…
In a move that perhaps comes as no surprise, Microsoft has revealed a small $3 price increase per use (the first in 12 years) but is including Microsoft 365 Copilot (previously a $20 add on) to these subscriptions, which enables users to leverage Copilot in Office apps without needing a separate Copilot Pro subscription. But there is catch… See later.
I’ve not seen UK pricing as yet, but starting soon, consumers will soon see a new price of $9.99 per month for Microsoft 365 Personal and $12.99 per month for Microsoft 365 Home.
It’s not actually about Copilot through…
Oddly, Microsoft says the price increase is not actually about Copilot inclusion buy it more about aligning the prices with new features that have been added over the years such Microsoft Designer and Clipchamp, both of which have extensive AI capabilities.
Or is it…
Microsoft are offering anyone who’d rather stick to the old plan the option to buy what they new call their “classic sub tier which won’t include Copilot, but just a limited time. This, I believe will be offered as a downgrade option but will only be available for a limited time.
So… If the classic tier doesn’t include Copilot… Is the price hike about Copilot or not.. What do you think?
So what is included for Copilot in Personal and Home subscriptions?
With the introduction of Copilot, Microsoft 365 apps are getting a significant upgrade. Here’s a breakdown of the new features you will get
Word
Here we get Draft and Chat capability in Word. In draft mode you can create/ generate text from within the Copilot pane directly in Word. This works for new and existing documents and also allows your to rewrite taxt, expand on it, condense it and more. Chat mode on the other hand acts as your Word AI assistant. It can summarise and explain text, paragraphs or whole documents, suggest changes and also. Help you discover Word features such as formatting or just help you to learn new features.
PowerPoint
Here we get similar capabilities to Word. Copilot can create, restructure, change and enhance PowerPoint presentations from scratch based on user-provided criteria. It can also analyse existing Word documents (and other uploaded files) and generate a complete presentation from the information contained within it.
Excel
With most people using just a tiny fraction of what Excel can do, Copilot in Excel will help anyone analyse tables, highlight data correlations, suggest and help with new formulas based on your natural written queries, and can also generate insights to help you better reason over tables data and even entire workbooks. It is also really great for helping you format and organise data, create visualisations, and even teach you (or write) formulas for you.
OneNote
One of my favourite apps, Copilot here can assist in drafting ideas, plans, and organising information within your Notebooks. Copilot can also format content and create lists according to your criteria. What’s great is it can also do the woith your hand written notes (for those like me that use OneNote on my tablet). I find it great for handwritten meeting notes or interviews in that Copilot can then write my notes up professionally for me!
Outlook
Load of useful abilities for Copilot here in Outlook and one I think most people will use alot. Copilot in Outlook can summarise emails from friends, family, and colleagues which is nice for long email chains you have just been forwarded!
It’s also great for helping you to draftnand write an ew email or response to an email based on specific tones, lengths, and formats you set.It can also help coach you by reviewing what you have written and suggesting changes.
Copilot can pull information from other emails to provide context in threads, making it useful for managing multiple email chains.
What about Copilot Pro?
Despite the price increase, Microsoft is limiting Copilot usage under the Home and Personal subscriptions through monthly AI credits which are automatically applied to your account and reset each month (think mobile data tarrifs). They have not yet shared (that I have seen anyway) how many AI credits will be given each month.
Microsoft also offers Copilot Pro which is currently $20 /£19 a month which brings the same features as above but gives unlimited access to Copilot in Office, plus what they call boosts for image creation in tools like Designer.
I’m hoping this also gets a price reduction as it suddenly seems quite pricey for the additional capacity rather than entire features.
Conclusion.. Yes please!
To me I can’t wait to see this come to Family accounts because for me today, if I want Copilot Pro in Office for all 4 members of my family, I need to pay $80 a Month! This makes is so much more affordable and a no brainier.. bringing AI tools to its 84 millions consumer users and at a much more digestable price that with Copilot Pro.
As we all get back into the flow of work following the Christmas and New Year break, Microsoft continue to announce new features for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Copilot has been available to “everyone” to buy and use now for a year now and it’ actually hard to conceive that it only actually ben 12 months! That said, I know hundreds of organisations that are using it every day and getting a great experience from it. I also know others (and people in my own organisation that have a bit more of a “hmmmmm and it’s ok” mindset to Copilot.
As I head back into my first full week at work with Copilot at my side, it’s worth looking at just how far it has come. From taking notes and summarising content, helping me catch up things I have missed (or forgotten) and evening being my companion to help me thrash out ideas, explain things, get a different opinion – Copilot is by my side.
Copilot is like that tireless colleague who’s always ready to lend a hand, doesn’t get tired, doesn’t take a lunch a break and doesn’t need to pop out for a coffee when I need it! I often describe Copilot as a drunk intern, in that it adds huge amounts of value to my day, but it doesn’t solve every work problem, nor can it assist with every task. It can’t make decisions for me, do my executive reports, remember to do things for me (there’s other tools for that) and can’t actually do my job for me. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a tool, a powerful tool, but like any tool, its effectiveness hinges on how you use it and more importantly how you don’t!
Having helped many customers and seen the results it can have, as well as my own experience of integrating Copilot into my daily work (and personal online life) routine, it takes time. It not as simple as allocating a licensing and clicking the Copilot button. Good adoption and useful results require practice (lots), sharing what works, and an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. In this blog. I share a few little tips we have learned on the way, coupled with some tips to see value every day.
1. Results may not be instant – Practice makes perfect
You may hear people say “it is rubbish” or “it didn’t do what I thought”, or “Copilot can’t help me in my job”.
This is sometimes true, but nearly all of the time, it is simply not! Copilot can certainly help you brainstorm ideas, answer questions, explain content and even get a third person review on something you have created, but it it is not going to transform you into a master mathematician, coder, web designer or salesman overnight.
Like learning a new musical instrument (my son is learning the trumpet at the moment) or a language, it takes time (and patience) to get the hand of pretty much any tool.
Success comes (and I see it every day) by embrace the learning curve, trying new things and giving yourself room to grow alongside this technology which is constantly evolving and improving. Working with Generative AI is a totally different way of working with technology so give yourself time to work with it. There is no AI Natives (yet!).
2. Don’t get fired – Copilot for everyone but not for everything!
Think of Copilot as your co-pilot, not as the captain of your work. Copilot is there to assist you in what you do but not to take over. While it might draft a great email or executive summary, help you expand on a point or explain something, only you (as the Pilot) can ensure it aligns with your objectives and ask and that what it produces resonates with your audience.
Remember you are accountable for what Copilot produces for you – Copilot is the co-pilot. You are always in command. Copilot will remind of this, but do. Check the content, is it what you needed and asked for. Does it seem correct, read well and has it used the right content and context. If Copilot get’s it wrong, its your block on the line not Copilot’s.
Your expertise and personal touch are irreplaceable, and you are still responsible for what it produces. Don’t look silly buy not checking what it produces!
3. Remember you are human – It is not!
The Human Touch is everything. For example, when using Copilot to write or reply to a sensitive email, or when writing a personal response to something, Copilot can absolutely provide you with a solid starting point or provide guidance on how to write it.
We have all read those emails comms that are so obviously written by AI. It’s easy to spot an email from someone you know that has clearly left AI to write for them!
Empathy, nuance, and authenticity and the way in which you communicate is what makes you. It’s important to use what Copilot (or an AI) creates as a draft or a guide and ensure you inject your personality and insights to make your communication truly impactful and truly you.
4. Copilot is not a mind reader – be clear in your asks
Copilot doesn’t inherently understand the nuances of your specific situation, so back to my drunk intern analogy, you need to give it context around what you want your assistant to do.
Copilot can “summarise a report” but won’t know how you would like this summarised, the tone you woudl like, who you are summarising it for and how long you want it unless you tell it. Be explicit about the how you want the output (the goal), the context of what you need, and your expectations for how you want the output to be presented.
Remember the formula for Copilot promoting is G.C.S.E – Goal, Context, Expectations and Source.
5. Don’t leave sensitivity to chance
Microsoft 365 Copilot will adhere to your company identity and access management, respect DLP policies and even understand sensitivity labels if they are used.
Many organisations however do not use these (though are starting too), but regardless, make sure you check that you are not feeding Copilot confidential customer information when creating responses for other customers or sharing internal information that is not supposed to be shared.
People get scared that Copilot may share sensitive information. Since Copilot is the assistant and not the author, you are responsible for checking that the data you have fed it (or referenced) can be used and shared externally.
There are new tools coming to help users better protect privacy and for IT / Sec to control what Copilot accesses, but it’s still “on you”. Remember Copilot can’t get the sack – you can!
6. Copilot will not replace learning but it can help you learn.
Some like to portray that they are an expert over night with AI tools like Copilot. Sure Copilot is great at simplify complex concepts or helping you know how to do something in say Excel or Word. Copilot is also really great at helping you understand seomthing, can explain something complex “as if i am a 10 year old” and so on, but it’s not a substitute for your own learning journey.
That said, I find Copilot is great for helping you to learn something. It can help you “learn” the basics about a topic, put things into different perspectives, and even help map learning paths and helps you find resources. At the end of the day, it is still you that will learn what you are learning, but Copilot is really great at helping you learn in your way…
7. Copilot has an appauling memory
One fo the things Copilot is really bad at (by design currently) uis remembering things. This mean that not only will it not ask you how that report went, or if your customer replied to the email it helped you write.
In fact Copilot cannot (currently) evcen remeber past convrsations or preferences so once you “start a new conversation”, all history of that task you were working are forgotten.
As a tip – I tend to have a couple of chats running in parallel so I can switch between contexts as I need to. ChatGPT now has this capability to imagine* it is only time before this comes to Microsoft 365 Copilot
8. The Roadmap is every changing
The last time I looked, there was 112 new features in development and 18 that are currently “rolling out”. This AI technology is evolving rapidly and Copilot is no exception.
New features and improvements roll out regularly. It’s worth checking on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap from time to time to ensure you stay informed about what is coming. There are also a plethor of blogs like this one, user communities, webinars and formal training to help you stay abreast of the latest innovations and tips.
Knowledge is power – the more you know, the more you can leverage Copilot to your advantage.
9. Integrate Copilot into your daily routine
Consistency is key. Copilot really adds avlue when you use it little and often and when it’s seamlessly woven into your daily workflow. Here are some reaaly simple habits to form:
Start your week with a recap: Use Copilot to remind you of any emails you did not repond to last week from your peers or boss, to prepare you for your upcoming meetings, or to sugegst a date your team (rememeber it knows who works for you) are available for an afternoon off-site.
Start Your Day with Copilot: Use Copilot in the morning to outline your your day, important tasks or get you up-to-date on something. You will soon be able to schedule Copilot to do certain tasks for you.
Catch on and control your meetings: One of Copilot’s hero capabilities is to help ypou catch up on a meeting you missed, take notes for you in a meeting and even help keep the meeting flowing.
Remeber your GCSEs: Before engaging with Copilot, know what the Goal is you are trying to achieve. Give Copilot context on how you wnat it done and ensure it knows what you expect. Clear questions yield better answers.
Share and Collaborate: Encourage your team to adopt Copilot and share tips. Collective learning amplifies benefits.
The true power of Copilot lies in how you incorporate it into your daily routine:
10. Don’t Give up
You may not always get the instant results, don’t give up. Ttry again, ask others what works for them and check out help and guidance. There’s loads.
Stay Curious and ensure you experiment with different prompts and functions. You might discover new ways Copilot can assist you.
Reflect Regularly by taking time to assess how Copilot is impacting your work. Adjust your approach as needed to maximise benefits.
Share your success so other can benefit from what you have learned and what works best for you.
Final Tips
Microsoft 365 Copilot is a remarkable assistant that can amplify your productivity, spark innovation, and even make mundane tasks more manageable. But remember, it’s a tool designed to enhance your capabilities – not replace them. By using it thoughtfully, staying informed about its features, and integrating it into good work habits, you can unlock its full potential.
Technology is a force multiplier, but it’s the human element that truly makes the difference. Copilot offers incredible capabilities, but it’s up to you to wield them effectively. Use it wisely, continue to learn, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Your proactive engagement and thoughtful application are what turn a powerful tool into transformative results. So take charge, embrace the technology, and watch how it elevates the work you do every daym, little my little, bit my bit can make a huge difference in a week.
Oh and don’t forget to share your successes with others.
At CES 2025 in Las Vegas this week, Microsoft’s head of Windows devices, Pavan Davuluri, announced that Phi Silica, a Small Language Model (SLM), will be integrated into the Windows runtime as part of Copilot in the first quarter of 2025 to provide offline use and performance boosts whilst also paving the way for additional features and privacy enhancements made possible through local processing.
What’s a Language Model?
Before diving into the details, it’s important to understand what a language model is. Language models are designed to comprehend, generate, and perform human-like language tasks, having been trained on vast amounts of data. However, not all language models are the same – they come in different sizes, large and small, each with unique strengths and weaknesses tailored to specific requirements.
The main differences between small and large language models lie in their size, capabilities, and resource requirements.
LLMs are ideal for applications needing high accuracy and versatility, such as advanced search, chatbots and content generation.
SLMs are generally more suited for specific, lightweight applications, like mobile apps and edge devices and laptops such which have local NPUs like Copilot+ PCs.
SLMs are coming to Windows 11
The Phi Silica SLM, which was first showcased at Microsoft Build in Seattle in May 2024, is designed to complement the Large Language Model (LLM) that runs in the cloud allowing specific AI workloads and processing to be run locally or handed over and run in parallel with the cloud based LLMs.
Small, but mighty, on-device SLM
Microsoft
Why? Well, whilst LLMs are typically faster and more accurate, they require cloud-based operations and can be costly to run and inflict subscription fees (think Microsoft 365 Copilot). SLMs, on the other hand, can run many and other AI-driven applications and tasks locally on PCs, ensuring privacy and preventing data leakage to the cloud. However, SLMs are less sophisticated and require dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to provide these local AI capabilities. Hello Copilot+PCs.
Copilot+ PCs and AI PCs
The NPUs (Neural Processing Units) in Copilot+ PCs are designed to be highly power-efficient, capable of performing trillions of operations per second (TOPS) while consuming very little power. Specifically, on devices with Snapdragon X Elite processors, the Phi Silica model’s context processing uses only 4.8 milliwatt-hours (mWh) of energy on the NPU.
Additionally, the token iterator stage of the model shows a 56% improvement in power consumption compared to running on the CPU. This efficiency allows Phi Silica to operate without overloading the CPU and GPU, ensuring smooth performance and minimal impact on other applications.
Microsoft said that features like Windows Recall, Click-to-Do and other AI functionalities will soon be able to leverage these SLMs. Phi Silica uses a 3.3 billion parameter model, fine-tuned by Microsoft for both accuracy and speed and will. Improve performance, enhance privacy and enable more “offline” usage.
In a recent podcast episode with Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner, Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft, discussed a wide range of topics related to his role at Microsoft, the state of the technology, business growth and capitalism in this new “AI Era”.
The podcast which you can watch on YouTube here covered some interesting topics including the Future of AI Agents and their potential to transform how we interact with technology. In this blog (worth a listen), Satya gives his predications/insights into the future of AI Agents and emphasises that AI agents will fundamentally change the landscape of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, predicting that the traditional notion of business applications will collapse in the era of agentic AI.
What is Agentic AI?
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can make decisions and take actions autonomously, without direct human intervention. These systems are designed to perceive their environment, reason about the best course of action, and execute tasks independently. In short these agents are designed to function as workplace teammates, capable of handling various tasks across different applications.
As example, in e-commerce platforms, instead of static, rule based chatbots, agentic AI-driven systems can track a customer’s journey, personalised recommendations, and assist with returns seamlessly without user / supervisor input. These agents will be able to actively learn from interactions, optimising the customer journey in real time and learning about user preferences.
Agentic AI typically inhibits the following features:
Autonomy: Agentic AI systems can operate independently, making decisions based on input data and predefined goals.
Adaptability: These systems can adapt to changing circumstances and inputs, adjusting their actions to achieve their objectives.
Proactivity: Agentic AI can anticipate user needs and take actions without explicit instructions, making them more proactive in their behavior.
Collaboration: In the future, agentic AI systems will be able to work together in multi-agent networks, collaborating to handle complex tasks that a single agent cannot manage alone.
Changes Ahead for AI Agents
The video / podcast is an hour and a half (but an enjoyable and informative listen). Reading between the sections, Satya talks extensively about where he sees AI Agents evolving massively through 2025. I have summarised this below.
Increasing Sophistication and Capabilities
AI agents will become increasingly sophisticated and capable, eventually replacing traditional software applications. These agents will be able to understand and anticipate user needs, providing personalised and proactive assistance. They will leverage advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to interact with users in a more human-like manner.
Autonomous AI Agents
Through 2025. we will see autonomous AI agents handle more and more complex tasks with minimal human oversight, optimising workflows and enhancing efficiency across industries. These agents will streamline workflows, manage intricate operations, and simplify everyday activities. For example, OpenAI’s “Operator Agents” will autonomously execute multi-step processes, such as scheduling meetings or managing projects.
Multi-Agent Networks
Sayta talks abiut the “future” being a place that is not about singular agents but more about networks or systems of agents where agents can discover and collaborate with other agents. These multi-agent networks will enable agents to handle tasks that they can’t do themselves by invoking other agents (agents talking to other agents). This collaborative approach will enhance the overall capabilities and efficiency of AI agents.
Vertical AI Agents
Vertical AI agents, which are specialised for specific industries, are expected to have their moment in 2025. These agents will dominate their respective fields by offering tailored solutions that address industry-specific challenges. For example, retail AI agents will act as personal shoppers, offering personalised recommendations and optimising inventory management.
Persistent Memory and Personalisation
AI systems with persistent memory will enable highly personalized interactions, transforming AI into long-term companions that adapt to user preferences and habits. This capability will allow AI agents to provide more relevant and context-aware assistance, enhancing user experiences.
Emotional Intelligence
Future AI agents are expected to possess emotional intelligence, allowing them to understand and respond to human emotions. This will enable more empathetic and effective interactions, particularly in customer service and healthcare settings.
Integration with IoT and Personal Devices
AI agents will increasingly integrate with the Internet of Things (IoT) and personal devices. This integration will enable seamless interactions across various platforms and devices, creating a more connected and efficient ecosystem. For example, AI agents in smart homes will manage household tasks, monitor energy usage, and provide personalized recommendations.
Ethical AI and Transparency
As AI agents become more prevalent, there will be a greater emphasis on ethical AI and transparency in decision-making. Ensuring that AI agents operate responsibly and transparently will be crucial for gaining user trust and acceptance. This includes addressing issues related to data privacy, bias, and accountability.
Proactive AI Agents
Proactive AI agents will anticipate user needs and take actions without explicit instructions. For example, an AI assistant might reorganize your day based on traffic updates and weather, reschedule missed appointments, and even draft personalized messages. This proactive approach will make AI agents more valuable and indispensable in daily life.
Enhanced Communication and Collaboration Tools
AI agents will enhance communication and collaboration tools, making it easier for teams to work together. These agents will facilitate real-time collaboration, manage project timelines, and provide insights to improve productivity. They will also assist in content creation, research, and workflow automation.
Shift and the of SaaS apps?
Another interesting section to listen too is at around 31 minutes, where Satya talks about his vision of how AI agents could potentially replace traditional SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. Whilst something that will not happen over night, he talked about the shift from business apps with connectors into other apps, but in an agent to agent and agent to back-end system.
We can already have connectors into applications like SAP, Dynamics etc. A great quote he used was “when was the last time any of us really went to a business application” In the AI age, we access the data in these systems from a mesh of data sources which over time, these back-end SaaS systems would eventually become obsolete as AI agents take over multi-repository CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations. This shift would lead to the collapse of conventional business applications, with AI agents handling the core logic.
The idea will be that you simply pull information from systems through AI Agents such as looking up customer details, updating inventories, changing a contact in NetSuite CRM for example or checking delivery status for an order.
Other examples, Sayta talked about with regards AI Agents included:
Infinite Memory: He explained that infinite memory refers to the ability of AI agents to retain and recall information over extended periods, much like a human’s long-term memory. This capability will allows AI agents to build on past interactions and experiences, making them more effective and personalized in their responses and actions.
Proactive Task Management: AI agents are envisioned to operate autonomously, handling complex tasks such as processing customer returns, managing shipping invoices, and optimizing supply chain operations. This proactive approach reduces the reliance on user-initiated interactions, further diminishing the need for traditional SaaS applications.
Automation of Business Logic: Satya explained that AI agents would be able to automate many backend business processes, creating a new tier of multi-agent orchestration. This means that business logic, which is currently hardcoded into individual applications, will be managed by AI agents across multiple apps or databases and will adapt based on useage and need.
Integration with Existing Tools: Nadella highlighted the integration of Python with Excel as an example. AI agents can use Excel’s visualisation capabilities for advanced tasks, transforming it into a more intelligent and autonomous tool. This integration demonstrates how AI agents can enhance existing applications, making them more efficient and reducing the need for traditional SaaS apps.
This blog takes a stroll back down the 2024 memory lane and looks at some of the highlights I have seen through 2024 from a technology (I fo.cus here mainly on Cisco and Microsoft) and what we achived at Cisilion – where I’m the CTO. We are sarting with January and working thriugh to December 2024.
As we settle back to work in 2024 Microsoft 365 Copilot became available for every organisation to buy at $30 per user per month. Microsoft also released Copilot Pro for Consumers priced at $20 per user per month. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/01/microsoftcopilot-for-everyone
Aligned with this Microsoft also announced a new tier of specialist partners, known as Copilot Jump Start Partners who would gain access to specialist funding to help customers test and adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot. Cisilion are announced as one of this elite partners.
Cisilion were also crowned one of 17 partners in the UK as Microsoft Cyber Security Investment Partner due to our exemplar work in helping organisations leverage the best of Microsoft Threat Protection, Identity and Access Control and Data Protection.
Cisco Live 2024 saw over 16,000 people – the largest in person attendance in more than 6 years. The theme was very much aligned with the industry buzz and innovation around AI with Cisco emphatic statement “there is no AI without a network”. This was very much the theme and focussed on Cisco’s innovations and vision around the network and Data Centre fabric for the AI era that is among us.
Mar 2024
Cisco completed the acquisition of Splunkwhich they acquired in November 2023 for $28billion.Cisco say that the combination of Cisco and Splunk will provide truly comprehensive visibility and insights across an organization’s entire digital footprint, delivering an unprecedented level of resilience through the most extensive and powerful security and observability product portfolio on the market.
Cloud Security: Cisco Announces Cisco Hypershield . Not planned for release until sometime in 2025, Hypershield is different to traditional security products and is integrated directly into the network’s fabric, offering a revolutionary approach to protecting digital infrastructure services in data centres, protecting applications, devices, and data across public and private data centers, clouds, and physical locations.Cisco Hypershield: New Era of Distributed, AI-Native Security
Microsoft Licensing all Change: Microsoft forced to “de-couple” Teams from new Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Subscriptions after EU monopolies ruling, impacting the price new commercial customers pay for Microsoft 365 and Teams.
The AI Powered PC: Microsoft announce the next generation of Computing with the Copilot+ PC, built in partnership with Qualcomm. At the heart of the Copilot+ PCs lies groundbreaking ARM CPU and NPU technology, capable of over 45 trillion operations per second, powering a new era of AI experiences on Windows PCs. They are designed to run AI workloads with unprecedented efficiency and speed, outperforming competitors and enabling features like Recall, Cocreator, and Live Captions. These will power the next wave of edge AI. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/05/sufacepro11-laptop7/
Cisco announces new $1B AI investment wave at Cisco Live in Vegas – a bold move to foster industry innovation and customer readiness and likely help them fund and invest into future acquisitions which is becoming common in the industry with start up innovation and backing.Cisco Live 2024: Unveiling an AI-powered and secure future – Modern Work and AI Blog
CrowdStrike update bug causes global IT outages as update bricks Windows devices and costs the economy big time with flights grounded and huge disruption everywhere.
2025 Event Planning: Cisilion finalise our event plan for H1 2025 include more industry aligned events for Legal, Public Sector and Tech for Social Impact.
MVP Summit tickets booked for March 2025
Happy and prosperous 2025
I’d finally like to thank all my followers and subscribers a very happy new year!
Windows 11 is set to make a huge change to how we use cameras and webcams on Windows 11 PCs with the introduction of advanced camera features. These new functionalities, currently available in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build in the Dev Channel, promise to enhance accessibility and usability for a wide range of users.
Previously, Windows allowed camera access to only one application at a time, which caused conflicts and limited multitasking capabilities. With this new feature, multiple applications can now access and utilise the camera feed simultaneously.
Key Features and Benefits
Multi-App Camera Support: One of the standout features is the ability for multiple applications to be able to access your devices camera/webcam at the same time. This is particularly beneficial for people who need to stream video to different platforms at the same time. For instance, remote workers can now participate in multiple virtual meetings without needing to switch between applications (and turn off their cameras), and in the consumer space, gamers can stream their gameplay on various platforms concurrently.
Basic Camera Function: Designed to improve stability of “older” webcams and deices and to help with debugging, Microsoft are introducing a feature limiting the webcam’s features to the essentials. This ensures that the camera can operate at its most basic level, which is useful if other features are causing issues.
Enhanced Accessibility: Developed in conjunction with accessibility and hard-of-hearing community, the multi-app support feature also enables video streaming to both a sign language interpreter and the end audience simultaneously. This could be a significant step forward in making technology more inclusive and accessible.
Use Cases
Remote Work and Collaboration: With the multi-app camera support, professionals working from home can join multiple video conferences at once, making it easier to manage different meetings and collaborations without the hassle of switching between apps.
Content Creation and Streaming: Gamers and content creators will find the new features particularly useful. They can now stream their content on multiple platforms simultaneously, reaching a broader audience and enhancing their streaming capabilities.
Educational Purposes: Teachers and educators can leverage these features to conduct virtual classes more effectively. For example, they can stream their lessons to different platforms or groups of students at the same time, ensuring that everyone has access to the content.
Enabling and using the Feature
You need to be running Windows Insider Build 26120.2702 or later.
To activate the feature, users need to head over to settings and enable the “Multi-App Camera” setting by toggling it on as shown in the screenshot below.
Once enabled you’ll be able to use your camera(s) in multiple apps. The shot below shows the camera app and a Teams video call using the same camera simultenuously.
Still more to come
Microsoft has also said that more options are coming in the advanced camera settings, including the ability to choose and customise things like resolution and frame rate for the webcam/Camera(s).
These enhancements (also fed by user feedback from the Windows Feedback Hub), will provide users with greater control over their camera settings, allowing for a more customised and optimised experience.
In this review I look at the Surface Laptop 7 which I’ve been using daily for the past 3 weeks. We look at ascetics, performance, battery life and more. It’s the first Copilot+PC from Microsoft which is set to yet again set the standards on the future of AI powered Windows devices!
I first got my hands on one of these devices last month at Microsoft Ignite 2024 in Chicago, where I had the pleasure to spend time with the global Surface Team in the community hub in the middle of the Ignite Expo Hall.
On show were the very latest Surface Copilot + PCs which feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon X powered devices that deliver over 45 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS) of NPU power.
As part of the demo showcase, the devices were running the latest “insider” builds of Windows 11 where new innovative AI features within Windows, such as Recall and Click-To-Do, as well as updates to apps from leading developers including Adobe who were showcasing the next wave of innovation that is possible by harnessing the power of local NPUs on these new Copilot + PCs.
My History with Surface
I’ve been a fan of Surface many years, having owned, borrowed, or used numerous models since we transitioned to Surface around the Surface Pro 4 era. I even had a Surface Pro v1 and a Surface RT with Arm chipset running Windows 8 back in 2012 – devices I still have today in my “museum”.
As a Microsoft MVP, I’m also lucky to get access to demo and trial devices through the year which has given me some great perspectives of the continual evolution, advancements and innovation that Surface brings, not only to end user compute, but to the development and innovation of Windows.
Until recently, my daily device has been the Surface Pro 9 5G. This is a Qualcomm powered ARM device running Windows on Arm (WoA). I also have a smaller (Intel powered) Laptop Go, which I use when traveling light!
My latest laptop, and the focus of todays’ blog is the 13.8″ Surface Laptop 7. This is the latest generation of Copilot+ PCs. It is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Arm processor and it truly a thing of beauty!
Not only does Surface Laptop 7 look absolutely gorgeous, with its premium sleek black finish, but the ‘instant on’ feature and Windows Hello ESS (which stands for Enhanced Sign-in Security) means that I am signed in instantly – no delay, and no “looking for you”. You click the button; the device wakes up and you are in.
Windows Hello ESS uses specialized hardware and software components, including Virtualization Based Security (VBS) and Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0), to isolate and protect biometric data. This ensures that biometric data, like facial recognition or fingerprint information, is securely stored and processed
What are Copilot+ PCs?
The Qualcomm Snapdragon powered Copilot+ PC is designed to deliver an unparalleled user experience, combining cutting-edge technology with seamless performance and truly all day battery life combined with whisper quiet operation. These are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Plus and Elite processors (Arm processors) and run Windows on ARM as the core Windows Operating System.
Windows has traditionally run on machines that are powered by x86 / x64 processors, but more recently, also runs on devices powered by Arm processors. That is the case for the current generation of Copilot+PCs like Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11.
Arm-powered devices are particularly interesting because the power-frugal nature of the Arm architecture enables these devices to offer longer battery life while delivering great performance. Arm Systems on Chip (SoC) often include other key features such as a powerful CPU, GPU, Wi-Fi & mobile data networks, as well as Neural Processor Units (NPUs) for accelerating AI workloads.
For most users, the differences between Windows on Arm and Windows running in x86/x64 are invisible other than the performance and efficiency improvements Arm based devices can bring to Windows.
The Laptop 7 I have been using is the 13.8 inch device with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD.
Surface Laptop 7: The Out of Box Experience
From the moment I unboxed the device it gleamed with the high quality, premium elegance that is Surface. People often ask me what it is about Surface that I love compared to “other” brands.
Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
You only have to hold and feel a Surface to fall in love with it. It is truly elegant and premium device in every way, but more importantly, Surface is designed to showcase the very best of the Windows and is always the innovator and leader upon which other OEMs are “inspired” to copy. From touch screen, 2-in-1,to pen and ink and Windows Hello, these features were all born with Surface. Copilot+ PCs are no different. The stage is set for the future of AI powered devices.
Next there is the sustainability factor. Surface is built from more recycled materials with the enclosure being constructed of >67.2% recycled materials, including 100% recycled aluminum. Surface Laptop is another step toward Microsoft’s goal to be carbon negative, water positive, and achieve zero waste by 2030.
Surface Laptop 7: What’s under the hood?
This is a Surface through and through. High Quality, premium finish, and fantastically put together with the all the best hardware to make Windows shine.
Horse Power – Unlike the Surface Laptop 1-6, Laptop 7 is powered by ARM processors. Microsoft offer a choice of Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X Elite (12-core). The 15-inch version by comparison only offers the Snapdragon X Elite.
Connectivity: Surface Laptop 7 ships with the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, along with two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and and “old-skool” USB-A. There’s also a 3.5mm headset jack, a microSDXC card slot, and the standard Surface-Connect Port too! The device can be charged via the Surface Port and/or USB-C.
Cameras and Video: The “web-cam2 is a 1080p Full HD camera for your Teams or Webex calls and also incorporates the Windows Hello Biometric / Facial security. Video and images are enhanced by Windows Studio Effects powered by the Surface Laptop 7’s local NPU.
Audio: On board we get the usual Dual Studio Mics with AI powered voice focus, OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos® and support for Bluetooth LE Audio
Display – The screen on the 13.8″ Surface Laptop 7 supports a resolution of 2304 x 1536 with contrast ratio of 1400:1 and refresh rate of 120Hz. The screen is fully multi-point touch enabled and is finished with a coating of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5. The is no Surface Pen support (but to be honest, the form factor doesn’t really lend itself to pen and ink).
Keyboard: Surface Laptop gives you a full size keyboard. The is plenty of travel in the keys and decent traction. The keys also have back-lighting with different levels of brightness. You also get a sizeable trackpad. You even get the Copilot Key 🙂
Surface Laptop 7: Secure from Chip to Cloud
Surface Laptop 7 (along with Surface Pro 11), powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon, are also examples of Microsoft’s commitment to robust security through their chip-to-cloud approach.
Central to this security architecture is the Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0, which provides a hardware-based root of trust, ensuring that sensitive data, such as encryption keys and user credentials, are securely stored and protected from tampering. This is complemented by Windows 11’s Secured-Core PC capabilities, which integrate hardware, firmware, and software protections to defend against sophisticated cyber threats and attacks.
Additionally, these devices feature Windows Hello face authentication with Enhanced Sign-in Security, offering seamless and secure biometric authentication. This leverages advanced facial recognition algorithms and hardware-level security to provide a fast and secure login experience.
Finally, Microsoft Defender is fully integrated at hardware and Operating System level to provide comprehensive enterprise protection against malware, viruses, and other cyber threats, further enhancing identity and privacy protection.
These features make Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 secure, reliable choices for users and organisations who need the highest levels of protection for their data and privacy.
App Support – Will my Apps Work with ARM?
In short yes (almost certainly).
Application compatibility with Windows on Arm has always been a concern and I have seen many people, and organisations avoid “non Intel” Windows devices for fear their app will not work.
Outside the original Surface RT, I have been using ARM based Surface devices since the Surface Pro X. Today, I am yet to encountered any apps that do not work on my ARM powered devices. Every applications I use (including some from Adobe) now have native ARM versions of their apps.
Prism Emulation works as a software simulator, just-in-time compiling blocks of x86 instructions into Arm64 instructions with optimisations to improve performance of the emitted Arm64 code.
For any app you encounter for where there is not an ARM-native app, Windows 11 leverages Microsoft’s PRISM emulator. This provides x86 and x64 emulation to run non-ARM native apps in emulation mode, which the Surface Laptop 7 runs perfectly well. The benefit of using (and having) native ARM applications however is to allow users to fully benefit from the power and battery efficiency that these devices offer over the intel variants.
Microsoft App Assure is a service designed to help organisations ensure their applications run smoothly on Windows 11, including those on ARM-based devices. With App Assure, Microsoft offers expert support to resolve any compatibility issues, providing peace of mind when transitioning or updating applications to run on ARM architecture. This support is crucial for organisations embracing the efficiency and performance benefits of Windows on ARM.
Printers and Peripherals – will they work on ARM?
In short – most will.
When considering a transition to Windows on ARM devices, one of the primary concerns is whether printers and other peripherals will work seamlessly. Personally I have no issues at all. I use a Surface Dock, blue tooth keyboard and mouse, USB external webcam and an Epson Ink Jet Printer. Most modern peripherals will work without issues.
Printers (well older ones) can be a little more challenging due to lack of driver support, but Microsoft is actively working to improve this by developing more ‘Class drivers’ for legacy hardware.
Whilst the situation is improving, organisations with older or specialised hardware (we see a lot in education and manufacturing) may find they need to still with Intel variants for now, or at least check compatibility before moving to Windows on ARM.
Microsoft's approach of replacing legacy drivers with "class drivers" is part of their broader strategy to simplify and standardise driver support across Windows devices, including ARM-based systems. Class drivers are intermediate drivers that provide a simple interface between a vendor-written "minidriver" and the Windows operating system. This means that instead of each hardware manufacturer creating and maintaining their own drivers, they can use a standardised class driver provided by Microsoft.
Better Together – Windows 11 and Copilot+PCs
Windows 24H2 (along with some new Windows features that are currently in Preview) are set to revolutionise the user experience with a suite of new AI-powered tools designed to enhance productivity and streamline tasks.
Among the most anticipated features is Windows Recall, which allows users to search for files, emails, and web pages by describing what they remember, rather than relying on keywords. This feature, powered by multiple AI models running locally on the device, aims to significantly reduce the time spent searching for information.
Windows Recall (Preview)
Click to Do enables quick actions with text or images found in Recall’s snapshots (or from any screen), making it easier to copy text or share images. This is similar to Google Circle-To-Do feature you might have on your smart phone!
Another exciting addition is the Windows Copilot Runtime, which integrates over 40 different AI models, including a Small Language Model (SLM) and an Optical Character Recogniser. These enable the new tools like Click-To-Do along with new Windows features such as Live Captions, Auto Super Resolution, Generative Fill and Windows Studio Effects.
These all work locally (using the NPU) without sending data to the cloud. These tools not only enhance accessibility and visual quality but also provide a seamless and efficient user experience.
This prevents the CPU getting overloaded and slowing down your device, making things like Teams call with video filters applied, much less processor intensive and better quality.
Surface Laptop 7: Value for Money
Pricing of course varies by region and also your sector. It also varies if you are a consumer or corporate, so if buying for work, speak to you Microsoft Surface Partner.
On Microsoft’s official website, pricing for Surface Laptop 7 starts at £944 (inc VAT).
The model I am using is the 13.8″, Snagdragon X Elite with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD which took the price up to just over £1,500.
In comparison (everyone always compares to Apple), the cost of the Mac Book Pro 14″ of close to equivalent spec is just shy of £2,000
Surface Laptop 7 – Summing it up
In the past few weeks, using Surface Laptop 7 has really enforced my love and passion for Surface and Windows on Arm powered devices and the future potential of Copilot+PCs.
Compared to a Intel Powered Surface Laptop 6, everything about this device feels faster and more responsive compared to any previous device (even my ARM powered Surface Pro 9) that I have used.
The device is lightening fast, silent (like it makes no noise at all) as it has no fans, and battery life averages over 17 hours of actual use between charges (and that is connected to an external screen too). I never take power supply when I go out.
The device wakes up and signs me in instantly when I lift the lid, thanks to Windows Hello ESS and when working, the device doesnt even apprear to get warm.
Video and Audfio Quality is enhanced by the new Windows Studio Effects in Windows 11, which leverages the NPU for superior audio quality and voice isolation and features like Eye Contact and local background blurring has a huge impact on video calls.
The new and exciting AI features like Microsoft Recall and Click- to-Do (in preview), along with the other Windows 11 enhancements are also great to use (these only run on Copilot+PCs today).
If you are not a fan of PWA (progressive web apps), the Microsoft is bringing good news. Windows Insiders are getting a new version of the Copilot app for Windows 10 and 11 which replaces the web-based application with a new native version.
The old app (or current app if you are not a Windows Insider) is a Progressive Web App which limits some of the Windows control such as quick view that is available in native Windows Apps. recently ChatGPT published their Windows App into the Microsoft Store and this latest update from Microsoft now makes the Copilot a real app too!
With this update, the previous Copilot progressive web app (PWA) is replaced with a native version. After installing the Copilot app update, when you run Copilot, you will see it appear in your system tray.
Microsoft Windows Insider Team
Whilst it’s hard to notice immediately differences, after installing the updated version (1.24112.123.0) Copilot on Windows is now a “proper” app rather than a WebApp.
This also means that Quick View can be used now with Copilot which lets you move the quick view window and resize it to suit your workflow. By default, the Copilot app in Windows uses the RegisterHotKey function and sets Alt + Space keyboard shortcut to open Copilot in Quick View mode which can be used to open and close Copilot’s quick view whenever you need it.
If you need to switch / flip back to the main Copilot app window, then this can be done by clicking the icon at the top left corner of the quick view window.
Devices with the dedicated Copilot key will open the Copilot app up the main window.
One of the concerns I often talk to organisations about, is the fear that Copilot might surface sensitive information that it should not have access to due to IT/Compliance teams not really knowing who has access to what. The phrase “Security through obscurity” is often what we heard being used.
The primary cause of this is the over-permissioning and sharing of files, which is a growing concern for organisations and one of the “blockers” often cited in Copilot Adoption.
The over-sharing problem
The ability to reason over employee data and shared organisational data is one of Microsoft 365 Copilot’s strengths over other Gen AI tools (that need feeding). These responses Copilot gives and the content it creates rely on access to data that the user already has access to across their organisation’s Microsoft 365 environment. And here often lies the problem. If an organisation has low levels of data governance, no data classification and labelling, combined with high levels of over-sharing can create real concerns for IT and Data Compliance teams.
One of the reasons that Copilot often has access to data that it “perhaps” shouldn’t have is not due to security flaw or issue across Copilot or Microsoft 365, but because files or sites have been shared too widely and have no (or the wrong) privacy and sensitivity set. Addressing this is no small task since many organisations will have million of files and tens of thousands of SharePoint and Teams sites.
Organisations and even teams within organisations often operate at various levels of maturity in governing SharePoint data. While some orgaanisations strictly monitor permissions and oversharing of content, others do not. The situation is further complicated because many people, teams and organisations have “legitimate” reasons to share “some” data widely within the organisation. This can mean users in your organisation may make choices that result in the oversharing of SharePoint content. As an example
Users may save critical files in locations accessible to a wider audience than intended.
Users may prefer sharing content with large groups rather than specific individuals.
Users might not pay close attention to permissions when uploading files.
Users may not understand how to use sensitivity labelling (if enabled) to control access.
Services such as Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 utilise all data to which individual users have at least View permissions, which might include broadly shared files that the user is unaware of. As a result, users might see these applications as exposing content that was overshared. Oversharing can lead to sensitive information being exposed to unintended recipients. Users, while well intentioned, might not always grasp the implications of their sharing choices. They might overlook permissions or opt for convenience over security.
As a result, it’s important to use the permission models in SharePoint to ensure the right users or groups have the right access to the right content within your organisation. The following sections describe the key steps that administrators can implement to configure their SharePoint permissions model to help prevent data oversharing.
Dealing with Oversharing
The good news is that Microsoft is adding new features to SharePoint and Purview to make it easier to see, understand and control over sharing across Microsoft 365 with a hope to help adoption efforts and wider roll out of Microsoft 365 Copilot. This includes new Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and enhancements for Data Loss Prevention policies in Microsoft 365 Copilot, and SharePoint Advanced Management. These can help automate site access reviews at scale and add controls to restrict access to sites if they contain highly sensitive information.
Microsoft have also released a blueprint guide for organisations planning to or deploying Copilot. These are nicely tailored to adjust to those with mainly Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 licenses respectively.
These new tools IMO are going to be vital to help organisation understand and address oversharing so they feel more feel confident in their employees adopting AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot.
AI is really good at finding information, and it can surface more information than you would have expected. This is why it’s really important to address oversharing. Typically, these issues are a by-product of good collaboration, particularly across Teams, SharePoint sites and OneDrive.
Alex Pozin | Director of Product Marketing | Microsoft
From early 2025, Microsoft will make access to SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) available at no extra cost to Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions. Outside of this, SharePoint premium (which includes SAM ) will be available at a cost of around $3 per user each month.)
New Capabilities in SharePoint Advanced Management
There are also new features for SAM that Microsoft says will provide greater control over access to SharePoint files.
New permission state reports (available now) can identify “overshared” SharePoint sites. The site access review feature can then provide a easy way to ask site owners to review and address permissions.
Restricted Content Discovery – which should start to roll out this month in public preview (December 2024), will allow IT admins to prevent Copilot from searching and processing data in specific sites for content and result generation. This does not prevent direct access to the site meaning that users can access the content directly as normal. This feature builds on the SharePoint Restricted Access Control, which was released last year, and lets IT admins restrict site access to specific sites to just “site owners” only, while also preventing Copilot from indexing and summarising files in these sites.
One of the use cases for this, are for where there are data locations containing information that needs to be contained to a set of people – such as financial reports, M&A planning, amnd other secret stuff. IT need to be confident that these locations and files will not show up in SharePoint searches and will be well out the reach of Copilot or other AI tools, essentially making sure that nobody can accidently or unintentionally be aware of, see or access the content. This is where Restricted Content Discovery comes in – locking down and hiding this information from plain site and from Copilot’s retrieval augmentation and indexing.
New Capabilities in Microsoft Purview
Microsoft are also adding new capabilities in Purview too. Purview is available as standalone or is part of Microsoft 365 E5.
/
Microsoft Purview is a centralised hub within Microsoft 365 that helps organisations meet regulatory and compliance requirements. It helps organisations manage their compliance obligations, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks within their Microsoft 365 environment.
Here, there are new tools to help identify “overshared files” that can be accessed by Copilot. These includes oversharing assessments for Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Data Security Posture Management (DPSM) tool which is now in Public Preview (from December 2024) and can be accessed via the newly revamped Purview portal.
DSPM Portal in Microsoft Purview
The oversharing assessments are designed to highlight data that may present exposure risk by scanning files for sensitive data and identifying data repositories such as SharePoint and Teams sites where access permissions appear to be too wide and broad. The tool will also provide recommendations to admins and site owners for ways to mitigate oversharing risk, such as adding sensitivity labels or restricting access from SharePoint.
For example, DSPM can detect and help you deal with controlling ethical behaviour in AI (example demo environment below). For all the recommendation, Microsoft provides a simple step by step “wizard” to help IT and Compliance add policies.
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention for Microsoft 365 Copilot, also in public preview, enables IT and security admins to create data loss prevention (DLP) policies to exclude certain documents from being processed by Copilot based on a the file or sites sensitivity label. This applies to files held in SharePoint and OneDrive, but can be configured at other levels, such as group, site, and user, to provide more flexibility around who can access what.
Insider Risk Management has also been updated to detect “risky AI usage.” This even includes user prompts that contain sensitive information and attempts by users to access unauthorised sensitive information. What’s key to note here is that this feature is not just limited to Microsoft 365 Copilot and also also covers Copilot Studio, and ChatGPT Enterprise.
Oversharing Blue Prints
I really like this. Microsoft’s new blueprint resource pages on Microsoft Learn provide recommended approaches and guidance for organisations to help them understand, mitigate and manage oversharing during what they define as the three main stages of Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment.
Pilot [Pilot]
Wider Deployment [Deploy at Scale]
Organisational Rollout [Operate]
Microsoft provide two blueprint designs. A “foundational path” and what they call an “optimised path” that uses some of the more Microsoft 365 advanced data security and governance tools found in Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions.
Is there funding available to help?
It depends – but most likely!
Microsoft have a Cyber Security Investment Program open to select/specialist partners like Cisilion. These provide funded workshops, assessments and proof of value deployments across key Security workloads including Microsoft Purview as well as structured Copilot pilot deployments, vision and value
Organisations should speak to their Microsoft Solutions Partner for more information. You can contact Cisilion here should you need to.
Conclusion
In many of the discussions I and my team at Cisilion have with customers, we see that almost all of the organisations we work still have concerns over data governance in the realm of AI access. Of these most expect Microsoft to help them address these whilst some have already invested in third party tools to help them get a “grip” on their data and sharing.
We have seen a plethora of customers invest/upgrade to high-tier Microsoft 365 plans (including E5 Security and Compliance) or full Microsoft 365 E5 in order to gain access to Microsoft Purview. Some argue these tools should be provided as part of their Copilot investment, so it is great to see Microsoft meeting customers in the middle and at least providing some of these tools as part of this license investment.
The issue is not Copilot per-say, but it is that Copilot with it’s ability to access compnay data is causing more organisations to double down and look at the existing issues they have of too many SharePoint Sites, too much over sharing, orphaned data (data with no owner) inadequate data classification and labeling.
By addressing security and data governance and levering the new tools available, this at least should solve one of the blockers to AI adoption.
The second is Adoption and Change Management – more on that in the next blog post!
Microsoft has recently expanded the testing of its innovative Recall AI feature to Intel- and AMD-powered AI and Copilot Plus PCs. Initially available on Qualcomm-powered devices only, this feature is now accessible to a broader range of devices for testing.
Initially recalled due to privacy concerns this is now in Public Preview for Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel.
Recall works by taking screenshots of almost everything you do on your Copilot+ PC, (these are devices with dedicated NPUs that run at 45 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS) or more). Recall makes it easy to search and recall past activities such as “the train route I was looking at on Tuesday” rather then scanning back through Internet search history.
Recall on Copilot+ PCs
This feature is entirely optional to use, but when enabled enabled, helps users find previous work, content or Internet data through natural language search or an interactive scrollable timeline.
As the user, you are completely in control of what snapshots are saved and how long for, and have the ability to delete them as needed, ensuring upmost privacy and security. Snaps shots require TPM, secure boot and Windows Hello to be active on the device and Microsoft has not access to the data which is encrypted on your device.
The power of Edge AI
Unlike services like Copilot, Recall and many of the newer Copilot+ PC features leverage local LLM models on the device as well as the NPU’s present on Copilot+ PC devices like the Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 range. As such when you install the #WindowsInsider Dev builds, you’ll also notice that Windows Updates installs a number of processing services as well as the Phi Silica LLM.
Recalls’ enhanced security and privacy
Microsoft has implemented many new security updates and controls to address initial concerns raised by security folk and early testers.
As I mentioned, accessing snapshots now requires Windows Hello for authentication, and the feature mandates the use of BitLocker and Secure Boot. Additionally, Recall can now automatically detects and excludes sensitive information like credit card details and passwords from being saved.
Click-to-Do and more AI features
Alongside Recall, Microsoft is also allowing Insiders on Copilot+ PCs to test out Click to Do feature, which recognise text and images in snapshots and content in screen allowing users to perform actions like copying text, invoking Copilot, saving and editing images and more. This functionality extends beyond Recall, enabling users to take actions on images and text with a simple Windows + Q key or Windows Key + mouse click.
In Paint, the new Cocreator top lets you create art and images by simply typing in text prompts. The Photos app has also been updated with new tools including Image Creator, which lets users make images from text prompts, and Restyle Image, which lets users add different artistic styles to their existing photos. You also get powerful generative erase tools which can be accessed directly from the app or from Click-To-Do.
These tools use local AI and analysis models on the Copilot+ PCs to work efficiently on the device itself through the use of the NPU.
Conclusion
Microsoft initially only made these features available for Snapdragon (ARM based) Copilot+ PCs but with this update they are continuing to u lease the new AI features in Windows 11 to more devices. The expansion of Recall to Intel and AMD Copilot+ PCs marks a step forward in enhancing user experience and productivity on this next generarion of devices.
Copilot was very much front and center at Microsoft Ignite last month. However, the Windows ecosystem also had lots of coverage. This includes Windows 11, new devices, Windows 365, and Windows 365 Link. Along with this, Microsoft talked in depth about the importance of the new Windows Security Initiative.
This forms part of the Secure Futures Initiative , a wider efforts to ensure everything access the Microsoft eco-system is secure by design and secure by default.
The Windows Security Intuitive is a comprehensive effort to ensure that Windows remains the most reliable and secure platform on earth. This blog summarise the key Windows and Devices announcements from Ignite 2024.
The Windows Keynote session at Ignite was delivered Pavan Davuluri, Aidan Marcuss, Navjot Virk and David Weston and can be viewed here on demand from Microsoft.
Windows 11 – The Most Secure Windows Ever
Windows 10 is end of life in October 2025, but Windows 11 has been mainstream now since 2021. Windows has always been the platform for innovation, meeting the needs of over a billion customers across enterprise, public sector, education, creators, developers and engineers. With this comes Microsoft’s responsibility to deliver the most reliable and secure platform.
The “CrowdStrike incident” back in July 2024, which impacted 8.5 million devices, was a stark reminder of the need for vigilance and innovation and the need to have better controls in place to protect the core of the Windows OS. “EU policy prevents Microsoft restricting access to its kernel”, but Microsoft have, following the global incident, announced the Windows Resiliency Initiative. This initiative aims at making Windows more reliable and secure for all customers, including those with mission-critical workloads but introducing changes to how both Microsoft and third-parties manage critical workloads and updates within Windows 11.
Changes After the Crowdstrike Incident
In the key note, David Weston shared insights from conversations with hundreds of customers, including CISOs, CIOs, and incident responders. The feedback highlighted the need for easier recovery, stronger resilience of critical security tools, and overall platform security. Microsoft is addressing these needs through the Windows Resilient Security Platform, which allows security product developers to build products outside of kernel mode, reducing complexity and improving recovery.
“In addition to the work we are doing with CISA as part of Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, we are heavily investing in safe languages to enhance the safety of our code. This commitment also aligns with CISA’s secure by design pledge. We’re applying this new approach to our security platform and other key areas like Microsoft Surface’s firmware and the Pluton security processor firmware. Part of becoming resilient is also increasing the prevention of attacks, so more security has been built into the operating system and not bolted on later. This reduces complexity and ensures you deploy less software that could become the next failure point. This is why we are targeting the most critical elements of Windows 11.”
David Weston | VP Enterprise and OS Security | Microsoft
Changes in Windows coming…
Improving Windows Reliability – with new capabilities to enable security product developers to build their products outside of kernel mode. This is known as the Windows Resilient Security Platform, which provides a flexible security API set and data collection points that can be used to build endpoint security products like detection and response or antivirus outside of the kernel. This change will help end-user protection and antivirus products provide a high level of security and easier recovery, with less impact on Windows in the event of a crash or mistake
Quick Machine Recovery – This solution can execute targeted fixes from Windows Update on machines, even when Windows is unable to boot. This will allow for quick deployment of fixes that address files, drivers, or any other operation needed to recover a non-bootable machine.
Strengthening Security Tools and Drivers – Microsoft are working with industry-leading security partners and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to define new ways to increase resilience across the ecosystem. This includes adopting safe deployment practices, conducting additional security and compatibility testing for components like security kernel drivers, and developing strengthened incident response processes for streamlined coordination.
Enhancing Identity Protection – To combat the increasing risk and success in cases of sophisticated phishing attacks, Microsoft has hardened Windows Hello, the built-in industry leading multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution. Windows Hello now supports passkeys, which means much of the web can be protected with MFA seamlessly. This enhancement ensures that users no longer need to choose between a simple sign-in and a safe one. This is one step further to help customers remove passwords from their environment.
Local Administrator Protection – Microsoft is introducing administrator protection to address the challenge of over-privileged users and applications. With admin protection, everyone (even admins) will have standard user permissions by default and can make Windows system changes, including app installation, only when necessary and after authorising the change using Windows Hello. This reduces the risk of attacks by ensuring that employees, not malware, remain in control of Windows.
Deep Collaboration with CISA – Microsoft and the CISA are providing a framework for the IT industry as a whole to ensure that all partners, customers, and organisations can stay ahead of evolving security threats. This collaboration aims to deliver software that is safe, secure, and resilient through secure by design, secure by default, and secure through delivery practices.
These changes and improvements are part of Microsoft’s commitment to making Windows reliable and secure for all customers, including mission-critical workloads. The Windows Resiliency Initiative represents a significant step forward in ensuring that Windows remains the most secure and reliable platform on earth.
Windows 11 – Ease of Migration, Management and Updates
Windows 11 builds on Windows 10 technologies and further simplifies the management and migration process to Windows 11. Windows 11 can be managed with the same tools and processes used for Windows 10, ensuring minimal disruption to the workforce. The compatibility with App Assure guarantees that all apps will work seamlessly on Windows 11.
In contrast, Windows 11 updates are 40% smaller in size, making it easier to stay up to date and reducing impact on users/employees as well as on network bandwidth, disk-space and time.
Windows 10 to Windows 11 – Compatibility with App Assure
App Assure is a key component of the Windows 11 upgrade experience as it was in the Windows 7 to Windows 10 experience. App Assure ensures that all apps are compatible with the new operating system through millions of real life feedback, crash reports and user feedback. This application compatibility is backed by Microsoft’s promise to address any app issues that may arise, providing peace of mind for businesses transitioning to Windows 11. The App Assure portal provides guidance, assurance and clarity of application and application version compatibility.
Updates, Hotfixes, and Autopatch
Windows 11 is introducing several new features to streamline updates and hotfixes.
Quick Machine Recovery allows targeted fixes from Windows Update on machines that are unable to boot, ensuring quick recovery during incidents.
Windows Hotpatch, available through Autopatch settings in Intune, delivers Patch Tuesday security updates directly to employees seamlessly in the background without requiring a restart, reducing interruptions and speeding up the deployment of security updates.
Windows Hotpatch is one that is super important. By using Windows Hotpatch through Autopatch settings in Intune, Microsoft say that 65% of Patch Tuesday security updates are delivered directly without requiring a restart. This significantly reduces restarts and interruptions, allowing security updates to be deployed 60% faster.
According to Forrester research, moving to Windows 11 delivers an impressive 250% return on investment over three years compared to Windows 10.
Windows Backup for Entra ID
Another exciting new feature announced at Microsoft Ignite is Windows Backup for Entra ID. This feature, available in public preview in early 2025, will help organisations ensure a seamless transition of use settings and preferences when setting up a new PC or performing a traditional reinstall which is typical with OS upgrades in larger enterprises.
With Windows Backup, employees can easily transfer their desktop background, icon size, and other preferences to a new device, ensuring a consistent and familiar experience. This reduces the time spent on setup, allowing employees to be productive faster and significantly reducing IT overhead and help desk calls.
Windows 11 – New devices and un-paralleled performance
Speed and Performance
Windows 11 is designed to deliver superior speed and performance. Bear in mind WIndows 10 is 10 years old and was designed for a pre-pandemic world and a world where AI didn’t touch the end-point.
Newer Windows 11 devices offer double the battery life and more than three times the performance of older Windows 10 devices.
Microsoft’s introduction of Copilot+ PCs and AI-PCs, built for AI workloads, is setting a new new standard for productivity, combining advanced AI inferencing capabilities with top-notch security and performance. Satya said in his key note that all applications will be rebuilt as AI apps and Windows is no different. Microsoft are re-writing their apps and OS for the AI era and simple examples include simple in-box tools like Notepad and Paint that have advanced AI capability.
Leading vendors like Adobe are adding new capabilities in their applications that leverage local NPUs found in new Windows 11 Copillot+ and AI PCs
The New Generation of Devices in Copilot+ PCs
The new generation of devices in Copilot+ PCs is designed to harness the full potential of AI. These devices (again bvery centre stateg at Ignite) come equipped with advanced AI inferencing capabilities, enabling them to handle complex workloads with ease. Their Neural Processors (NPUs) can operate at more than 45 Trillion Operations a Second (TOPS) providing the fastes edge AI processing in the world. The integration of AI into these devices not only enhances productivity but also ensures that security measures are robust and effective.
With features like real-time threat detection and automated responses, Copilot+ PCs provide a secure and efficient environment for businesses and consumers.
The day after Ignite, Microsoft also released Recall and Click-To-Do into public preview for users enrolled on the Windows Insider Programme.
Windows 11 – Sustainability and Windows 365
Modernising isn’t just about cost savings; it’s about the collective responsibility and impact on the global economy, our business and the environment. Microsoft has committed to advancing sustainability, and adopting Windows 11 helps in achieving your company’s sustainability goals.
Microsoft boldly shared that Windows 11 reduces energy use as the “world’s first carbon-aware OS” and offers Energy Saver, increasing energy efficiency by up to 22%.
Microsoft talked about their own devices, Surface which are manufactured using recycled materials and more renewable energy. As an example, Surface enclosures use 100% recycled aluminum alloy and 100% recycled rare earth materials. They also used this time to share existing and new programs to help organisations reduce e-waste with the recycling and refurbishment opportunities available across our ecosystem partners such as Cisilion. There’s a dedicated sustainability site for Surface -> here <-
Microsoft also shared several examples of how organisations can extend the life of (and even breath new life into) older hardware with Windows 365 without sacrificing security protection or experience.
Windows 365 and Windows 365 Link
Microsoft shared how Windows 365 plays can not only play a crucial role in this sustainability effort but also used the opportunity to announce their new dedicated “thin client” device called Windows 365 Link.
Priced at $349 and available from Spring 2025, these dedicated low power, sustainability built devices can provide local compute power but with no IT footprint to securely streams employees full personal Windows 11 desktop with all their apps, content, and settings directly from the Microsoft Cloud.
Windows 365 can run on any device include Web, dedicated devices like Windows 365 Link, and even mobile devices on iOS and Android as well of course as legacy Windows 10 devices and even Windows 11.
The flexibility of Windows 365 allows businesses in any sector and any size to reduce their IT infrastructure and management complexity while providing a consistent and secure experience for employees. Windows 365 is designed to complement your Windows 11 end user computing estate, enabling more endpoints and form factors, and unlocking more value and options for businesses.
Windows 365 is also great for contractors, testing migrations to Windows 11 and also for running secure workloads as well as for education and front line workers.
What have I missed?
There were lots of announcement around Windows and Devices at Ignite. The Windows Security Initiative clearly represents a significant step forward in ensuring that Windows remains the most secure and reliable platform.
With new enhanced security measures, simplified management and migration, seamless compatibility with App Assure, and innovative update mechanisms, Windows 11 is promising to deliver unparalleled speed, performance, security, agility and management.
Microsoft announced at Ignite, the new Facilitator agent – an update to the AI notes in Teams that works inside your meetings and chat and is designed to enhance collaboration and streamline the way teams work. It works similar to the AI generated notes after a meeting, but this works live alongside you and all participants can see it working live in the meeting.
How Facilitator works in Teams Meetings
Facilitator will take real-time notes during Teams meetings (not currently adhoc meetings or Meet Now), enabling everyone to co-author and collaborate seamlessly. This allows meeting participants to focus and engage more deeply in meetings, while ensuring alignment before the meeting concludes.
To enable this feature and use it a meeting, organisers can toggle AI-generated notes setting on or off when setting up a meeting in the Teams calendar or enable it during the meeting via the Notes section in the meeting.
Once enabled, a notification appears in the meeting chat to inform all participants. This also activates meeting transcription, with a notification to users… During the meeting, participants can click on Notes to open a pane where the AI generated live notes are created every few minutes, organised by topics and follow-up tasks.
What is nice about this is that participants can edit the notes inline or assign tasks to users, with attributions indicating whether the content is AI-generated or user-edited making these Co authored notes by humans and AI!
After the meeting ends, notes continue to be accessible in the Recap tab and are stored in the OneDrive of the user who enabled real-time notes. These notes are contextual to the meeting transcript, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
Future Capabilities in Meetings
As the Facilitator agent gets developed futrther, Microsoft say that it will be able to take on more tasks to enhance meeting effectiveness. Soon, it will also manage meetings from end-to-end, including managing agendas, moderating discussions, and handling action items automatically or semi-automatically
In early 2025, the real-time note-taking experience will also expand to Microsoft Teams Rooms. Employees will be able to invite a Teams Room to a meeting, allowing all participants to see real-time notes however, they have joined the meeting. This feature will also be available for ad-hoc meetings, enabling in-office discussions to be captured seamlessly.
How Facilitator works in Teams Chats
As of now (November 2024), the Facilitator Agent creates and maintains up-to-date summaries of what it considers valuable information within Teams chats. This includes key decisions, action items, and open questions, helping groups stay focused, align faster, and resolve issues efficiently.
AI-generated notes are automatically enabled when creating a new chat. For existing chats, users can toggle it on via the Notes icon which is shown at the top right of the chat window as shown below.
When notes are enabled, a notification appears in the group chat to inform everyone that notes are being taken in real time.
To access the notes users simply click on the Notes icon in the top right corner of the chat to show a summary of the chat thread, organised by topics with corresponding decisions, action items, and unanswered questions.
These are continuously updated as the chat conversation progresses.
Availability and access
Facilitator is already in public preview now for desktop (Windows/Mac), web, and iOS/Android. To access the public preview of the new Facilitator agent, meeting hosts need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Facilitator will only be available to users that have app permission policy for Microsoft apps set to “Allow all apps”. The Facilitator App will become available soon for Admins to see and manage in Teams admin center. For more information about app permission policies, see Manage app permission policies in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn
This week at Microsoft Ignite 2024, Microsoft unveiled new features and controls for SharePoint and Purview, aimed at empowering IT teams and ensuring robust data protection and governance. These enhancements are part of Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to providing intelligent solutions that respect an organisations controls while driving productivity and efficiency. Oversharing of data is one of the most common causes of rogue data and poor data governance and one of the biggest blockers to wider AI adoption.
Microsoft offers two powerful tools to address this concern of oversharing: SharePoint Advanced Management for site management and content governance capabilities, and Microsoft Purview for security, compliance, and governance across data and files. Both have new capabilities and availability following announcements at Ignite in Chicago.
Advanced Management for SharePoint for Copilot.
To give IT teams even more control, Microsoft have said that SharePoint Advanced Management will be included at no additional charge for Copilot customers. There’s also need and updated features coming.
Restricted Content Discovery (RCD) to help identify and manage content that is restricted or sensitive, ensuring that such content is not overshared within the organisation. This works by allowing SharePoint Administrators to restrict specific SharePoint sites from participating in organisation wide search and Microsoft 365 Chat. Once configured, all content from the site will be hidden from tenant-wide search and Microsoft 365 Chat by default for all users in the tenant, even if a user has site access permissions. While child content will be hidden by default, users will still be able to search for content they have recently interacted with. This includes recently accessed and modified files, even if RCD is applied to the parent site. Searches originating from a site context will not be impacted.This will be available in Public Preview in December 2024 and Generally Available from March 2025
Restricted Access Control (RAC) feature allows administrators to control and restrict access to specific sites or content within SharePoint to helps in preventing unauthorised access and oversharing of sensitive information. New AI content governance controls and insights will be available in early 2025.
Deployment Blueprint is a new feature that will offers a structured approach to deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot while addressing the risks of information oversharing. It will include best practices, guidelines, and tools to ensure that sensitive information is protected during the deployment process.
SharePoint Advanced Management will be Generally available in Q1 2025 and will allow IT to better govern access and usage of Copilot and agents, including controls over which users can use Copilot and agents, along with visibility into agent status and life cycle.
SharePoint Advanced Management will be included as standard for organisations with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
Purview
Data Loss Prevention – To provide addition protection, Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) will soon be extended to support Microsoft 365 Copilot. DLP policies will be able to identify sensitive documents based on sensitivity labels and exclude processing for Copilot interactions in Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat. In preview from December.
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) provides insights into the security posture of data within the organisation. It helps in identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities related to data oversharing and provides recommendations to mitigate these risks.
Risky AI Usage Detection is a new feature which can detect and alert admins about potentially risky usage of AI within the organization. It helps in preventing data leakage and unauthorised access by monitoring AI activities. This is now in public preview.
GenAI Risk Detections is another feature which focuses on detecting risks associated with the use of generative AI. It ensures that AI-generated content does not lead to oversharing of sensitive information or unauthorised access.
Measurement and Reporting with Copilot Analytics
To help IT and business leaders track adoption patterns and return on investment from the use of Copilot and agents, Microsoft is introducing Copilot Analytics.
This new feature includes out-of-the-box experiences to measure Copilot adoption and business impact, customisable reporting for deeper analysis.
The new Copilot Analytics. Microsoft Viva Insights will be included in Copilot at no additional charge as part of this new analytics suite.
How Microsoft partners can help
Cisilion, as your Copilot Jumpstart partner, will be incorporating these new features and controls into our guidance and briefing and expect Microsoft will rapidly be updating their official documentation and guidance.
The Copilot Pilot programme, entwines technical readiness with business guidance and comprehensive adoption and change management to ensures that your organisation receives the most up-to-date and comprehensive support in leveraging these advancements for optimal data protection and governance whilst putting these into practice for a smooth and measurable pilot.
Conclusion
These new controls and features are designed to provide IT teams with the tools they need to govern access, usage, and reporting while ensuring data protection and governance. Microsoft is committed to helping organisations leverage the power of AI to drive productivity, efficiency, and security.
Microsoft has introduced autonomous Copilot AI agents in public preview. These agents can learn, adapt, and make decisions, aiming to assist employees with various tasks and improve productivity. While AI has the potential to displace some jobs, it also creates new opportunities and enhances productivity.
Microsoft’s wave of Autonomous agents are here
Microsoft has unveiled new tools designed to help businesses create software agents powered by foundation models, referred to as autonomous Copilot AI agents. These agents are currently available in public preview.
Copilot is Microsoft’s generic term for all their AI-driven productivity workloads. Copilot is built upon the advanced GPT-4 series of large language models by OpenAI and offers a chatbot interface where users can input text, images, or audio prompts to receive responses tailored to their needs. Microsoft 365 Copilot also seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Office applications like Word, Teams, and Excel. It can generate documents, analyse extensive Excel spreadsheets, summarise meetings content, rewrite documents, create entire PowerPoint presentations and even reason over your inbox and company information you have access too….., and much, much more.
The next step in Microsoft 365 Copilot’s advancement is through what are termed AI-Agents, which are chat bots that can not only respond but can also perform a series of linked tasks (actions) based on user instructions. This new wave went into public preview this week at Microsoft Ignite in Chicago.
What are Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents?
This first stage of the next phase of evolution comes with Microsoft introducing a set of Microsoft 365 Copilot agents with predefined roles. These include:
Agents in SharePoint. These can be customers with a personalised name and certain behaviours, and can be shared across emails, meetings and chats, with users being able to ask the agents questions and getting real-time responses. These are grounded just on the SharePoint sites and files you specify. One created, employees can ask the agents questions about data across your files. These agents can even be shared or published in Teams for simple access.
The Employee Self-Service Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat (this currently in private preview), will be able to respond to specific HR and IT questions. It can retrieve employee benefits and even things like payroll info and holiday information, or request help from IT such as a new mouse, password reset etc.
The Facilitator agent (in public preview), works like a assistant in meetings and goes beyond the current AI notes that Teams Premium offers. It can take notes, curate actions and even pull up information or execute instructions such as “see if Bob is free and invite him to the meeting”. It will also be able to summarise the conversations based on the role of the participants.
The Interpreter agent (due in preview in early 2025) promises real-time interpretation in Teams meetings in up to nine languages. It will also be able to sample and then simulate their personal voice for a more inclusive experience as part of the translation, essentially using the sound of your voice in the language of the other participants. It was great to see this in action at ignite in a live demo!
The Project Manager agent, will be able to act and work like a PM with the ability to automate project management, from planning to execution using Microsoft (and later other) project tools like Planner.
For organisations that need more control or different templates to build on and use, Microsoft Copilot Studio provides a way to customise or create your own AI agent behaviour.
Agents in Copilot Studio
Agents built in Copilot Studio can operate independently, dynamically planning and learning from processes, adapting to changing conditions, and making decisions without the need for constant human intervention,These autonomous agents can be triggered by data changes, events, and other background tasks – and not just through chat.
Copilot Studio bundles many templates for common agent scenarios that can serve as the basis for a customised version. It will also shortly support voice-enabled agents, image uploading (for analysis by GPT-4o), and knowledge tuning with the added ability automatically add new sources of knowledge to help agents respond to questions.
Devs can use the Agent SDK to access services from Azure AI, Semantic Kernel, and Copilot Studio. There’s also an Azure AI Foundry (also launched at Ignite) integration that links Copilot Studio to facilitate connection to services like Azure AI Search and the Azure AI model catalog.
Finally, a public preview of agent builder in Power Apps was also announced at Ignite.
What about Responsible AI?
Sarah Bird, chief product officer for Responsible AI, wrote in a blog post this week that extra safety considerations arise with autonomous agents and that Microsoft is focused on ensuring that they behave and hand over to human before taking unexpected actions which can have big impacts and that extra guard rails and protections will be put in place.
The blog post talks about examples of such measures including the vital need for a human-in-the-loop check to make sure autonomous decision-making doesn’t do things it’s not expected too. Nothing demonstrates confidence in automation more than a human approval process.
Microsoft also suggest that anyone looking to get a sense of AI agents in a real role, can try out the Linked In Hiring Assistant which is designed to help HR hiring teams speed up the process of dealing with the Admin involved in reviewing job applications.
Key Benefits
The key Benefits these new adaptions to Copilot. Agents should bring to users and organisations includes:
Learning and Adaptation: The Copilot AI agents can learn from their environment and adapt to new information and tasks.
Decision-Making: These agents are capable of making decisions to assist users in their daily work.
Productivity Enhancement: The primary goal is to empower employees by reducing workload and improving efficiency in tasks such as managing meetings, emails, and creating presentations.
Automation of some tasks connected to regular and recurring inquiries or asks.
Human Impact – what about jobs!
The introduction of AI and automation, including Microsoft’s Copilot AI agents, has the potential to impact the roles of people in jobs.
Job Displacement: People naturally worry that AI has the potential to replace certain jobs, particularly those involving repetitive and manual tasks. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs….. But.
Job Creation: On the other hand, AI also creates new job opportunities. It can lead to the emergence of new roles that require advanced technical skills and the ability to work with AI systems
Economic Impact: AI is expected to contribute significantly to global economic growth. McKinsey Global Institute estimates that AI could deliver additional global economic activity of around $13 trillion by 2030
Skill Demand: The demand for skills will shift towards more advanced and technical capabilities. Employees will need to upskill and reskill to stay relevant in the evolving job market. AI skills will be similar requirement to the “Internet skills” we saw on CVs in the 1990s!
Conclusion
Microsoft’s autonomous Copilot AI agents represent a significant step towards integrating advanced AI into everyday business operations. By enhancing productivity and reducing routine workload, these agents have the potential to transform how employees manage their tasks.
These will be in public preview very soon as these often take a few weeks to rollout across the globe.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 22/11/2024 (1) How Will Artificial Intelligence Affect Jobs 2024-2030. https://www.nexford.edu/insights/how-will-ai-affect-jobs.
(3) The impact of AI on jobs – GOV.UK. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1023590/impact-of-ai-on-jobs.pdf.
At Microsoft Ignite 2024, Microsoft announced Windows 365 Link to address the need to provide zero touch, secure, lightweight “thin client” device capable of running critical Windows workloads in the Cloud while enhancing security and flexibility,
Windows 365 Link represents the first move by Microsoft into the hardware space with a dedicated new class of devices purpose-built to connect securely to Windows 365 in seconds.
Yes, essentially a Thin Client device yes, Windows 365 Link, offers a simple, secure, purpose-built device for Windows 365, which will instantly book (using Windows 365 on a dedicated Windows 11 (light) device which boots instantly to the Windows 365 desktop.
The device is tuned and built to to provide responsive, high-fidelity experiences and will be available from April 2025 for around $349 RRP.
Windows 365 Link device is a compact, fanless and lightweight device. When powered up it boots in seconds, and provides modern power management including instant wake and localised processing for high-fidelity experiences, such as Microsoft Teams meetings and Webex by Cisco, helping users make the most of productive time.
Design and Build.
The device is built with 90% post-consumer recycled aluminum alloy in its top shield, 100% pre-consumer recycled aluminum alloy in its bottom plate, and its motherboard contains 100% recycled copper and 96% recycled tin solder. It also has 100% paper-based packaging, is ENERGY STAR®-certified device, with super low energy consumption.
Windows 365 Link has a fanless design, with the ability to boot quickly and wake instantly from sleep, according to the company.
There’s no local data storage, and no admin privileges for users. The device supports dual 4K monitors, with four USB ports, an audio port, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.and supports any Windows certified wired and wireless peripherals including webcams.,
Windows 365 Link is designed to be long-lasting with no moving parts, not even a fan—hence reducing the need for frequent replacements.
Secure By Design
Windows 365 Link is secure by design. The device stores no local, runs no local apps and has no local admin access. All corporate data will stay protected within the Microsoft Cloud under the Windows Cloud PC environment. The devices also ship with security baseline policies enabled by default and security features cannot be turned off or disabled.
Firmware and device updates are managed by Microsoft and the devices cannot be side-loaded or bypassed since they leverage the same secure by design principlans protecting Microsoft first devices like Surface.
Windows 365 Link supports DCFI, password less authentication using Microsoft Entra ID and the Microsoft Authenticator app or USB security keys.
Windows 365 Link Management
The device is managed via Intune ensuring a coherent and consistent management for IT. Windows 365 Link is designed to be long-lasting and can be remotely deployed and factory reset remotely in minutes, making it easy to reuse, secure and scalable.
The devices default to having a name starting with WCPC (for Windows CPC), and you can easily find them by looking for devices where the SKU family is WCPC. Windows 365 Link also automatically stays up to date: it downloads updates in the background and will apply them overnight when the device is not in use.
In our recent fireside chat, we delved into the transformative potential of AI agents across multiple industries. These business areas include customer service, IT support, and internal business support. The discussion, titled “Rise of the AI Agents,” brought together industry experts across several fields. These included transportation, public sector, legal, media, and executive search. The panel explored how AI is reshaping customer and consumer interactions and discussed enhancing efficiency and driving more inclusive interactions.
Introduction to AI Agents
We kicked off the session our fireside chat by setting the scene. We highlighted the traditional challenges faced in contact centers. These include long hold times and inefficient call transfers between chat bots and human agents. Here we agreed on these and but also the importance of not just jumping on “injecting ChatGPT” into workflows, but instead discussed the advent and value of generative AI and human-like conversation across chat and AI-Voice and how these rapid technology advancements have the potential to revolutionise these experiences.
AI agents, leveraging large language models like, are now capable of understanding context, handling a wide range of queries, and providing personalized responses and we are seeing Contact Center solutions such as Cisco Webex, starting to infuse this technology to assist end-to-end in the Human-to AI, Human-to-AI-to-Human, and Human-to-Human conversation.
AI agents leverage advanced technologies like large language models (LLMs) and machine learning to provide more dynamic and context-aware interactions. AI agents can understand and generate natural language. This ability allows them to handle a wider range of queries. They also provide more personalised responses. They can learn from data and feedback, improving their performance over time without needing manual updates.
AI agents can also integrate with various data sources and systems, enabling them to provide more comprehensive and accurate information.
Autonomous Agents can operate entirely independently, without human intervention. They can handle multi-step tasks, make decisions based on pre-programmed logic, and adapt to new situations using advanced AI techniques like reinforcement learning. These agents are ideal for environments where human input is minimal or impractical.
Semi-Autonomous Agents on the other hand, still involve a “human in the loop.” While they can perform many tasks independently, they require human input for certain decisions or actions. This hybrid approach combines the efficiency of automation with the oversight of human expertise, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
The example below is a recent marketing video from Cisco introducing their new AI agent in Webex Contact Centre.
AI Agent example in Cisco Webex Contact Centre
AI Agent – Use Cases
Through the discussion, the panel agreed on several key areas in which AI assisted agents could add value.
Customer Support: Investing (or extending existing platform) in AI agents can help multiple lines of business better and more efficiently handle routine customer inquiries, such as changing addresses, booking or changing appointments, and freeing up human agents to work on less trivial customer requests or more complex issues.
Sales Assistance: Another area discussed, was where AI can assist human agents (for example in sales or customer service), by providing real-time information and suggestions during human customer interactions, improving the chances of successful sales conversations, such as overcoming objections or asking for more technical information about a product or service.
Customer Service and Complaints: helping agents improve their interaction with their customers, such as making agents aware of similar problems, outages or similar calls that led to successful outcomes or helping explain something better or in a different way to their customer.
Training and Development: AI can be used to train new agents by simulating customer interactions and providing feedback, helping them improve their skills more quickly. This can be used for onboarding fresh staff, running different customer scenarios or reviewing previous calls for improvement
Sentiment Analysis: Using AI to analyse customer sentiment during interactions, allowing agents to adjust their approach and improve customer satisfaction as well as flagging to supervisors early where interaction or training may be needed.
AI Agent Value and Applications
Driving efficiency and improving satisfaction
Darren Everden (London Borough of Hillingdon) shared his insights on how local authorities are looking at utilising AI to improve resident interactions. David emphasised the importance of channel shift and transformation in the public sector, driven by funding reductions and the need for more cost-effective solutions that also improve the resident experience and resolution rate. Darren highlighted the evolution of chatbots, which can now use natural language processing to understand and respond to resident queries more effectively. He also discussed the potential of integrating AI into voice channels, enhancing accessibility and providing a more natural interaction experience making it almost impossible to differentiate from human voice. Interactions are far more natural than ever, and this continues to evolve and improve with models such as ChatGPT-4o.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
Ken Dickie from Leathwaite Executive Search, discussed the role of AI in promoting and improving inclusivity and accessibility. He pointed out that AI agents are far better at being able to adapt to the needs of users with disabilities, such as dyslexia, by adjusting text spacing or providing audio responses something human only operated agents simply cannot easily do This real-time adaptability empowers individuals to engage with systems more effectively. Ken also mentioned the global reach of AI, enabling organisations to provide support in multiple languages, thus breaking down communication barriers.
Enhancing Agent Efficiency
Aidan Shanahan from Govia Thameslink Railway discussed the benefits of AI in assisting human agents. He discussed his view on where AI can provide real-time guidance and sentiment analysis, helping agents handle customer interactions more effectively. The panel here discussed the role AI as an human assistant (An Agent to the Agent) being particularly valuable in high-stress situations, such as handling complaints, where AI can suggest appropriate responses based on the customer’s tone. Aidan also highlighted the potential for AI to improve internal processes, such as IT support, by automating routine tasks and reducing response times, replacing laboreous processes with natural language requests.
Jas Bassi from Gately highlighted the potential applications of AI in the legal sector. While acknowledging the generational differences in adopting new technologies, Jas emphasized the need for a multi-channel approach that includes both human and AI interactions. He pointed out that AI can deliver efficiency gains in transactional activities, ensuring faster and more consistent service delivery. However, he also raised concerns about biases in AI training and the risk of deep fakes, underscoring the importance of maintaining a balance between automation and human oversight.
Low cost of entry and ease of Proof of Concept
Alex Taylor from Awin shared his experience with implementing AI agents internally at Awin. He mentioned that this is no longer about one off business cases and specific dictated expensive systems. He shared that he is seeing huge interest in the use of AI agents across various departments, such as InfoSec and marketing, in leveraging AI to not only automate and ease customer interactions but also going beyond this and automating processes and improving efficiency. He emphasised the importance of extending this value by connecting backend systems (which also involved in many cases minimising diserpate vendrs) and ensuring they are “compatible” to maximize their effectiveness with automation and semi-automatic interactions. He realised examples, of automatically logging tickets, providing simple answers to issues and even liaising with other systems or processes.
Finally Alex and Ken agreed that the bar to entry is much lower, with a similar approach,. bring able to serve multiple departments, handle thousands of enquiries and not only reduce the cost, but truely delivery faster, more inclusive and international support even for organisations that don’t have global offices.
Conclusion: The Value and Opportunities of AI Agents
Our fireside chat concluded that there were several key value points when it comes to the use and exploration of AI agents across customer and employee focused formal contact centers but also across more adhoc and internal communications within and across business, from website chat to internal IT support.
Enhanced Customer Interaction: AI agents can provide more efficient and personalized customer service, reducing wait times and improving satisfaction
Cost-Effective Solutions: The low cost of entry and easy of deployment (compared to the previous laborious process of programming conversational paths), enables organisations to handle a higher volume of interactions without significantly increasing costs, making it a viable option for sectors with budget constraints and most importantly without a huge development and support burden.
Inclusivity and Accessibility: AI agents can adapt to the needs of diverse user groups, promoting inclusivity and breaking down language barriers both with end customers and with human-agents.
Supporting the Human Agents: AI assists can act as a huge support for human agents by providing real-time guidance, sentiment analysis, and automating routine tasks, enhancing overall efficiency and can even help handle delicate situations, detect agent stress and suggest rest-bites and training to supervisors based on AI assisted analysis.
Internal Process Optimisation: Used effectively, this can extend way beyond the conversation, streamlining internal workflows, reducing response times and improving productivity across various departments.
