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.
January 2024
- Happy New Year – Microsoft kicked off my 2024 news with news that new PCs shipped this year will be getting a “Copilot Key” Windows 11 PCs to get Copilot key as Microsoft embeds AI in Windows. – Modern Work and AI Blog
- 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.
- Cisco Announces their AI Assistant for Security Cisco announces “AI Assistant for Security” – Modern Work and AI Blog
- Finally I reviewed Copilot Pro (for consumers) and was a little shocked at the economics for a family of four wanting to use Copilot Pro. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/01/copilot-for-family-is-how-much/
February 2024
- Cisilion opened our new corporate brand and also opened our new Client Experience Centre. Technological Innovation and Personalised Engagement in the Era of Digital Collaboration – News & Blog – Cisilion. This included new logo, new corporate values and a new website https://www.cisilion.com. We reimaged our values of Trust, Excellence and Agility and are embedding these across all we do.
- 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 Splunk which 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.
- Microsoft Security Copilot goes Generally Available: and is priced on PAYG basis. Microsoft’s Copilot for Security available April 1st – Modern Work and AI Blog
- We look at the next generation of AI PCs… Not to be confused with the upcoming Copilot+PCs! https://robquickenden.blog/2024/03/what-is-an-ai-pc/
April 2024
- 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.
- Cisco give clarity on what the Spunk Acquisition means for customers: Cisco and Splunk – For Security and Observability. – Modern Work and AI Blog
May 2024
- 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/
- I dig into the potential and privacy concerns of Microsoft Recall https://robquickenden.blog/2024/05/microsoft-recall-a-balancing-act/
- Microsoft and Cisco Splunk named Leader in Gartner 2024 MQ for SIEM
June 2024
- Microsoft delays Flagship AI tool Recall to revamp security and compliance. Opts for extended private preview. “Windows Recall” feature postponed days ahead of launch – Modern Work and AI Blog
- 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
- Microsoft says new Copilot “catch up” feature is coming this month (but it never materialises). https://robquickenden.blog/2024/06/copilot-catch-up-feature/
July 2024
News: Global Outage
- 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.
How did CrowdStrike causes Windows Screen Recovery loop on millions of Windows devices
- Cisco named a Leader by IDC for Contact Center as a Service
- Cisilion earn our First Cisco Solution Specialisation – Cisco Hybrid Cloud Computing. Cisilion’s First Solutions Specialisation: Cisco Hybrid Cloud Computing – News & Blog – Cisilion
Cyber Security
- Ahead of NDIS 2, the UK announced new Cyber Security Bill following the Kings Speech: Kings Speech : What the New Cyber Security Bill is about. – Modern Work and AI Blog
Fun and creativity
- After using Microsoft Designer for more than 6 months, I shared my experience of it across work and family life. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/07/incorporating-designer-family-life/
August 2024
- Microsoft Loop turns 1 and get major new UI refresh making to the new centre of Collaboration across Microsoft 365 apps. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/08/exploring-microsoft-loop-2-0-the-new-goto-tool-for-collaborative-work/
- Cisilion share their view on the Copilot +PC and the power of the ARM processor Snapdragon X: The power behind Copilot Plus AI PCs – Modern Work and AI Blog
September 2024
- Microsoft release Copilot Wave 2 updates in “big event” including launch of Copilot Voice for Consumer: Hands-on with Copilot Voice: An almost human conversation – Modern Work and AI BlogMicrosoft release huge Copilot (consumer) update… – Modern Work and AI Blog
- Cisilion go on record for AI innovation coming to Customer Experience and Contact Center: Elevating CX and Digital Transformation with Generative AI – News & Blog – Cisilion
- Copilot Pages – Reach General Availability: What are Copilot Pages? – Modern Work and AI Blog
- Cisilion share our views on the upcoming NDIS 2 framework for Cyber Security: Navigating NIS2: Strengthening Cybersecurity in the EU – News & Blog – Cisilion
News: Cyber Security
- UK Cyber Attack on Rail Networks: Cybersecurity in Public Infrastructure: Lessons from the Recent Railway Station Cyber Attack – News & Blog – Cisilion
Security:
- Microsoft unveil biggest shake up for third parties to secure the Windows OS to prevent another “CrowdStrike” incident happening again: Microsoft looking to remove security vendor access to it’s Windows Kernel following CrowdStrike incident. – Modern Work and AI BlogNavigating the Aftermath of the CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Outage: Insights and Strategies – News & Blog – Cisilion
Customer Success:
- Cisilion publish Customer Story on Hillingdon Council AI and Digitial Transformation journey: Empowering the Future of Modern Work in the Public Sector: A Look at the London Borough of Hillingdon’s Copilot Journey with Cisilion – News & Blog – Cisilion
October 2024
- Webex AI Agents announced for Contact Centre at Webex One event: Webex One 24: Transforming Collaboration with AI and Human Connection – News & Blog – CisilionCisco Webex One 2024 Keynote: “Experiences Amplified” – Modern Work and AI Blog
- 1 year left until Windows 10 is end of support. What’s the cost of not moving to Windows 11. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/11/the-cost-of-not-migrating-to-windows11/
- Windows 11 24H2 sets ground for the next generation of Windows (should have been called Windows 12!) Why Windows 11 24H2 could have been called Windows 12 – Modern Work and AI Blog
Work
- Cisco: Cisilion will twice as we bring home Cisco UK&I Collab Partner of the Year Award, and Reimagine Customer Experiences Partner of the Year – EMEA at WebexOne event. https://www.cisilion.com/news-blog/we-are-thrilled-to-be-a-double-cisco-award-winner/
November 2024
- Microsoft Ignite see’s over 20,000 attendees in Chicago – Cisilion Attends in person and share our highlights from the event. Microsoft Ignite 2024: Our Top Takeaways – News & Blog – Cisilion
- The Agents Here: Microsoft Copilot Agents released, and Cisco announce their Webex Contact Centre Agents.
- Cisco launch new AI Adaptive Ceiling microphone a single Microphone designed to remove the need for messy in room mics. https://youtu.be/hlu50TtBV4g?si=DjE_piwnb7-egFOz
- Microsoft unveils dedicated devices for Windows 365 Cloud PCs at Ignite: Introducing Windows 365 Link: A Secure, Seamless Cloud Experience for the Future of Work – News & Blog – Cisilion
December 2024
Accreditations:
- Following Ignite, I talk about some of the new data controls coming across Microsoft 365 to help Copilot adoption and wider over sharing controls. https://robquickenden.blog/2024/12/reducing-data-oversharing-in-m365/
- Cisilion Achieves Cisco Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Specialisation. Securing the Future: Cisilion Achieves Cisco Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Specialisation – News & Blog – Cisilion
- Cisilion achieve Cyber Essentials Plus Certification
- Cisilion renews ISO 9001 Certification : Strengthening Excellence: Cisilion Reaffirms ISO 9001:2015 Certification – News & Blog – Cisilion
- 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!